Go ahead. You have my permission to hold me partially responsible for keeping the Treyarch guys knee-deep in pretzels and energy drinks. Lord help me, but I play Call of Duty Black Ops 2 nightly, for an hour or more, with a group of friends as dedicated as I. We play online against the world and we play in private matches against each other. That said, not a single one of us bought the Season Pass, so each of us has shelled out 15 bucks for each new map pack, and the latest, dubbed Uprising, is no exception.

But was it worth it?

Encore takes center stage, quite literally, as a medium-to-large scale skirmish map putting players in a thousand-seat stadium before a rock concert. On stage, back stage and all around the stadium exposes players to both close quarter and open venue combat, dripping with potential. Trouble is, it’s just potential. The level design fails, placing dozens of invisible walls and un-climbable boxes all over the map. It’s laid out to look as if show producers are setting up for a concert, so cherry pickers and equipment crowd the area, but players aren’t able to jump on top for better vantage points. Thankfully, you’re still able to jump on stage, but it’s a near travesty that you can’t even run through the seating areas of the stadium. It makes for a largely ho-hum, flat map for anything but Hardpoint or Domination game types.

Vertigo puts players at the top of a mega skyscraper in India. It’s an industrial building that seems to pay homage to the mega-corp OCP from RoboCop. Large interior lobby space and tight conference rooms are surrounded by precarious rooftop battles with very little to prevent players from falling hundreds of stories to a messy end. Vertigo offers a more satisfying match, especially in Deathmatch or GunGame, for players that like to keep moving. Once again however, it’s disappointing to see so many un-scaleable crates, boxes and air conditioning units, especially leading to even further elevated rooftops that cannot be utilized. It’s frustrating to find so many niche areas that would make this an excellent map for Capture the Flag or Domination only to look like an idiot trying to jump up to areas that look easily accessible.

Magma forces players to weave in and out of lava flows streaming through a decimated modern village area in Japan. It’s small enough for only 4 or 5 players and sports some great ambiance. The lava itself is easy enough to avoid, but players often find themselves backing into not-yet-cooled areas of molten rock that near instantly set them aflame. I quite liked this map, but once again, there is so much lost potential, it really brings down my opinion of it. It’s being heavily advertised featuring “for the first time, lava as a hazard in multiplayer”, but it really isn’t any more of a hazard than falling off a cliff in any of the other maps. There’s never much threat to stepping in the giant glowing rivers unless you’re playing while blindfolded. It surprises me that level designers didn’t take a queue from their earlier map, Hydro, and add some unpredictability to where the lava flows. Or perhaps add some random flaming rocks coming down from this violently erupting mountain in the background. At a bare minimum, there are plenty of places where small fire and lava puddles are scattered on the ground, but you can stand on them without being harmed.

Lastly, Studio is a tight cornered, stick and move type of map that I love. Most of my crew agrees that this one will easily find it’s way into our private skirmish rotation. Traversing a half dozen movie tropes, Studio is set on a Universal-style backlot, ranging from the wild west to Godzilla to medieval times and an alien invasion. There’s even an animatronic dinosaur to keep an eye out for. It won’t take long for veteran Black Ops 1 players to realize that Studio is an exact duplicate of Firing Range from the first game, just re-skinned with a far more interesting theme. I would have liked to have seen some improvements on the map, not just new wallpaper, like environmental hazards (t-rex chomping down for example) or expanding the map out a bit. That said, I’m happy with the way it turned out. Especially for party modes like GunGame and Sticks & Stones, Studio is perfect.

A new zombie challenge map has been added with this pack as well, Mob of the Dead, in which 4 Prohibition-era gangsters must do well to fight off hordes of undead prisoners in San Francisco’s infamous Alcatraz prison. It’s deserving of its own review, so I won’t go into it here, other than to say it’s impressive to get to play with the voices and likenesses of Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, Chazz Palminteri and Ray Liotta.

15 bucks (1200 MS points) isn’t going to break anyone’s bank, but personally I feel just a little taken. The best new map also happens to be a remake from a title I already purchased. The others just didn’t quite meet with my expectations. It’s certainly not a complete ripooff, but Uprising could have been so much more.

Any gamer who’s ever been nagged by a mother/girlfriend/boyfriend/roomate/spouse about playing too loudly knows that a good set of headphones is not just a luxury, but more of a necessity. My personal preference has always been the cup style headphones as opposed to ear buds, so when Wicked Audio contacted us to do a review of their new 3D Series line of headphones, I was happy to oblige.To be clear, the 3D refers to the raised lettering and graphics found on the band and cups. These are mini-jack style headphones, not powered USB, so there is no external processing of the audio going on before it reaches your hearing-holes.

