Honestly, I wasn't expecting much as I walked into the theater to see Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. The whole idea of an adventure movie involving owls seemed kind of weird to me.

It's not that I'm an owl bigot. I like owls. But an entire movie about evil owl armies and owl battles and owl saviors? Come on... How good could it possibly be? Well, as I soon found out, if you combine the right elements of an intriguing storyline, lovable characters, beautiful animation, and the great directing talents of Zack Snyder, it can be quite good, in fact. Not perfect, but good—and definitely worth seeing.

Right from the very start of the movie, you are introduced to a barn owl family: the mom, the dad, the cynical and clumsy eldest brother Kludd, the faith-filled and more sure-footed (or I guess, sure-winged) brother Soren, the adoring, sweet baby sister Eglantine, and the nurse... who is a snake, which was kind of weird. You are also introduced to the Legend of the Guardians, stories of a Great Tree filled with brave savior owls whose job is to protect all of owlkind. You are going to want to pay close attention to this introduction because it lays the foundation for the entire movie, and if you miss it, you'll be confused later on.

The story continues as you're introduced to the evil owls called the "Pure Ones," who, like any good villain, are trying to take over the owl world. The story goes as you might expect (and I only tell you because you might expect it). Kludd, the cynical and clumsy one, is overcome by jealousy and pride and enticed by the power of the Pure Ones. And Soren must be brave and strong and overcome all kinds of obstacles in an effort to find these so-called Guardians and save the world. It may be a plot we have seen many times before (The Lion King, for example), but it is an intriguing storyline nevertheless. Add some twists and turns, some treachery and some lovable characters, and it all adds up to be a great owl adventure movie.

One thing that really stood out in this movie, other than the great characterization and the stunning animation (which really helped immerse you in the story), was the directing. Zack Snyder, director of 300, does a great job of making an adventure movie about owls epic and intense, especially the battle scenes. If it wasn't for the absence of blood and gore, and of course for the presence of owls, those scenes could very well be taken out of a movie like 300 or Gladiator. Boys especially, I think, will enjoy watching the battle between good and evil. And, despite the violence, I think they should. It's not very often these days that a movie has a hero who is pure, selfless, brave, and strong and willing to fight to the death for what is right. Not that girls wouldn't enjoy this movie too. My two daughters, ages 5 and 8, loved it and talked about it for several days afterward. I don't think the message of heroism was lost on them despite their lack of testosterone. This movie defined good as good and evil as evil, something we don't see much anymore in our postmodern world. And I think it's an inspiring message.

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