Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 24, 2010
8.2
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 334 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
259
Mixed:
57
Negative:
18
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
grandpajoe6191Oct 5, 2011
"Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole", a action flick summer blockbuster directed by Zack Snyder, is a great movie with outstanding visuals but fails to contain any significant points to boast about.
5 of 5 users found this helpful50
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5
epicnessJan 11, 2013
the least i can say is that it was ok. wasnt great wasnt horrible. was kinda bored and confused at times. (i got lost cuz i stopped listening a few times) i wish it was better though. needs more excitement.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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6
MedinaReviewsSep 26, 2010
How Did Marketing Ever Approve This Title?

A 3D childrenâ
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
McgillacuddyNov 10, 2015
An eye-popping motion picture riddled with undeniably spectacular animation and dazzling images, but underwhelmed with a simplistic and predictable plot.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
CineAutoctonoDec 19, 2015
Zack Snyder, has fared well with almost owls , but excels in animation , and the plot and script, was almost convincing, but this film would not be resigned
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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4
FrozenStar90Sep 27, 2010
Never have I seen such a life-like film lacking in so much...life. This movie is a complete mess. It can be utterly terrifying to children and mind-numbingly stupid to adults. Never did I once feel compassion or sympathy for any of theNever have I seen such a life-like film lacking in so much...life. This movie is a complete mess. It can be utterly terrifying to children and mind-numbingly stupid to adults. Never did I once feel compassion or sympathy for any of the characters. Probably because they're all so cardboard and annoying. In addition, the film may have some amazing animation, but it never really makes full use of it. The aerial battles are repetitive and completely forgettable. Talk about disappointing.… Expand
3 of 8 users found this helpful35
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5
DiezmartinezOct 22, 2010
Otra insufrible pelicula de "Hack" Sneyder. El hacedor de ese insulto al cine llamado 300 (2006) le toma ahora contra la historia imaginada por la escritora Kathryn Laski. En esta cinta animada hay un bando de tecolotes malos nazifascistas yOtra insufrible pelicula de "Hack" Sneyder. El hacedor de ese insulto al cine llamado 300 (2006) le toma ahora contra la historia imaginada por la escritora Kathryn Laski. En esta cinta animada hay un bando de tecolotes malos nazifascistas y tecolotes buenos y heroicos. Los dos son igual de aburridos.… Expand
1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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6
BlancheJul 12, 2016
A visually outstanding film with surprisingly good action scenes let down by a confusing and unfocused plot. Quite a lot of the time it was difficult to piece together what had been said in relation to what happens afterwards. As well asA visually outstanding film with surprisingly good action scenes let down by a confusing and unfocused plot. Quite a lot of the time it was difficult to piece together what had been said in relation to what happens afterwards. As well as this, there were parts in the film that were most certainly dull that dragged on for a bit too long. But, as a children's film it succeeds visually and that can be enough for any kid. They won't have to suffer with the unclear storyline like us. That's not to say that it was a disaster in that department, just a prominent weak area of the film.