Choose your poison from three themes:

The Hero: A bright turquoise, gold and black color palette sporting the trident-like Wicked Audio logo. Also comes in red, grey and black.
The Airliner special: A black and gold hip-hop flavor.
XYZ: X-Ray Yankee Zulu. A more subtle gray and black, seemingly aimed toward 1st person shooter fans.

Whichever you choose, you get an adjustable headband, 180 degree swivel cups and in-line volume control with the following specs:

Sensitivity – 112dB
Impedance – 32ohms
Drive – 40mm
Cord Length – 4ft/1.2m
Frequency – 20hz-20,000hz

But all that doesn’t really describe how they sound. To test the set of XYZ’s provided I watched a few HD YouTube videos, played several 192kbps MP3 tracks and loaded up Neverwinter, the new free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons MMO from Cryptic Studios. In each example, the sound was rich. I’d describe it as beefy. They have a very responsive base that slightly dulled the in-game voices of Neverwinter NPCs and a Ted Talk I watched, but the sound effects and music were full. Rather ideal for fans of action-heavy titles or racers, but you might be disappointed if you listen to a lot of audio books or podcasts.

Style wise, the 3D Series are certainly unique. They have a sort of flair that a lot of casual listeners are flocking to these days without the exorbitant price demanded by products like Beats By Dre. High contrast colors and the raised graphics make it obvious to any passer by that you probably can’t hear them, so keep walking.

Though not specifically noise cancelling, the foam rubber pads around the cups do quite a bit to block out a lot of external distraction. This comes at a price though, one that has plagued me most of my life. I have large ears, larger than most. Despite preferring the cup-style headphones, they make my ears sweat and these are no exception. The cups don’t envelop my ears completely and I suspect they won’t for most. I found them to be, on average, a bit smaller than others I’ve tried like Logitech or the Gamecom set I regularly use. No air inside the cups means no room for noise to get in but it also means your ears don’t ‘breathe’. I had to take a break after 45 minutes to let some fresh air in.

I also found them to be a bit uncomfortable, especially over time. The adjustable headband makes it easy to fit just about any head, but a lack of padding leaves everything feeling just a bit too tight. I’ll grant that with repeated use, the cups may loosen up to the shape of my melon, but out of the box, they were very tight against the side of my head.

Other little nit-picky things: at 4 feet, the cord length isn’t very conducive for computer users. It won’t be a concern for iPod and other portable music device users of course, but I can’t recommend them for an all night gaming session without any sort of extender to help avoid yanking the plug out accidentally. Also, the inner lining of the cup is very thin and if recent experience dictates, it won’t take long for it to start disintegrating after a few months of solid use.

Still, with a $29.99 suggested retail price, the 3D Series of Wicked Audio headphones are a solid buy for the more budget conscious, especially if you’re looking for a little more pizzazz while getting your groove on.

For more information, visit www.wickedaudio.com

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an odd sequel. With only 1 1/2 returning cast members and an entirely new look and behind-the-scenes team, it feels more like a reboot than a sequel. However, it IS a sequel–the plot directly references the first one in several key places, and entirely ignores the first one in other aspects, some of them quite large as well. It’s a muddled concept from the start.

It’s not a total failure, though. The disconnect from the first movie probably won’t bother most, since the general reaction to it was rather poor. That first movie really aimed to be a giant summer blockbuster. This one feels scaled down, which is too bad. On the other hand, that lower budget and expectations really seemed to give them freedom to embrace some of the goofier aspects of G.I. Joe as a toy/cartoon franchise.

At several points in this movie, I thought to myself “Hey, didn’t I have the toy of that vehicle when I was a kid?” It’s kind of fun to see a real version of the high-tech Cobra weaponry that accompanied the action figures. Ditto for the costumes. The movie certainly doesn’t hew too close to realism, consider the large contingent of ninjas dressed in red, and one Joe dressed in bright yellow–they practically look like outfits from Mortal Kombat.

