Tired characters run around

Rating: 4/10 (1 April 2013)

Had "The Santa Clause 3" not recently employed Jack Frost as the antagonist, "Guardians" might feel quite as tired as it does. Unfortunately, Martin Short's uncomfortably creepy (seriously little girl, don't go into the snow globe room alone with him!) but admittedly memorable turn does make it tough for this film to feature him not as the heavy. Instead Jack must battle what looks like the minority version of Rene Auberjonious' character in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" who is trying to make a comeback in a word where kids really are frightened of anything anymore (as noted in "Monsters, Inc.). Jack's costars aren't much help in building a sense of relatedness. Alec Baldwin sticks a thick Russian accent on Santa Clause. Not to offend our Euroasian, formerly Soviet, brethren but Russia isn't exactly known for being giving and certainly not for being jolly. Hugh Jackman lays the Australian accent on the Easter Bunny equally as thick and between that and his animated twitchiness one wonders how any kid ever sat on his lap. To round out the team, there is a Tooth Fairy drawn in that nebulous region explored by "30 Rock" between being too realistic and too unrealistic so that the effect just comes out hard to look at. There's also the Sandman who speaks in icons and has putting people to sleep as his one easily replicated (see "The Whitney Show") superpower. All of the shopworn characters spend the moving running around in quick cut Technicolor trying to restore the dreams of children or some such other plot cribbed from Rankin Bass. In short, wait for Christmas and then watch "The Year without Santa Clause" instead (the Cold Miser could kick Jack's frosty ass).