The dancing is splendid but the cinematography is a hindrance to enjoying it. The camera keeps cutting from angle to angle, lingering on close ups, so you're missing the grandeur of the ballet. Several critic reviews mention it too.
And I hate to admit it but I did not like this version of Herr Drosselmeier who is her godfather. He's the one who gives her the nutcracker and for some reason they made him awkward and creepy. He keeps giving her weird looks and she is acting like she is afraid of him the entire time. He also keeps giving jealous, dirty looks to her beau the Nutcracker Prince. Drosselmeier even physically pulls her away from the prince. It's an odd take on the story. Roger Ebert who I often disagree agree with also noted in his review that they inappropriately made Drosselmeier into a dirty old man.
For special effects, the heavy use of green screen backgrounds was a distraction. Even though it tied into the toy castle theme, it's an interesting idea but not executed well.
My biggest gripe is the songs are completely out of order. For some reason they play the Sugar Plum fairy first. The Sugar Plum is one of the most special moments and has no place being dished out before the promenade of different dances that are really an appetizer.
And one last item is the way the credits start rolling over the finale! You can't even see what is happening during the final dance. The text is obscuring everything that is happening while they all take their bows to crowd applause, which is a special part of going to the theater. This is a moment to savor and point out who your favorite dancers are and remember what their costumes look like. There are numerous other filmed versions to watch and I was glad to see this one. But I only need it to see one time. I recommend Baryshnikov to cleanse the palate. Happy Christmas!
And I hate to admit it but I did not like this version of Herr Drosselmeier who is her godfather. He's the one who gives her the nutcracker and for some reason they made him awkward and creepy. He keeps giving her weird looks and she is acting like she is afraid of him the entire time. He also keeps giving jealous, dirty looks to her beau the Nutcracker Prince. Drosselmeier even physically pulls her away from the prince. It's an odd take on the story. Roger Ebert who I often disagree agree with also noted in his review that they inappropriately made Drosselmeier into a dirty old man.
For special effects, the heavy use of green screen backgrounds was a distraction. Even though it tied into the toy castle theme, it's an interesting idea but not executed well.
My biggest gripe is the songs are completely out of order. For some reason they play the Sugar Plum fairy first. The Sugar Plum is one of the most special moments and has no place being dished out before the promenade of different dances that are really an appetizer.
And one last item is the way the credits start rolling over the finale! You can't even see what is happening during the final dance. The text is obscuring everything that is happening while they all take their bows to crowd applause, which is a special part of going to the theater. This is a moment to savor and point out who your favorite dancers are and remember what their costumes look like. There are numerous other filmed versions to watch and I was glad to see this one. But I only need it to see one time. I recommend Baryshnikov to cleanse the palate. Happy Christmas!