The acting is a mixed bag. Considering there is virtually nobody left from the first movie, we’re starting over. The Rock is fun to watch, but he always is, and I don’t think he did anything special here. DJ Cotrona has almost no personality. Adrianne Palicki is the main/only female character, so she stands out in that aspect. Her performance was fine. Bruce Willis actually does look like he’s having some fun, but he also doesn’t really belong in the movie. It’s like he had a free week, so the producers decided to shoehorn him in because, hey, who doesn’t like Bruce Willis? His role is pretty superfluous though. Same for Ray Stevenson, as the main Cobra henchman. The best actor by far is Jonathan Pryce. He is great in his role, and it’s nice to see a “respected” actor not afraid to wallow in a silly blockbuster.

The plot–as in, Cobra’s plan to rule the world, is good, culminating in a fantastic scene with Zartan and the 7 other biggest world leaders at a supposed conference. I won’t ruin it, but it’s a great evil scheme and genuinely suspenseful. Side note to that–somehow, North Korea is included in this summit of the 8 most powerful nations–which is really just an excuse to AGAIN poke fun at North Korea, the last remaining ethnic group that Hollywood doesn’t care about offending (see my review of Olympus Has Fallen).

The plot may be fine, but I have to fault the director for big holes and just plain dumbness. The movie kind of jumps around without flowing very well. There is no real introduction to the characters, despite all being new. Why is The Rock code-named Roadblock? Why does Bruce Willis call Lady Jaye “Brenda” twice, after she says that’s not her name? Does he know her? After leaving an ambush in a hurry, how does Roadblock suddenly have a massive arsenal scavenged from the ambush site? Why does the villain flee to the dock and choose the smaller, slower boat, leaving the hero to jump in a faster boat to pursue him? The movie is full of this stuff. Maybe I should blame the writers, but this movie is DUMB.

It’s sure fun at times though, seeing toys and cartoons come to life. The movie works best when it embraces the ridiculous and over-the-top. Anytime it tries to be “gritty” are the weakest points. Overall, if you can’t tolerate illogical movies, or like serious action movies, skip this one. If you’re just looking for an entertaining ride one evening, this fits the bill.

In the 1990′s, it seemed there was no shortage of action movies that could be described as “Die Hard on a _______.” After the last decade of superheroes, robots, and wizards, it feels oddly old-school to have a new movie where the bad guys are just plain old foreigners, with Olympus Has Fallen—a.k.a. “Die Hard in the White House.”

Starring Gerard Butler, who has yet to recapture his glory from 300 back in 2007, and an impressive supporting cast of familiar faces, Olympus Has Fallen is the story of a lone Secret Service agent who is the last chance for America after terrorists have taken over the White House. It’s a very good example of doing something WELL, instead of doing something NEW. There is very little surprise in the movie. The story, situations, characters, and twists are all what you expect if you’ve seen enough of these kinds of movies. What it lacks in suspense it makes up for in execution though.

The attack on the White House is very exciting and a bit scary. I do not know how plausible this kind of plot would be (hopefully not very), but the movies makes it LOOK plausible, which is crucial. There are shades of 9/11 involved, enough to make you think “yeah, that could happen.” They obviously didn’t shoot this at the real White House, so I don’t know if they used a model, sets, or CGI (probably all 3), but it looked extremely realistic. Maybe it would look less so to someone who lives in Washington and is more familiar with the layout of the grounds, since even I am nearly positive the actual building is set much further back from the street than portrayed.

The villains are North Koreans, and are suitably evil. They really do a good job of making you root against them as characters, since it’s hard to actually get fired up about North Korea, despite their recent real-world posturing. Like the Red Dawn remake last year, the idea of North Korea being sophisticated and powerful enough to attack the US is fairly ludicrous, but the filmmakers needed SOMEone to be the bad guy, and North Korea is the go-to country that we don’t like and aren’t really worried about offending.

Gerard Butler does a good job in the role of Last Man Standing. This is certainly his best movie since 300 and he should probably stick to more of these kinds of roles. He gets perhaps a bit too lucky and is maybe a bit too skillful, considering he is ostensibly fighting against trained killers, but such is the nature of action movies. It’s at least more realistic than the latest Die Hard movie.

My wife and I discussed a couple of the flaws or questions we had afterwards, but we both really liked it. The fact that she wanted to see this one enough to go out on opening night and then enjoyed it speaks well of both the marketing and the final product. It’s amazing that a movie featuring a takeover of the White House feels almost like a “small” action movie, but it’s a refreshing break from all the supernatural stuff we’ve been getting lately. They picked their niche and they delivered. Recommended on the basis of fun and entertainment, not because of any groundbreaking achievements.

