"If I could have my way, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!"...( read more)s Carol. Since the silent era, there have been at least 25 motion picture adaptations of this 1843 novella for film and television, as well as countless other spin-offs, spoofs and updated variations (the likes of the Muppets, Patrick Stewart and even Mr. Magoo have tackled this Yuletide morality tale). In addition, the characters have seeped so deeply into popular mindset that one just has to utter the name "Scrooge", and the vast majority of the human population will immediately conjure up images of a grumpy, miserable old man who dampens the spirits of those around him. Therefore, it's logical to ask: why does the world need yet another screen version of A Christmas Carol?
When it comes to Christmas stories, none are as ubiquitous as Charles Dickens' A Christma
The answer is simple: Robert Zemeckis' cinematic adaptation is a Disney-branded, 3-D computer-animated spectacle which is right up the alley of this digital era. A Christmas Carol is, of course, Zemeckis' third stab at reimagining page-bound stories with cutting-edge technology mixing CGI with performance-capture cameras to turn flesh-and-blood actors into infinitely malleable digital avatars (his previous efforts being The Polar Express and Beowulf). It's hard not to be impressed with the top-shelf animation, however Zemeckis' work frequently panders to the 3-D gimmick and all the razzle-dazzle appears to usurp the emotional element.
For anyone who doesn't know the story, here it is in a nutshell... Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Jim Carrey) is a miserable old curmudgeon, and when it comes to celebrating Christmas, his one-word refrain says it all: Humbug! One Christmas Eve, however, he receives a number of supernatural visitors whose goal is to trigger a fundamental change in Scrooge. These visitors include the ghost of his old business partner (Oldman), the Ghost of Christmas Past (also played by Carrey), the Ghost of Christmas Present (Carrey again), and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (still Carrey). Scrooge is confronted with the consequences of his current cruelties, discovers the dire fate that awaits him, and is faced with a decision as to what his future will hold: death or redemption.
Zemeckis' screenplay for A Christmas Carol is remarkably faithful to Dickens' novella; right down to insignificant moments and most of the dialogue. But this fidelity creates a lethal problem. Not to suggest the script should have been dumbed down to Twitter speak, but Victorian English is vastly different to any form of English spoken today (in terms of grammar, words, syntax and rhythm). The dialogue is therefore quite dry, and children will no doubt have trouble deciphering what is being said. Dickens also inserted societal commentary into his original work (that was relevant at the time) which is once again carried over into Zemeckis' movie. The most glaring example of this is an out-of-place digression in which Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present take time out of their journey to discuss "Sabbatarianism" (the practise of closing businesses on Sunday). Presented in this motion picture without any specification as to what is being discussed (more than a century after it stopped being controversial) results in a huge "what the fuck?!" moment. There's a good reason why books should be altered for cinematic adaptations (consider Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy - masterful adaptations that work without being 100% faithful to Tolkien's novel).
Such faithfulness to Dickens' novella could have worked, but Zemeckis wasn't just aiming for a loyal page-to-screen transplantation; A Christmas Carol also aspires to be a flashy, adamantly Hollywood-ised blockbuster that appeals to a family audience. Thus, the film tries to have it both ways, with moments of inane physical comedy as well as elaborate action set-pieces (who knew Scrooge was such an able stuntman?). Added to this, the camera movements are overdone even during the low-key scenes (to make the most of the 3-D gimmick), which is distracting when the film wants to make an emotional impact. Imagine watching a drama like Remains of the Day which is interrupted by a Michael Bay movie every 10 minutes - the jarring dissonance is overwhelming. And for those wanting to take their 5-year-old to this movie, note the PG rating: it contains a few sequences too scarifying for the infant crowd.
A Christmas Carol is admittedly well-told and enjoyable, but it lacks a certain heart. It hits all the required notes but, despite playing them with technical proficiency, there's no profound emotion. A vital Scrooge character development arc gets lost amidst the huge, kinetic set-pieces - his moral journey becomes a mere battle for survival as he's flung from one chase scene to the next, and his epiphany is rushed. At least the design of Victorian London is jaw-dropping. The film opens with a brilliant tracking shot that takes the audience on an aerial tour of the long-ago city; over spires, under lampposts and through windows before finally ending up in Scrooge's dingy office. The combination of twinkly snow, smoky skylines and looping camerawork is spectacular. The criticism often levelled at motion capture animation movies is that the characters look "dead behind the eyes". Despite advancements made in the technology since Zemeckis' awful The Polar Express, this is still the case in A Christmas Carol. No matter how photorealistic the characters are rendered, the layer of computer-generated gloss remains an unsurpassable emotional barrier between character and viewer that's yet to be broken.
