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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Neil Bray (9th July 2011). |
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The Film
 I'm a lover of animated films and animal films. Combine the two and you have movie gold, in my opinion. Films such as Watership Down, The Lion King, Incredible Journey, and, from the same studio as Legend of the Guardians, Happy Feet are simply magical viewing. So it was, I went into Legend of the Gaurdians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole with a combination of excitement and trepidation. The reviews had been mixed from critics; but reviews from Joe Public had seemed more positive. The story centres on young Soren, a barn owl, who is kidnapped (owl-napped?!) by a gang of evil owls, the Pure Ones, who need slave labour to aid in their nefarious plans to take over the owl world. Needless to say, Soren isn't about to stand by and watch this happen; so he goes in search of the mythical Guardians, hoping they can help stop the Pure Ones and their evil leader Metal Beak. Picking up friends along the way he is faced with betrayal, loyalty and disillusion he is forced to grow up fast or watch everything he loves get destroyed. Zack Snyder has a tendency to swing between style-over-substance (300) and pure brilliance (Watchmen) in his films; and with Legend of the Guardians he seems to have found a happy medium. The slow-mo moments are stylish and stunning with a few, literally jaw-dropping moments. Of particular note is a sequence with Soren flying through a storm. Feathers look soft, beaks look sharp and eyes show depth and emotion. Colours are rich resulting in a fully realised, photo-realistic world populated by some of the most beautifully animated birds ever created. Other reviewers have noted that the film is too violent for children; and, subsequently, I was expecting to see wings being ripped off and blood flying... there is none of that here. The battle sequences are tense and there is definitely a sense of violence and real danger to the characters; but the furthest the films goes is a big of battering and close-ups of shiny steel claws. Having said that, I do agree that the PG rating is probably deserved and that younger children should probably watch with an adult. I read other reviews stating that there were glaring plot holes, poor characterisation and no plot. Really? What film were those people watching, I wonder. The story flows along a a fairly quick pace and I never noticed any plot holes. The plot itself is actually quite involved (probably more so in the books this is based on), without becoming too complicated for younger viewers. I truly felt for these characters. I was invested in their lives and fearful of their chances for success. Isn't that what films like this set out to achieve?
Video
Presented in 2.40:1, 1080p AVC a 3D Blu-ray player and TV are required to view this releasen to its full potential. I have a few 3D movies and this was by far the best I have seen. The depth was incredibly effective and there were many moments of out-of-screen effects. Only occassional ghosting occured and this was primarily on background characters or images. Colours are incredible in this film and the blacks are deep. Totally engrossing on every level. Subtitles are included in Dutch, English HoH, French, German HoH, Italian and Spanish.
Audio
An immersive English DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio track fully utlises all the speakers. Dialogue is crisp and clear with ambient noise and special effects effectively using the surround speakers, especially notable on battle sequences. Also, David Hirschfelder's wonderful score sounded particularly wonderful. Other audio options includes Dutch, Flemish, French, German, Italian and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and an Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 2.0 track.
Extras
This 3D Super Play version comes with 2 discs. The first is the Blu-ray 3D version of the film which includes the new animated Loony Tunes short 'Fur of Flying', also in 3D. The short is also available on disc 2 in 2D. The second blu-ray disc contains most of the extras. There is also an insert with details on how to download your digital copy (which is NOT on a seperate disc). I have to admit to being disappointed at the lack of 'adult' oriented extras. I realise that this film is primarily aimed at children; but I would have like to have seen a decent, in depth, making of. The closest thing to this is the Maximum Movie Kids Mode (PiP feature) which gives some decent behind-the-scenes information. In my opinion, studios should remember that kids grow up and that, as they do, they won't want to play the interactive games.... they want to know how everything was achieved. A single deleted scene is, misleadingly, listed as "Legend of the Guardians: Rise of the Guardians". It's a fully animated piece and is as equally beautiful as the main film. After watching it, I could see why it was removed from the film, as it potentially would have given away some of the plot twists. A couple of interactive games, "Match the Owl Treats" and "Legend of the Guardians: Armor Up With Soren & Eglantine", are included along with a music video entitled "To the Sky" by the, aptly name, group Owl City. There are also four galleries, split into the following: - "Soren & Friends" - "The Locations" - "Villains of St. Aegolius" - "The Guardians" BD Live is also available, but was not accessed by this reviewer. Available for profile 2.0 players.
Overall
At its heart, this is a classic good vs. evil story about the importance of family and loyalty. I came into this film wanting to love it and am so pleased that I did. As with earlier films, such as Watership Down, the Owl's universe is totally immersive and beautiful. But, as with Watership Down, full of tragedy and struggle. I would recommend this film to any true lover of animated movies or anyone who doesn't just want their animal/animated movies to involve singing or romance. A must-own!
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