Sony’s big announcement came and went yesterday in the form of a 2 hour event to start throwing gamers into a frenzied ball of anticipation. The whole presentation had the feel of an E3 press conference and brought plenty of special effects, giant screen graphics, and international guests to the stage to talk about the Playstation 4. As exciting as it all was, talk of the console itself was left at a disappointing minimum. Most of the time was spent with game developers and publishers on what they hoped to bring to the new console. So what’s the take-away?

The Specs

The guts of the system read like a mid-level PC. 8-core x86 64-bit AMD Jaguar processor with 8 gigs of GDDR5 memory. Those numbers alone blow the PS3 out of the water to be sure, but as another staffer put it, “my laptop has 8 gigs of ram and it’s 4 years old”. The GPU has been developed specifically to take power away from the primary CPU to handle physics simulations . . . just like every other modern video card on the market.

A DVD/BluRay drive are standard, as is Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity hardware. HDMI, analogue and digital optical outputs are present. Sony’s release on the PS4 states that a hard drive will be built in, but specifies nothing of size or whether it’s a standard or solid state type drive.

Sony showed the world the new DualShock 4, with it’s Share button, headphone jack, mono-speaker, track pad and a light bar that tracks movement (with a Kinect-like, dual camera sensor bar) a la the Playstation Move.

What they didn’t reveal was the actual console. Nothing on price, and aside from the vague “Coming Holiday 2013″, there’s no solid release date.

The Content

Sony has partnered with Gaikai to stream PS1, PS2 and PS3 games, making the box fully backward compatible, but the jury is still out on used games. Forbes Magazine interviewed the head of Sony Worldwide Studios last night, Shuhei Yoshida, who danced around the issue only to finally say “So, used games can play on PS4. How is that?”. Forbes claims that to mean that in fact, the PS4 can play used games despite the fact that Sony recently filed a patent on used-game blocking tech. As far as I’m concerned, Yoshida’s quote is as vague as the PS4′s release date.

For new titles, Sony has racked up nearly 150 developers to release on the platform across 4 countries. Most of them are old friends with the Playstation but some like Bungie are new to the PS4 and still others, like Blizzard, are making first time console appearances exclusively with Sony. Activision, Ubisoft and Square Enix all had hands to play, but nothing too surprising. Jonathan Blow, the creator of the gorgeous and engaging Braid, announced that his new title, The Witness, will be a launch title for the new console. Knack will also launch with the PS4, a platformer with a distinctive title character from veteran game director Mark Cerny.

Initial Impressions

Obviously the PS4 makes the PS3 look like a pile of moose poop comparatively. At 16 times more RAM than its predecessor, the PS4 aims to be well prepared for another 6 year run at the video game industry. Now, before I get roasted over the coals for making the comparison, know that during the conference, Sony themselves referred to their new system as a high-end PC. To which I respond: not even close. Consoles are dedicated machines with an assumed lifespan, so they don’t need to be catch-all devices for everything a consumer wants it to do, but if you’re going to try and sell me on its power compared to my desktop, I’m gonna stop you right there and say “your high-end is strapping on 4 year old tech”.

Some of the features I like are the little bells and whistles Sony is adding to the Playstation Network. Storing and displaying real-life friends’ information as opposed to just seeing a gamertag and avatar appeals to me. On the other hand, I can’t seem to find any reason to want to share my screenshots, videos or, god-forbid, turn my controller over to someone else so they can beat a level for me. What’s the point? I didn’t shell out 60 bucks so I could watch a friend take out the final boss. And does YouTube really need more pre-pubescent Sam Kinisons narrating their Call of Duty matches?

Wrapping Up

I guess Sony’s marketing machine felt there was value in beating Microsoft to the punch on announcements this year, but for all the pomp and circumstance on display here, little was actually revealed. All the game and tech demonstrations put on for the show were driven by prototype hardware, somewhere behind the scenes, not unlike the PS3′s E3 showing of 2005. They’re only months away from retail shelves and there’s no sign of the box itself, only the controller, which varies only slightly from its predecessor.

The only thing that really got my motor running was more footage of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs, which will be out for current gen consoles this year regardless.

I’m just not all that impressed, but then again, I tend to swing more in Microsoft’s jungle anyway so your mileage may vary. If you’d like to relive the conference, click to our live blog page now featuring a repeat of the conference. Or have a look at the Sony press release with all the marketing speak-drenched specs.

