THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS
★★★★★ (PG)
CHRISTMAS comes but once a year and, thankfully, so too does a grand folly like this.
Inspired by The Nutcracker ballet and E.T.A. Hoffman’s short story The Nutcracker And The Mouse King, this lavishly staged adventure is a glittering bauble: dazzling but completely hollow.
Clara (Mackenzie Foy) looks forward to another Christmas with her godfather Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman).
Following a length of twine in the garden of Drosselmeyer’s estate, Clara finds herself at the snow-laden gateway to four magical realms.
Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), Snow Realm King (Richard E Grant) and Flower Realm King (Eugenio Derbez) preside over three of the kingdoms in harmony but the fourth is the domain of Mother Ginger (Dame Helen Mirren).
She’s declared war on her neighbours and is marshalling an army to seal their downfall.
Clara pledges her support to overthrow Mother Ginger and heads into battle flanked by handsome soldier Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight).