The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 19, 2019

Recently, Disney has made live-action adaptations of several of its classic and most cherished fairy tales (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella) a staple of its film output. Directors Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is another, but it's also distinct because, unlike the others, it was never an animated Disney tale (minus a segment in Fantasia), allowing, perhaps, greater liberties to be taken with the story without the shadow of a favorite animated Disney film hanging over the production. Indeed, the film doesn't allow tradition of any kind to interfere with its construction, refusing a straight retelling of the tale and instead bending components of both The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman and Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet to its own whims, or perhaps better said into a colorful and visually dense but otherwise fairly rote and routine sight-and-sound film that is content to mooch off of other visually grandiose films and assemble a picture that perhaps more than any other epitomizes the idea of "style over substance."

The gift.

Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) and her siblings Louise (Ellie Bamber) and Fritz (Tom Sweet) are preparing for their first Christmas since their mother's death. On Christmas eve, their father Benjamin (Matthew Macfadyen) gives each of them a gift their mother left for them. Clara receives a locked, silver egg. When the family leaves to attend a Christmas party at the home of a man named Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman), who is Clara's godfather, she approaches him, anxious to discover what her mother has given her, and why. Clara receives only a few words of wisdom but is given much more when she follows a trail towards her Christmas gift from Drosselmeyer which leads her out of the house and into a magical world known as “The Four Realms.” Clara quickly discovers that her late mother was queen of the land and that she is its princess. With the help of Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jayden Fowora-Knight), the Nutcracker, Clara must gather her inner strength to try and keep peace in the land and unite the kingdom under its four regents: The Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez), and Shiver (Richard E. Grant).

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms constructs an interesting, if not immediately obviously unoriginal, mishmash of fantastical delights and plot contrivances and conveniences borrowed from and influenced by other, similar genre stories and films in which a character or characters suddenly appear in another world where down is up and the path back home is goes straight through some magical, dazzling, or otherwise (usually ridiculously colorful and weird) unfamiliar world populated by oddball characters. Much of the Four Realms is most obviously influenced by Tim Burton's vision for Alice in Wonderland, as are many of this film's essential plot points. Components from The NeverEnding Story, The Wizard of Oz, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are all in evidence. Though by bullet point the film may claim to be original, it's unmistakably, at the macro level, a colorful and cool yet clearly crude and calculated reshaping of been-there-done-that story points and visual stylings.

Ultimately, the film boils down to telling a story of a girl coming to terms with her mother's death. The plot revolves around an egg that her mother left her and follows Clara's journey to discover its significance. One can probably guess with confidence what that significance is ultimately revealed to be considering that the film refuses to go anywhere or do anything beyond its embrace trite narrative details, but the balance between a personal, inward journey and the fantastical outer journey Clara takes throughout the film at least lends it a sense of purpose and proportion that perhaps the audience can get behind and cheer for. Clara's inner growth is not immediately obvious, but the film does outwardly depict her as more than capable -- she's a mechanical genius and, as she comes to learn, something of a tactician, too -- in an era when females were often considered incapable of performing tasks beyond gender-typical roles. The film makes no overt commentaries to that point but is a plainly defined characteristic that resonates throughout the film.

Costuming and set design are resplendent, and anything less from a major production of this scope and style would be a disservice to the audience at best and a death sentence for the film at worst. Victorian England is depicted as slightly dreary, seemingly in order to both emphasize the sorrow felt for Mrs. Stahlbaum's recent death and to better showcase the contrasting wonders and colors of The Four Realms, which is made from a seamless combination of practical set pieces and intricately detailed and effortlessly inserted digital backdrops, foreground constructs, and fully realized characters. Unfortunately, all of it -- even the film's lone ballet scene -- rings hollow, offering viewers a scrumptious outer shell with little substance inside. The filmmakers have carefully assembled the film's these-and-those tidbits but almost conveniently forget the importance of the story within all of it.

