Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not represent those of allgames.com.
Introduction to The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie Review by Ms. H
Before I saw this film, I watched a TV talk show interview where Keira Knightley discussed her role as Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie. She mentioned that her hairstyle in the movie reminded her of cotton candy and that it took forever to remove the glitter from her hair and her clothes. She plays both a friend and a foe of the young star of the movie, Mackenzie Foy, who plays the role of Clara Stahlbaum. The movie is rated PG -- Parental Guidance recommended.
Plot of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie in a “nutshell” is based on a young girl’s actions after she receives a gift from her late mother that she could not open due to a lost key. Her mother’s gift to her was an ornamented silver egg. Mackenzie Foy’s character went on an adventure to locate the key which is stolen by a rodent. The rodent appears to be part of a community of rodents who have the ability, among other things to get together to form the image of a large beast.
Along her journey, Mackenzie Foy’s character meets friends and enemies who can either help her or do her possible harm. Keira Knightley, as Sugar Plum, who appeared at first to be Clara Stahbalm’s friend, also played the part of her deceptive enemy who was focused on battling a character by the name of Mother Ginger with the intent to destroy her -- as revenge for the demise of Clara Stahlbaum's mother.
Hodgepodge of Scenes in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
When Mackenzie Foy’s character, Clara Stahlbaum entered one of the realms, she was accompanied by a soldier who would sometimes be with her, and then, without explanation, he would suddenly be nowhere in sight. Other times she was whisked away and found herself in strange places. For example, sometimes she would be at a ball -- Other times she would be asleep and the next minute she was doing something else. I think the director may have shot a lot of different scenes and then pieced them together at what he probably envisioned was a proper sequence. However, to me -- using this effect caused the movie to lose smooth continuity as well as clear transitions. This was one of my negatives of the movie among the many positives.
Keira Knightley as Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Keira Knightley as Sugar Plum in The Nucracker and the Four Realms Movie
I think Keira Knightley is unrecognizable as Sugar Plum due in part to the expert job the make up artists, etc. did for her character. I especially liked the effects of her butterfly wings that she sometimes used to move around. Of course, I’m sure this was done by Computer- Generated Imagery (CGI).
Usually Keira Knightley plays serious British roles where humor is not prevalent. An example of one of her recent movies is Colette. However, In the movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, not only did Keira Knightley do a good job playing the part of a nice friend and an evil villain, but she also effectively delivered a few humorous lines as well.
Diversity in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
I will be giving The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie a high rating, not only because of the creativity I saw in the movie, but also because of the diversity. This is a period film, probably set in the 1800’s, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the diverse characters in the movie, including some of the dancers, the Nutcracker soldier, the ballet dancer and of course, Morgan Freeman, who had a part in this movie.
That being said, I was not a fan of the makeup used on the Nutcracker soldier. Also, the Nutcracker soldier sometimes lost his British accent. Another negative for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie is that for a Christmas movie, I think there were not enough Christmas-type visuals in the movie. On the other hand, I did like the costumes in this movie which I thought looked authentic for the time period.
Misty Copeland in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
By the way -- if you watch The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie, you may want to stay after the credits roll to watch a dance recital by none other than Misty Copeland, the acclaimed ballet dancer. She also appears in the introductory scenes of the movie.
Mackenzie Foy and Anne Hathaway
Lookalikes in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
When I saw Mackenzie Foy in this movie, my first thought was that she could have been a young Anne Hathaway. Little did I know that she actually played Anne Hathaway's daughter in the film Interstellar.
Keira Knightley
Another look alike in the movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in my opinion was Keira Knightley when she was dressed as Sugar Plum and the actor Jenny McCarthy.
Jenny McCarthy
Assessment of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
I think the stand out actor in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie is Keira Knightley who played the part of Sugar Plum. She changed her voice from her British accent to fit the character that she played. It also appeared that she had fun while playing the character Sugar Plum which I think makes it enjoyable for the audience to watch. Coming in second would be Mackenzie Foy who played the role of Clara Stahlbaum. However, all in all, I think everyone in the movie did an adequate job playing their parts.
Keira Knightley as Sugar Plum and Mackenzie Foy as Clara in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Rating of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie
Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie 4 stars.