Working overtime is star Jim Carrey, who plays a total of seven roles. It's an interesting and unusual casting choice given that Scrooge is defined by his bitter stasis whereas Carrey is best known for his brand of comedic performance. Yet, as Carrey has proved in films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he is hardly a one-trick pony. He manages to play the role almost entirely straight, but this begs the question: why cast Jim at all? The miserable old man doesn't seem right for Carrey at all (the Ghost of Christmas Present is the only character that fits Carrey's range). As a side note, Carrey is virtually unrecognisable in his new digital bodies. And this is, of course, precisely the point - one of the failures of Zemeckis' earlier outings was that he didn't take full advantage of the possibilities of digital manipulation.
Other members of the cast include Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Robert Wright Penn and Cary Elwes, who lend not only their vocal stylings to their roles but their physical likenesses as well.
With A Christmas Carol, Robert Zemeckis has succeeded in creating an enjoyable, visually succulent film, but the true heart of the original story is lost amidst the visual pyrotechnics which take full advantage of the technologies available but fail to illuminate or expand Dickens' story in new or meaningful ways. It's stunning and occasionally mesmerising visual filmmaking, yet still disappointingly shallow. At least it's a few hundred notches above Hollywood's usual festive output...
Jim Carrey,
Gary Oldman,
Colin Firth,
Robin Wright Penn,
Bob Hoskins
...( see more
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An animated retelling of Charles Dickens classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
Stats: 16,165 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (16,165)
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December 18, 2009"If I could have my way, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!"
...( read more)
When it comes to Christmas stories, none are as ubiquitous as Charles Dickens' A Christma -
December 14, 2009a solid version of the classic tale, but nowhere near the best. the acting was on point and the 3D animation was excellent to take in, but aside from being entertaining, the film misses on many things. it didnt seem to know what kind of film it wanted to be. at one moment its ...( read more)
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December 12, 2009An enjoyable animated Disney telling of Charles Dickens a Christmas Carol. Lots of attention to detail and with a slow steady pace that achieves the results Zemeckis was intending. Very true to the original (okay minus the CGI) and very Christmasy.
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December 4, 2009First off the CGI and details in this film are phenominal, the story tells the traditional Classic tale by Charles Dickens and is brought to life superbly by the likes of Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins.
It?s definitely worth seeing this film in 3D if you get the chanc...( read more) -
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Critic Reviews
You don't identify with Scrooge at any point, nor is blatant fakery scary. Picture The Seventh Seal with sock puppets. full review
A branded piece of shiny seasonal entertainment. full review
Dickens purists can stay away. Others can feel free to sample the rollicking aerial views of Victorian London, the droll and scary elasticity of Carrey. full review
To put it bluntly, if Scroogely, Disney's 3-D animated version of A Christmas Carol is a calamity. full review
Favors thrill-ride effects that are more often the star than the servant of the story. It's like "Silent Night" played by Led Zeppelin. full review
A re-telling should either present a resonant or fresh thematic take. This Christmas Carol seems like a pale ghost of Dickens' magical Christmas classic. full review
Shockingly, the new film turns out to be very good, at times close to brilliant: a darkly detailed marvel of creative visualization that does well by Dickens and right by audiences -- when it's not tr... full review
The story that Dickens wrote in 1838 remains timeless, and if it's supercharged here with Scrooge swooping the London streets as freely as Superman, well, once you let ghosts into a movie, there's roo... full review
Zemeckis' latest motion-capture CGI project capsizes Dickens' narrative power simply because the faces of the human simulacra are so utterly inexpressive and ugly. full review
Comments
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December 2, 2009super awesome movie one of he biggest hit of all time .i have watched it alread you can watch it here http://tiny4.us/kde2ck
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November 28, 2009
Watch at Dalster com all videos working, you do have to fill out a quick survey, but It's well worth the 30 seconds.
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November 22, 2009I really wanted to see it
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November 4, 2009Wait a minute...3D animation, based on a classic beloved story, directed by Robert Zemeckis with Robin Wright Penn as part of the supporting cast. Last time that happened, I was very disappointed. On the upside, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins have roles of some sort. Could this movie make up for the let-down knows as BEOWULF? Let's find out.
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September 13, 2009I thiNk it's really great moVie,...... So i will watch thiS,.CaNt waiT,... So exCiteD,.Well let's sEe...........
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