So to wrap it up, I do think it is a decent film. Nothing exceptional about it however.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
ShiiraSep 28, 2010
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Rip-roaring though the action scenes may be, a feast for the eyes and the senses, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" is in reductionist terms, "Star Wars" with owls, and that's when it's not busy being "Lord of the Rings"(and even, a little of "Schindler's List") with owls; nocturnal birds anthropomorphized into jedi knights and hobbits, stormtroopers and orcs, who could be any number of interchangable animals, since the generic narrative never strays far from the same hero quest template found in so many fantasy-based films. But the film's subtext fascinates, as it's spectacularly inappropriate for a children's movie. Modeled after Nazi Germany, young owls are kidnapped from their homes by the Pure Ones and deposited at labor camps, in effect, making "The Diary of Anne Frank" passe, and so twentieth century. Metalbeak(an obvious Darth Vader, or Hitler stand-in) is planning a Krystallnacht, a two-step pogrom that would eradicate the Guardians, then their home, the mythical kingdom of Ga'Hoole, a far-away place that Soren(Jim Sturges) always believed was real, while his brother Kludd(Ryan Klanten) had regarded as nothing more than a rumor. Without the steadying influence of their parents, the sibling rivalry culminates in a divergence based on ideology(a difference that can be glimpsed in its incubative stage back home), as Kludd, a Tytos owl looking to get out of his brother's shadow, starts working for the Pure Ones in the capacity of a Judenrat-like affiliate, and Soren, a freedom fighter like Luke Fly-walker(sorry), not only preserves his species, but storytelling, as well, both owl and oral tradition alike. From the outset, Kludd was already displaying the capacity for totalitarianism, with all that harrumphing toward his family's ideals in the communal tree. He hated Soren for his love of literature(a literature that also function as a liturgical work of art); his spirituality and benevolent nature. Kludd was a bad egg. After Grimble chooses Soren and Gylfrie to be a sort of Schindler's owls, he helps them escape to Ga'Hoole, where the fe-di meets Ezylryb(Geoffrey Rush), the author of his father's favorite story. Decrepit and resigned to irrelevance, the corporeality of The Lyze of Kiel creates a disconnect in Soren's mind from the picture his father helped paint; the writer, as it turns out, is not a hero, a lesson learned for the naive owl who now understands the difference between fact and fiction. It's a juxtaposition that reappears later in the film, finding expression in the diegesis, the geography of the labor camp, where the magnetic force field(read: crematorium) is situated next to a brush fire(read: a bonfire for book-burning). To Kludd's satisfaction, the real Guardians, and the abstract version of their exploits can both be extinguished. (Ezylyrb is among the dying Guardians.) But Soren, like David, slays Metalbeak, slays Goliath, and protects his kind. More importantly, he preserves his kind's culture.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
jimmytancrediJun 22, 2011
The film honoured its role to dazzle. Its look is something without comparisons, a glimpse that summarizes the sublime in spectacular images that are governed by an almost uninterrupted soundtrack, a full concert in mid-film. Still winsThe film honoured its role to dazzle. Its look is something without comparisons, a glimpse that summarizes the sublime in spectacular images that are governed by an almost uninterrupted soundtrack, a full concert in mid-film. Still wins points for not indulging in cuteness. The owls own movements which are extremely close to the real, only running it because of the inevitable movement of pacifiers (to speak). In fact, the motions â… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
TyranianDec 30, 2019
Epic owl stuff with great animation but a painfully obscure premise and story.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
TheWalrus2000Mar 9, 2013
Snyder surprieses audiences with his one film that actually isn't gritty. Besides that Owls of Ga'Hoole was cheesy but had numerous fun moments for the whole family to enjoy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
MattBrady99Feb 29, 2020
You can tell straight away it's a Zack Snyder movie, and I'm not saying that in a bad way.

In terms of a family movie, it's more mature than I expected. Beautiful visuals with some stunning looking shots that any lover of cinematography willYou can tell straight away it's a Zack Snyder movie, and I'm not saying that in a bad way.

In terms of a family movie, it's more mature than I expected. Beautiful visuals with some stunning looking shots that any lover of cinematography will drool over. Also a set of color characters that added to the captivating experience.

While I had my problems with Snyder in the past, but I still admire the man as a filmmaker and as a person.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
moviemayhemApr 28, 2015
From the concepts and the commercials, Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole may not sound like a project from Zack Snyder, director of Watchmen, 300, and 2004’s Dawn Of The Dead remake. It’s a CGI children’s fantasy that pits goodFrom the concepts and the commercials, Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole may not sound like a project from Zack Snyder, director of Watchmen, 300, and 2004’s Dawn Of The Dead remake. It’s a CGI children’s fantasy that pits good talking owls against evil ones, taken from Kathryn Lasky’s popular book series, and it lacks the gore and grimness of Snyder’s past work. But within seconds of its opening, a feather drifts off an owl’s wing, spins in midair in ultra slow motion, then slams into full speed again. It’s instantly clear that while Snyder the gorehound isn’t at the wheel, Snyder the slick stylist is, with his usual exclamation-point-loaded visual signatures. While that can’t compensate for Legend’s weak story, his pacing and cutting and the film’s superlative animation at least make it a dynamic experience.

Unfortunately, the story rarely rises above cookie-cutter kids’-fantasy tropes: It’s a standard hero’s-journey story, one that substitutes colorful characters for actual incident. The protagonist, a barn owl named Soren (Jim Sturgess), runs afoul of a tyrannical owl society devoted to collecting a magical MacGuffin with dubious plot powers. He escapes with a tiny elf owl (Emily Barclay), befriends wacky owls voiced by David Wenham and Anthony LaPaglia, and seeks help from a legendary collective of owl heroes. Meanwhile, Soren’s brother falls under the wing of evil owl queen Nyra (Helen Mirren). It all builds to the expected good-vs.-bad/brother-on-brother confrontations, which Snyder directs with multitudinous slow-motion, sparks-throwing clashes between owl armor and metal-sheathed claws.

Much of what works in Legend can be credited to Animal Logic, the studio behind 2006’s Happy Feet; its animators have created a vivid world with deep, gorgeous spaces that become stunning in 3-D, and owls that would have made Walt Disney weep with their feather-perfect realism and natural movement. And to anyone young enough to have not already seen dozens of rote Chosen One Vs. Generic Evil fables, Legend may well be as exciting as it is beautiful. But there’s no nuance or subtlety to hook the adult audiences for whom “Owls go from A to B” is a framework, not a complete story. And a cliché wrought in finely detailed feathers is still all too obviously a cliché.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
MovieMasterEddyApr 6, 2016
Zack Snyder, director of “300,” “Watchmen” and the coming “Sucker Punch,” aims for younger males with the animated “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” and a mighty strange bird the movie is.

Based on the books by KathrynZack Snyder, director of “300,” “Watchmen” and the coming “Sucker Punch,” aims for younger males with the animated “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” and a mighty strange bird the movie is.

Based on the books by Kathryn Lasky, the film might be called (after Harry Potter’s postal pet) “Hedwig of the Rings.” What it isn’t is anything like “Happy Feet,” George Miller’s charming eco-fable about penguins. “Killer Talons” is more like it; parents will find footwork of a more lacerating (if largely bloodless) sort.

The story is a battle between good owls (the Guardians), who live in Ga’Hoole — an arboreal paradise that would be familiar to the Na’vi of “Avatar” and the Ewoks of “Return of the Jedi” — and the bad (the Pure Ones), who dwell in a barren wasteland. A good owl, Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), is kidnapped, and sees his brother, Kludd (Ryan Kwanten), lured to the evil side. Soren escapes to alert his flock, and soon winged warriors are donning helmets and metal claws and swooping vengefully in slow-motion conflagration.

Mr. Snyder, an old hand at green-screen effects, now has an entirely digital canvas to play with, and every feather, sunset and 3-D perspective (it is in both 3-D and normal formats) is rendered in impeccable detail. The voice talent, much of it Australian (Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving, Abbie Cornish), is also top-notch. If only the premise weren’t so familiar and the female characterizations so tiresomely backward (Helen Mirren is an imperious harpy, while Soren’s friend Gylfie, played by Emily Barclay, is wide-eyed, fragile and helpless).

“Legend of the Guardians” may be a hoot, but for all its pyrotechnics, it fails to soar.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
alexandreaNov 25, 2021
That rare time when Zack Snyder did an average movie, very pretty but very average
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
sebastianaliJul 26, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Esta película es la perfecta definición de excelentes ideas, potencial tremendamente desperdiciado. Esta película esta basada en un libro, y aunque no lo leí, si se que hubieron muchos cambios y recortes, pero bueno, al igual que con la película de Narnia, yo siempre digo que debería juzgarse la calidad de la historia en si, y no su excesiva similitud. Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Gahoole intenta ser bastante "épica", con un mundo que tiene sus propias reglas, mitología, y demás cosas. Al principio parece estar bien construido, sin embargo quedan un montón de cosas en el aire como el origen de los "Taitos", ademas de que ciertos personajes como el hermano de Soren no se nos desarrolla lo suficiente como para que su traición sea tan creíble al final. Se que hay gente que le gusta esta película, y lo entiendo perfectamente, tiene gráficos increíbles incluso actualmente y la actuación de voz es excelente tanto en ingles como con su doblaje español, y una historia con ideas super interesantes, pero siento que este "nuevo universo" no se explota lo suficiente ya que no sabemos mucho acerca de el, y no, no tendría que leer el libro para entenderlo salvo que fuera una secuela (que no lo es), ademas de abusar de ciertos clichés de otras películas de fantasía.... y esto termina siendo un punto muy negativo la verdad, ya que puedes descubrir que sigue en algunas partes de la historia por ti mismo....… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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