This film exceeds my expectations, as both the trailers and Dreamworks' past films led me to believe it would be chaotic and crude. Guardians, however, is one of Dreamworks' more elegant films. Unfortunately, the plot is destined to be corny no matter how it's approached, which is part of the reason I knocked the film down half a star.

What this film succeeds in is having beautiful visuals, particularly the opening scene in the frozen lake; sophisticated models that have…