Sorry folks, we missed the first few minutes due to technical issues. Our IT monkeys got us up and working again though.

Now that it’s over, we can embed the repeat performances. If you missed anything, have a look:

How’s this for “Cool Mom of the Year”?

An avid Star Wars fan and rabid Angry Birds gamer, this Texas mom’s 7 year old asked to have an appropriately themed birthday party, but so far, retailers don’t offer much of the hybrid branding on party plates and streamers. Same goes for Angry Birds Star Wars themed cakes, so she did what any multi-medium artist would do: she sculpted her own.

Choosing to go with store bought square cakes and focusing on the toppers, the do-it-all mom crafted three-dimensional cake toppers out of fondant, a pliable, dough-like icing usually reserved for wedding cakes. Taking to her iPad and the internet for reference and inspiration, she modeled a Darth Piggy, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Yoda as well as pretzel rod slingshot to the delight of a gaggle of 1st graders.

You can read more about it on her blog, AwesomelyGoodFood and have a look at some of the photos below.

Hollywood loves antiheroes these days.  Dark, brooding, and dangerous are all adjectives that lately describe the good guys in movies.  Questionable characters, dragged into action with murky motives, have gained popularity as movies keep pushing for “gritty” realism, wanting to be respected for acknowledging that life’s situations aren’t black and white.

Well, forget that for Gangster Squad.  This is a throwback movie both in era (it takes place in the 40′s and 50′s) and in style.  The good guys are noble, the villains are cruel, and you’re never confused about who to root for.  Gangster Squad is obviously about organized crime, although I can’t think of another mafia movie that takes place in Los Angeles, instead of the usual Mob stories in Chicago, Las Vegas, or New York.  That sets a slightly different tone from the start.  It’s actually based on a true story too.  I don’t pretend that this is a documentary, but the main plot actually happened.

Josh Brolin plays an honest cop, a WWII vet who still wants to do good now that the war is over.  He’s not afraid of anyone, and does whatever it takes to do the right thing, even if it crosses some sort of procedural line.  He has a family that he loves and just wants to make sure his hometown is a good place for them.  There is no “anti” in his hero.  Sean Penn plays Mickey Cohen, a ruthless upstart gangster, who learned his trade back East and decides to use his skills in the relatively open territory of LA, where the big crime families don’t have a strong foothold. He’s got no remorse and no morals.  There are no redeeming qualities in his villain.

The plot (without spoilers) centers on a group of good cops who need to take Cohen down before he takes over the city.  To do this, they might have to go outside the lines of the law.  I don’t think this contradicts my earlier statement about the purity of the heroes.  They have to go around the law because too many officers are paid off, and the law in this situation is red tape getting in the way of justice.  The titular Squad consists of Brolin, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ryan Gosling.  It’s a great cast, with each member being unique.  Several are WWII Vets, Pena and Mackie are dealing with race issues while still wanting to do the right thing, and Robert Patrick plays an awesome character–one of the last cowboys.  Gosling is the smooth talker and a magnet for Emma Stone, the only major female character in the movie (various wives aside).  He’s also the only one who really has any shades of gray–and they’re a very light gray.

So it’s a cop movie, a period movie, an action movie, and a bit of a mystery movie.  All the facets work well.  The pacing is excellent.  Compared to several of the holiday blockbusters that were close to 3 hours, this movie zips by.  The action is well done, and with a clear rooting interest, you are more invested in the outcome.  The outcome may not be in question, but it’s very satisfying when it gets there.

There are no glaring flaws, unless you consider the rather one-dimensional characters a problem.  As I stated, I thought it was refreshing to see a hero cop who’s just a good guy.  Period.  Soldier, family man, leader.  I want every policeman in America to be like this guy.  One of the car chases is a little hard to follow.  And Emma Stone, while looking great, doesn’t really have a lot to do (although her character is somewhat necessary to the plot).  Plus, there are several references to Los Angeles areas, including 2 lines that specifically refer to the city I live in that got huge laughs in my theater.

Go see this.  It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser, especially if you live in LA.  Enjoy a clear-cut hero and villain.  There will be conflicted characters on screen all year, but it’s nice to see a kind of Old Hollywood movie for a change.

