Plot Charles Dickens’ classic tale of Christmas spirit sees miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey) believing Christmas is humbug until a terrifying visit from his dead partner Marley (Oldman) tells him the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet To Come (Carrey again and again) are coming to show him the error of his ways.
Review Charles Dickens’ ever-popular ghost story of redemption A Christmas Carol is one of the most frequently adapted tales of them all, with at least 40 British and American versions alone out there, ranging from early silents to the Flintstones and Barbie doll versions. And what makes this one special? Well, that is entirely a matter of personal taste.
Everyone familiar with Robert Zemeckis’ Polar Express and Beowulf will have a good idea of the visual style employed for this, the director’s first Disney production since his groundbreaking Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. It’s motion capture animation, so the characters look a lot like the actors who provided their voices and physical performances. And it’s in 3-D, so all manner of objects from sharp implements — eeek! — to snowflakes — oooh! — are tossed at the bespectacled audience at regular intervals. The advancement in technology is undeniable and the 3-D is very good, but how well one likes this depends very much on how well one responds to motion capture. To us it’s neither as “real” as live action nor as beautiful as classic hand drawn animation could be — Pinocchio, say. And it’s not as cunning as the best CGI we’ve come to love in a Toy Story or Shrek.
What we get is a holiday season novelty, then, which is satisfactory as much because the cast give it all they’ve got as for some attractive visual effects flourishes, but it is constantly rather unsettling. Scrooge’s good-natured nephew Fred, for example, is played nicely by Colin Firth. We know it’s him and it looks like him, but not quite, kind of like he got inflated. What’s the point? Gary Oldman has fun playing the damned spirit of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s poor, put-upon clerk Bob Crachit and his sickly son Tiny Tim, who looks like a kiddy body limping around with Oldman’s shrunken head stuck on top. Carrey on double overtime does an okay English accent as a wizened Jim, er, Ebenezer, a vaguely Irish one as the odd Ghost of Christmas Past (alarmingly, a candle with a flame for a head for some reason) and a Brian Blessed impersonation as a bluff Northerner Ghost of Christmas Present. Never mind the ghosts, the most terrifying thing in the movie is Scrooge when he’s reformed, so cheery he’s borderline lunatic. So in its way it is special, but not necessarily a keeper.
Verdict It’s always a good story, this time told more creepily than usual. Good, but not as good as The Muppets’ Christmas Carol, Scrooged, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol or some great, classic live action classic versions.
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Average user rating for A Christmas Carol
Seen this past wednesday:
tp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/]A Christmas Carol (3D)he old Charles Dickens story about the old grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge has been told many,many times before in a lot of different versions. This time it`s up to Robert Zemeckis.
He goes for an animated version and does it in 3D with Jim Carrey in (one of) the (many) lead role(s).
The result is a well known story that looks beautiful. The animation are often really gorgeous and the 3D works, at the most moments, g... Read More
As a spectacle the film was top class, but I found the film itself to be pretty average. It's the traditional story, and has all the main bits - I guess I'm just not a massive fan of the whole thing to be honest. It did make me jump, though that's not much of an achievement.
6/10 ... Read More
Enjoyed the film & creepier than some adaptations, Carrey's English accent as Scrooge was very good. But his Ghost of Christmas Present accent? Scottish cum Irish cum Northern cum Liverpudlian?? & the Crachit Children? Should have just used English actors. Made me cringe. Saying that though overall I thought it was very good & would probably buy the Blu-ray ... Read More
I'll admit to being a big fan of Dickens/Carol/Carrey and so tried my damnest to like this and just couldn't. There's just so little warmth here and it's strangely lacking in humour. So dark and so dull for so long that by the time old Ebeneezer finally lightens up for the last 10-minute finale I couldn't have cared less and found it very hard to connect to. The humanity of the characters and the lifeblood of the book have been traded in for chase sequences and explosions and so was met with an ... Read More
I've seen other versions of this (the patrick stewart version) which i loved so i didn't expect an amzing version, but i was suprised. I enjoyed it. Its one of those films where when you look back you realise that actually you enjoyed it. Theye did like to show off their effects alot though but apart from that a pleasent watch. ... Read More
Saw this last night - the 3D gave me a headache for the first few minutes - just not sure about all this motion capture business... the characters all look real enough - but those dead eyes that they all seem to have gives the game away. All tech - not much heart is how I'd describe this film.....but see it in 3D if you have to. Best performance of the film comes from Mr. Carrey who reigns in his usual manic persona to give us a very convincing curmudgeonly old sod......still ......Avatar is goi... Read More
Saw this last night - the 3D gave me a headache for the first few minutes - just not sure about all this motion capture business... the characters all look real enough - but those dead eyes that they all seem to have gives the game away. All tech - not much heart is how I'd describe this film.....but see it in 3D if you have to. Best performance of the film comes from Mr. Carrey who reigns in his usual manic persona to give us a very convincing curmudgeonly old sod......still ......Avatar is goi... Read More
HMMM.
Dont seam to rember quite so many chases and explosions in the Book, or maybe I am wrong.
I think its a sad state where both the Muppets and Mickets Chrismas Carol where closer to the book than this.
3-D is pointless please stop using it Hollywood. We all know the real reason you push it is to try and stop piracy.
It was not that it was a bad film. Just well kinda pointless. And why release it now???? surly an opening closer to Christmas m... Read More
Classic
Excellent
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