In the Victorian England, the teenager Clara (Mackenzie Foy) is a young scientist that lives with her older sister Louise (Ellie Bamber), her younger brother Fritz (Tom Sweet) and her widower father Mr. Stahlbaum (Matthew Macfadyen). The family misses their mother and wife Marie Stahlbaum (Anna Madeley), who was also a scientist and has recently passed away. On the Christmas Eve, Mr. Stahlbaum delivers a gift left by Marie for each sibling and Clara receives an egg-shaped locked box without a key to open it. The family goes to the ball promoted by Clara's godfather Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman), who is also a man of science, to spend the night and she asks for the key to him. When Mr. Drosselmeyer delivers his gifts for each child he is hosting, Clara crosses the boundary of a world created by her mother, where Clara is a princess, and ruled by the regents of the realms Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets that protect them from Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), who is the tyrant of the Fourth Realm in the beginning of an adventure full of fantasy and betrayal.
"The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is a beautiful family entertainment for children. The cinematography and CGI are amazing and will certainly satisfy the target audience. The cast has names such as Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and Keira Knightley, but the lead actress Mackenzie Foy is weak. Unfortunately, the story is silly for adults, and the film does not have any heart. Lasse Hallström is a magnificent director, but this movie is bureaucratic and shows no emotion. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Quebra-Nozes e os Quatro Reinos" ("The Nutcracker and the Four Realms")
