Kathryn Lansky is a very happy woman. Earlier this year, she released her fourth book under the title – The Gaurdians of Ga’Hoole and that too after 10 years. I am not so sure how the book turned out but I can tell you this much – Zack Snyder has turned the book into a front runner for the Oscars this year in the Animation Category. Toy Story 3 would be a really tough one to crack and How to Train your Dragon was almost as good as Toy Story 3. I would hazard a guess this time that The Legend of the Gaurdians would definitely find its way into the nominations..
Noctus (Hugo Weaving) and Nyra (Helen Mirren) are a happily married barn owl couple. The stay up in the tree tops with their 3 children – Soren (Jim Sturgess), Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) and Eglantine (Adrienne De Faria). Taking care of their children when they are away is their nanny – Mrs. Plithiver (Miriam Margoyles) a pink barn snake I am guessing. Kludd and Soren are almost ready to branch out but are not the most confident. They are learning to fly but are not completely ready. Soren is a dreamer. He has grown up on the stories of the Gaurdians of Ga’hoole – a kind of myth in owl world. He listens to his heart more than his head. He is fun loving and confident and gets people to like him very easily. Kludd on the other hand tries too hard to prove a point and get the world to like him more. He kind of lives in the shadown of Soren – and he is obviously not too thrilled about it
One evening when Noctus and Nyra go off on their evening hunt, the boys decide to try their hand at flying – a little too soon it must be said. They quickly find themselves on the ground, a place which is considered most dangerous for owls in general. As expected, they have to fight for the next minute or two with a wolf but are saved in the nick of time by a couple of owls who they haven’t met ever. But they are quick to realize that they have not been saved but kidnapped and taken to St. Aggies where the legendary wicked Metal Beak (Joel Edgerton) is gathering owl orphans to form an army of Titos or what he calls, The Pure Ones. These guys kidnap young owlets in need and use them in a variety of ways including building them into soldiers who would fight the war against the Legendary Gaurdians. He has also managed to pull together a legion of bats to work with him in this wicked endevour. But Soren and Gylfie (Emily Barclay) one of the other kidnapped owlets, manage to escape and make their way all the way to the Island of the Ga’hoole.
Zack Snyder is a confident director. With the likes of Watch Men & 300 under his belt, he is brimming with the confidence of a director who knows what he is upto. I haven’t seen Watch Men yet but 300 speaks volumes of the capability of this director. The narration is very strong and the movie is extremely compact with little or no wastage of time and unnecessary additions. The editing is par excellence and voice overs extremely apt. The Legend of the Gaurdians is the typical story of good prevailing over evil but portrayed through a the eyes of owls. The attention to detail is phenomenal. Watching it in 3D @ the IMAX is as good as living the experience. One can, if upto it, actually count the feathers on the owls. Simply superb I say. Easily a 7.5 on 10.
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