Little magic and low bar in ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’

By JASON GUYER
iRATE
Are you ready for the holidays yet? The movies are. Disney seems to be at least, as it releases “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” tells a new version of the famed story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” using elements from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s and Alexandre Dumas’ versions of the story, and the ballet the “The Nutcracker.” Clara is the lead in both Dumas’ version and the many of the ballet versions, while in E. T. A. Hoffmann’s version Marie is the lead. In “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” Clara is the lead, but her mother was Marie.

When young Clara is given a priceless gift from her recently deceased mother, a gift that needs a very special key, Clara goes looking to find this one-of-a-kind key to unlock the gift. At Drosselmeyer’s party, when all the children are given gifts, Clara follows her golden thread to her gift, the coveted key. When the key soon disappears into a strange and mysterious world. Clara must enter this world to find it.

In Clara’s trip to this new world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice, and the regents who preside over three realms the Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets. To find Clara’s key, Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm, all while trying to restore harmony to the unstable realms. 

Clara is played by Mackenzie Foy. Foy is best known as the 10-year-old version of Matthew McConaughey’s daughter Murph in the film “Interstellar.” In “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” Foy does a commendable job as the lead. She carries a film that is held back by everything else in it. Foy raises the bar for “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” a bar that was not set very high. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” tries to grab some of that Disney magic, but unlike films in Disney’s past, it never seems magical.

The entire backdrop to the story of Clara feels small and often as fake as the snow that covers the ground as Clara Enters the realms. Even as Foy takes the character of Clara into this century, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” never creates an atmosphere for Foy to truly shine in the role of Clara. 

Foy even out-acts the often wonderful Keira Knightley. Knightley plays the film’s version of the Sugar Plum fairy. Knightley’s version of the Sugar Plum fairy is tiring, especially because she uses a high and sharp “Barbie doll” voice for the character during the entire movie.

To Knightley’s credit her best acting comes after her character’s reveal in “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” and she delivers what could have become an iconic film line if the film was better.

Even with Foy at her best and a wonderful Knightley for a half hour at the end of the film, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” won’t crack Christmas movie legend. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” may be a holiday movie but it lacks any and all holiday spirit. When the audience can always tell the snow is fake and the set pieces are fake, it gives the film a setting that always feels small and staged. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” never even embraces regular movie magic, never mind the “Disney magic.”

There is one bright spot of  “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” that I thoroughly enjoyed and that was all the ballet scenes. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” and it’s always small and fake feel just made me want the ballet version. The ballet version, even by a mediocre troupe, far exceeds “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” 

The film’s best decision was casting Misty Copeland. Copeland performs the ballet parts in  “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” Although the total run time of her scenes is 15 minutes at best (most of which is as the credits roll), Copeland steals the show. Copeland is the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history. Misty performed her own version of “Clara” in the American Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker in 2014. At the time the New York Times said of the performance, “Ms. Copeland, nearly flawless and brightened by notes of exultation and triumph.” Copeland carried that over to “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” and at the premiere Copeland garnered the loudest cheers.

After seeing the film one can see why. Copeland makes the audience yearn for the ballet version. I recommend instead of seeing “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” one should find the best local ballet version of “The Nutcracker” and go see that instead. As the only magic in “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is Misty Copeland’s toes.

 

IRATE SCORE: 1.5/5

 

Jason Guyer is an avid moviegoer and works in the graphics department at the Eagle Times. For questions or comments he can be emailed at [email protected]