Rise of the Guardians

Charming, sweet and enchanting, but not without its flaws, Rise of the Guardians is the hopeful, feel-good movie for kids that's fitting for holiday movie watching with the family.

Less-than-compelling storyline.

Rise of the Guardians is harmless enough, and the lack of easy pop-culture jokes represents the post-Shrek direction of DreamWorks well enough. But this is the studio's least entertaining film.

The conceit has its charms but too much of this movie, directed by Peter Ramsey, is more clamorous than inspired, and little kids might find parts of it too scarily intense.

This version of Christmas does look a little like that found in the windows of upmarket department stores, but it is undeniably seductive and comforting.

A candy cane of a kids' flick which supplies a genuine sense of seasonal cheer.

As with The Avengers, each of the characters is given their time to shine and is nicely developed, while a tidy sense of humour sparkles on top of the darker undercurrents of the story.

[The film] has an intriguing premise that makes you wish the writers had spent more time developing the conflict.

Rise of the Guardians isn't a masterpiece, but it's an enjoyable film and very well suited for this time of year.

As a movie geared for the entire family, this fires on all cylinders, from the exquisitely detailed animation to the thought-out character development.