The Nutcracker is fine, but that's it, it's just.... fine.
It feels like the movie doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts in Victorian London, then goes to what is essentially Narnia. It does have a "nutcracker", but he is just like all the other soldiers, except black. There's a ballet montage, a "battle", and family conflict. There's a very intelligent girl, who's the poster child for girls getting into STEM, which was cool.
But, honestly this feels like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe shoehorned into something vaguely resembling The Nutcracker Suite, but not as good.
With all the live-action remakes that Disney is making, I was hoping for something a whole lot closer to its namesake.
Again, it's not terrible for what it is, but even for what it is, it's just not that exciting or compelling.

I kept waiting for the part where the film becomes detestable, but that part never came.

_The Nutcracker and the Four Realms_ is like a tasty Christmas cookie: it has all the right ingredients, is a little too saccharine and looks incredible.

While the visuals are extremely Baroque in nature, the story, like the original Tchaikovsky ballet, has clear Romantic influences which mean the plot and the music go together like feet and pointe shoes.

MacKenzie Foy was utterly breathtaking in the lead while Jayden Fowora-Knight as the Nutcracker Captain was utterly gorgeous (though the weakest of all performances).

My take is, _The Nutcracker..._ is meant for adults who remember what it means to be a child, and for children who want to know how it feels to be an adult.

I thought this film was breathtakingly beautiful, every frame was decadent. The storyline was vastly different to any other version of the Nutcracker I have seen, but it was a refreshing new take which I enjoyed. Think this may be a new Christmas favourite.

I wish to review this movie with a number of questions. How can you make a movie based on a ballet with barely any dancing? Or music from the ballet? How did the Nutcracker become steampunk? How much glitter is acceptable to wear in a fantasy? Why did you wear more if you knew that answer? How can you hire good actors and then give them absolutely no character to play? Couldn't you have just used the standups in the lobby instead and saved some cash? If you are going to try to make a modern Wizard of Oz, why not have some charm, wit, awe and excitement in the film? How did I actually remain conscious during this movie? For a kids film, were you aiming to add as much nightmare fuel as you could to the film, or was that a happy accident? 3/10

Not necessarily bad, just pretty lame.

'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms' is a harmless and simple film, fine I guess for the festive period. As a whole, though, it isn't good - despite neat effects and a couple of big names.

Keira Knightley (Sugar Plum), Helen Mirren (Mother Ginger) and Morgan Freeman (Drosselmeyer) are familiar faces and are enjoyable on a base level, but their characters are rather forgettable. Mackenzie Foy (Clara) and Jayden Fowora-Knight (Philip) are decent together, while Jack Whitehall (Harlequin) and Omid Djalili (Cavalier) are smart casts - if underused.

It's the plot that lets this down, it just all makes for underwhelming viewing - I, personally, never got into it. The beats of the story are quite predictable, especially the main twist. As noted though, the special effects are pleasant enough - as is the Xmas vibe it sets throughout.

Very meh. You could watch worse, mind.

Great actors and it was especially a joy to see Mackenzie Foy again.
But the plot was really bland and it isn't a very joyful movie, for kids.

An exciting fantasy adventure, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms re-envisions the classic holiday tale. While at a Christmas party a young girl named Claire accidentally crosses over to a fantasy world where toys have come to life and discovers that her mother was once a queen there, and the regents seek Claire’s help to defeat Mother Ginger, a former regent who has gone rogue and rebelled against the others. Starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, the film has an impressive cast. And the costumes and set designs are incredibly well-done, creating a wondrous fantasy world. Additionally, the score by James Newton Howard has an enchanting quality that helps to set the right tone. However, the plot is rather thin and fairly predictable. Yet it does find a clever way to include and honor the original Marius Petipa ballet. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms has its problems, but overall it’s a fun family film that celebrates the magic of the season.

I was excepting something different. This movie is very boring. Stunning visuals, awful story. Don't waste your time.

Not quite sure where to place this one. I didn't realise when watching it that it was an adaption from what was originally a ballet, so it felt like it should be a musical and yet nobody sings in it. It did have an influence from "Alice In Wonderland", and that aspect won my approval. It also had at least one or two funny moment so it was rather enjoyable but not something I'd be eager to watch again.

Spoilers with this Review

Non-spoilers it's the Moulin Rouge of Disney movies stunning costumes and set design boring or turgid plot.

[spoiler]The plot while too twee at times was serviceable. I loved set dressing and set design in general, all the fantastic costumes really captured the world perfectly. It was enjoyable and the music was of course amazing. The ensemble Clara wore was friggin' gorgeous and I would love to wear it.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]My biggest problem, I saw as soon as I saw how insistent Sugarplum Fairy was on the weapon I knew she was actually the evil one.[/spoiler]

Not a bad movie FYI. I'd give it an 8/10 or 7/10 for the set design and costumes alone, but the plot is much to be desired.

If you've seen many versions of the Nutcracker, this one is a delight in the way that very few reimaginings can do. Surprising plot twist on this one (that, if you know and love this story).