The film is a victim of excess, but it's also a victim of lack. This take on the story removes the Beauty and the Beast-like love story in which Clara meets and falls for The Nutcracker, who is actually a prince. This key plot line is all but abandoned in the film; The Nutcracker is merely a guard who stands by Clara's side through various adventures, and if there's a romantic spark between them it's a hint of one at best. Regardless of what's here and what isn't, what's been reworked and what hasn't, there's no mistaking the film's purposeless, box office returns-driven construction that might have played better with audiences a decade or two ago when visual excess seemed a little more en vogue and a production of this scope might have felt a little more novel.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond any opinions on the movie, there's no mistaking the raw spectacle at work in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which translates incredibly well to Blu-ray. The picture was shot on film, which considering the practical and digital effects density, resplendent costumes, and robust character details in essentially every scene, translates into an exceptionally hearty 1080p transfer. The image is terrific, texturally rich and alive in the opening sequence in an attic where wonderful, first-rate definition abounds on old wood planks, the odds and ends that make up the scientific contraption used to catch a mouse, and both background and character elements. In the Stahlbaum house proper, the elegant furnishings are wonderfully clear an perfectly defined, and the first opportunity too view the film's elegantly and intricately designed and constructed costumes reveals exceptional textural accuracy. The image maintains impressive density and clarity throughout, both within Drosselmeyer's mansion and, later, through the lavishly and intricately designed realms in which Clara finds herself throughout the film. On Blu-ray, the line between real and fake, practical and digital, is seamless. The picture quality is stunning, finding every inch of textural wonder on costumes, set pieces, props, faces, and digital supports. The image maintains a healthy, natural sharpness for the duration, supported by a very fine and complimentary grain structure. Colors, critical to shaping the world's diverse locations, characters, and odds and ends, are striking, finding exceptional depth, punchy saturation, and nuanced precision. Primaries are bold and brilliant, support hues are grounded and firm, and the raw diversity on display, even within the same element -- densely and finely detailed makeup applications, for example -- pose no challenge for this Blu-ray. Skin tones appear precise and black levels are perfectly deep and refined. No source or encode artifacts are apparent. This is a home run 1080p transfer from Disney.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For its Blu-ray release of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Disney has opted to forego inclusion of the UHD's Dolby Atmos soundtrack in favor of an otherwise perfectly good DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack, further positioning the UHD as the "premium" home video release of the film. While an upward volume adjustment is necessary to more fully enjoy the track, as per Disney norm, the track otherwise sounds in perfectly fine working order, boasting excellent clarity, depth, and detail throughout. Instrumental music envelops the listener in chapter two as the family arrives at Drosselmeyer's mansion. Surround integration is regular, prominent, and seamless here and throughout the film, with music the highlight as it both encircles the listener and presents each note with refined fidelity. The low end is not thunderous, but it is effective as needed, such as when Clara is chased by a "monster" in chapter three or when Mother Ginger's voice booms and reverbs on first meeting. As with music, surrounds are engaged regularly and prominently to support both ambient effects as well as chaotic action scenes; the listener is never left wanting for greater encirclement and draw into the film's world. Combined with the lavish visuals, the sensory engagement certainly makes any viewing an experience. Dialogue is stage commanding with seamless prioritization and firm positioning in the front-center with expansion as necessary.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms contains a rather scant collection of extra content. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• On Pointe: A Conversation with Misty Copeland (1080p, 4:36): Professional ballerina Misty Copeland discusses her role as the Ballerina Princess, the differences and similarities between dance and acting, and working with the other dancers in the film.
• Unwrapping The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (1080p, 7:08): Cast and crew discuss set design, the qualities the various sets added to the film's themes, and how the costumes compliment the story.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:04 total runtime): Included are The Stahlbaums Arrive; Follow Your Ribbon; Clara Asks About Her Mother; Left, Left, Left, Left, Left; and Out With the Old.
• Music Video (1080p, 4:23): "Fall On Me" Performed by Andrea Bocelli Featuring Matteo Bocelli.
• Music Video (1080p, 4:06): "The Nutcracker Suite" performed by Lang Lang.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is perfectly watchable and perfectly forgettable. The film boasts some star power and seamlessly integrated practical and digital constructs and delights, but those mean nothing without a substantial story to match. The film does not offer that story, favoring a reworking of a classic tale into unnecessary spectacle that feels like Burton's Alice in Wonderland reworked to The Nutcracker. Disney's Blu-ray does have high yield video and audio on offer. Supplements are brief and add little value to the package. Rental.