Rise of the Guardians

Rise of the Guardians is currently streaming in Australia on Foxtel Now, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Chris Pine leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Foxtel Now.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Rise of the Guardians earns its spot. Rise of the Guardians treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world. Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin lead a cast that makes the ambitious moments land. Rise of the Guardians came out in 2012. Rise of the Guardians resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Rise of the Guardians genuinely rewarding. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Chris Pine's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.