Release Date: 2nd November 2018
Young Clara (Mackenzie Foy), receives a special gift from her father left by her dead mother who all the children are mourning.
It’s an egg without a key (Morgan Freeman). Her godfather gives her a Christmas gift by laying a trail which she must follow to find the key, as she finds the key a mouse grabs it and through the pursuit Clara gains access to a magical, world called the Four Realms, where she meets a brave Nutcracker soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), and more.
Inspired by the classic Nutcracker tale the plot diverges from it but as entertainment it works very well with unexpected role transformations along the way. Mother Ginger’s attack clowns, and battle scenes between life size animated toy soldiers controlled by the evil sugar plum fairy and opposed by Mother Ginger allied with Clara and the Nutcracker are spectacular and gripping.
I took my 10 year old granddaughter to view the film and she commented that “it was an excellent film for all children of any age, including grandparents!” she said that she would give it 4 1/2 stars because she really enjoyed it. I agree with her as she is clearly representative of the target audience, it’s well worth seeing!
Reviewed by: David Flack
Rated: 4 1/2 stars