The Legends of the Guardians / Alpha & Omega Review

[cybereality]

So I just came back from a back-to-back 3D double-feature: Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole and Alpha & Omega. Clearly they were children's films but were well done. Both I thought were alright and I had a good time.

Legends of the Guardians was a movie about a bunch of owls. Some of them get kidnapped by these evil owls, but luckily escape and go to find help. They embark on a journey to find the legendary owls of ga'hoole. Sounds really cheesy, and it is, but it was alright. I thought the movie was a bit dry though, without much humor at all. Technically the art was well done, but it didn't have the distinctive style of some other animations. In terms of 3D effects, it was mostly rather subtle. I don't recall any 3D gags like stuff coming off the screen (could be a pro or a con). Seems like a strange departure for Zack Snyder (of 300 fame) not sure why he was involved in this film. Overall it was an OK movie, but it wasn't memorable in the least. Guess it was about what I was expecting, I didn't think it was going to blow me away. Still, I feel like a lot of these movies are too conservative with the 3D effect. I'm paying an extra $4 for the movie. I am going through the trouble of wearing "dorky" glasses. They really ought to go out of their way to wow me.

Alpha & Omega I thought was a lot better. Storywise I thought it was more entertaining and had some comedic moments. It was basically about two wolves from different clans that end up on a cross-country adventure. At first the girl doesn't like the guy but eventually she warms up. Your basic love story, but it was well done and not cheesy like it could have been. The movie had a nice bright, colorful look which I think made the 3D pop a little more. Although they stayed away from any cheap "in-your-face" 3D shots, there were some nice effects in the movie. Mostly a sense of depth that was shown throughout. The forest backdrops helped this, with long rows of trees or fields of grass where you could see every blade. I also thought the voice acting was better than the Owls of Ga'hoole. Sure, it wasn't anything ground-breaking but I thought it was an entertaining film.

What I am really happy about is the amount of 3D movies that are hitting the theaters now. It wasn't that long ago I would be waiting months in-between each 3D release. Now I just saw two 3D movies in one shot, and there was even a third 3D film playing at the same theater (Resident Evil, but I saw it already). On Friday Soul to Take 3D comes out, in a few weeks Jackass 3D comes out, and at the end of the month Saw 3D (finally some live-action 3D and not more kid's animations). I think there are just as many releases in November. 3D is really picking up in a big way. Hopefully they can keep the momentum and this won't be remembered as a short-lived fad. I have my hopes.