'Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole' visually stunning

(Cert PG, 93 mins, Animation/Action)

Impressionable young barn owl Soren (Jim Sturgess) and his chick sister Eglantine (Adrienne DeFaria) hang on the every word of their father, Noctus (Hugo Weaving), when he tells them about the legendary guardians who have protected their feathered kind for generations.

Soren’s brother Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) dismisses such talk because no one has ever seen the guardians. During an attempt to learn to fly, Soren and Kludd are captured by sentry owls under the control of the villainous Metalbeak (Joel Edgerton) and his mate, Nyra (Helen Mirren).

They are putting together an army to overthrow the guardians, led by the majestic Boron (Richard Roxburgh) and battle-scarred Ezylryb (Geoffrey Rush).

Soren escapes with a little elf owl called Gylfie (Emily Barclay) and they make haste to find the guardians with the help of owl outcasts Digger (David Wenham) and Twilight (Anthony LaPaglia).

'Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole' is a visually stunning computer-animated yarn torn from the pages of Kathryn Lasky’s novels.

Alas, style soars high above substance in Zack Snyder’s film, which frequently takes our breath away with its meticulous attention to detail, thrilling action and judicious use of slow motion in the aerial skirmishes between rival factions of birds.

Screenwriters John Orloff and Emil Stern haven’t lavished the same care and attention on what comes out of the characters’ beaks.

The flimsy, linear storyline can barely stretch to 30 minutes, let alone an additional hour, and there is little in the way of character development or emotional depth.

One version of the Blu-ray includes the film in stunning 3D.

Rating: ***