It was some twenty odd years ago when I saw, in the program for Les Miserables, that it was coming to movie theatres. Back in the late 90′s, Sony’s Tristar Pictures gave us the non-musical version. Luckily, a few years’ movies like Moulin Rouge successfully rekindled the interest in movie musicals. Since then, one-by-one Broadway shows like Chicago, Rent, Mama Mia and many others have come to the silver screen. However, for many, a proper movie musical version of Les Miserables was long over due. As someone that’s seen Les Miserables 3 times “on Broadway”, this film had twenty years of hopes held high to live up to.

I won’t beat around the bush. The movie was absolutely wonderful and true to its Broadway roots, while also adding so much more realism and sense of cinematic masterpiece that a stage experience just can’t deliver. Right off the bat, immediately after the opening credits, those first two powerful notes of the first song hit me right to the heart. Nearly EVERY SINGLE performer had the essence of their character perfect. You see clear and vividly detailed pain in Hugh Jackman’s Valjean, as well as in Anne Hathway’s Fontine.

As a Broadway musical brought to the silver screen, an important factor is the actor’s ability to sing. Unfortunately, in Joel Schumacher’s Phantom of the Opera movie musical Gerard Butler did only a mildly satisfactory job. In Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables, every single actor sings perfectly, with one small caveat. While portraying the character of Javert wonderfully, vocally Russell Crowe’s could only be described as adequate or passable. Still, much better than Gerard Butler’s vocal performance as the Phantom of the Opera.

Much of all this is thanks to the director of the film Tom Hooper (who previously won Best Director for The King’s Speech). There are so many moments in the film that enhance the original Broadway show. What was a song for a chain gang is brought to life 150% bigger than any fan of the musical would expect. As mentioned before, each character’s pain and the depth of that pain is expressed by the characters. Even though I knew every scene and every lyric, so many shocking moments I knew were coming were made more powerful.

It’s highly likely this will be widely nominated at the next Academy Awards, if not deservedly awarded. If you ever saw Les Miserables on stage, you’ll love this movie. If you like movie musicals, you’ll love this movie.

Many of us reach a point in our childhood where that sense of wonder and belief in magical characters starts to fade and there are plenty of films that takes audiences back to those days, viewed from the eyes of the child and how they navigate those crossroads. Rise of the Guardians switches it up a bit and tells the story from the myth’s point of view with beuatiful backdrops, humor and mostly memorable characters.

Based on William Joyce’s story and picture books, Guardians of Childhood, the animated Rise of the Guradians pulls back the curtain to reveal the worlds of Nicholas St. North (Santa Claus), E. Aster Bunnymund (The Easter Bunny), Toothiana (The Tooth Fairy), Sandy (The Sandman) and Jack Frost. Aside from being the heralds of the holidays and symbols of young wonder, they’ve also been charged with protecting children from those that would cause harm or fear to their young benefactors. When an old enemy returns to share in the glory of being believed in by destroying their reputations, North, Sandy, Tooth and Bunny hesitantly encourage the mischevious Jack Frost to bring his unique talents to the team.

These aren’t exactly the characters you thought you knew. North (Santa), voiced by Alec Baldwin, is a massive tank of a man: a sword wielding cossack warrior with an army of yeti toy makers and a sleigh pulled by monstrous reindeer through the sky. The Easter Bunny is 6 feet tall, lean and has the attitude of Wolverine so Hugh Jackman’s voice is appropo. Isla Fisher’s Tooth Fairy is a human-hummingbird hybrid that commands an fleet of fairies to retrieve and store lost teeth that contain childhood memories.

The idea is a unique one. It gives a new perspective on the assumed origins of the characters and, in several ways, takes them each out of their element. Their elements being gorgeous. North’s arctic workshop is a tapestry-filled castle that tells its own story amongst a highly specialized toy manufacturing plant. Tooth’s digs resemble an aviary in the clouds. Bunny’s warren is the epitome of springtime with topiaries, flowers and giant egg gollums. Okay, so giant living stones aren’t very springtimey, but you get the idea.

The performances are good, though I felt Jude Law’s villain, Pitch Black, fell flat and forgettable. Despite actually being a sympathetic bad guy, Law’s voice was just too plain to be intimidating. Alec Baldwin’s North, on the other hand, really stole the show, so much so that a movie of his own might be in order.

Rise of the Guardians is visually and stylistically appealing, funny and fun but it doesn’t quite hit the highs that the more recent Wreck It Ralph does. Plus, it’s hard to classify this as a holiday movie despite the subject matter. The bottom line is that it’s good family fare that will make a decent choice for Thanksgiving weekend moviegoers that have already taken in the competition.