B
Who knew Owls went to war? This epic tale of the owls comes both as the first part of a larger series, and an attempt to actually make 3-D animation look cooler than you've seen it yet this year. Both accounts, work beautifully. The director, who gave us "300" and "Watchmen" blends his slo-mo stylized action scenes with run-of-the-mill storytelling, making this a complete visual bedazzlement, but not much more.

The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga' Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians--Soren's only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

While rated PG, the 6 yr old and under crownd won't like this one too much. Either that, or they might try to strap on some wings and try to fly... if of course they can understand the dialogue through the thick british and australian accents free flowing here. Parents will be reminded of "The Secret of Nimh" here, and most kids will probably really like this.

The bottom line: You haven't really ever "seen" anything like it... but you've seen lots of movies like it... Go Figure.

Is it worth your money? YES