(Released in Theaters: 11/06/09)
Director Robert Zemeckis has done it again by creating a movie that will surely become a staple holiday favorite in every family’s home. A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carey, is a marvel of an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ original classic story. As a person who loves tradition, I’m usually a skeptic of new Christmas movies, but Zemeckis has turned apprehension into anticipation since 2004’s The Polar Express (which is now in my top 5 Christmas movies).
The two films obviously have much in common. Both, of course, use motion capture animation, or 3D animation. Both have a central character playing more than one role: Carey is the voice of eight characters, including all the voices of Ebenezer Scrooge and all three ghosts. Both had some creepy aspects, but Christmas Carol is definitely scarier than the latter. I jumped at least twice while muttering “Jesus Christ.” Even when I knew something was coming…like with the door knocker becoming Jacob Marley and when the Ghost of Christmas Future finally addresses Scrooge by pointing his finger…it didn’t matter because it was still scarier than what I expected. Near the end of the movie, a little boy sitting close to me said, “I don’t want to watch anymore.” I couldn’t blame him (and at least he wasn’t crying).
The movie stays true to the classic and the dialogue with a few improvisations which in no way hurt the story. The biggest differences are a few action scenes that were clearly incorporated because of the 3D and IMAX effect. Carey does a wonderful depiction of Scrooge as a wiry, crotchety old man who is miserable in every way, but even better is his transformation into the loving, heartfelt, generous Ebenezer in the last part of the film. As soon as he is back in his room after the final ghost, I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face until the credits rolled.
Gary Oldman plays a more than likable Bob Cratchit, as well as Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim. Marley is awesome and scary, but Tiny Tim is boring and cliché. That’s probably how he’s meant to be portrayed; I was looking forward to liking his character more than being impartial to him. The only real disappointment is the Ghost of Christmas Past. He’s like a flame or something and mostly just weird. I laughed at him a couple times but it was generally because he was such an odd character and I didn’t get him.
And perhaps it shouldn’t be done, but it’s difficult not to compare A Christmas Carol to Polar Express, even though Express was never done before 2004 and Carol has been done so many times.
The Polar Express has to stand ahead of A Christmas Carol.
Still, the Charles Dickens’ adaptation has been done over and over again (more than 25 adaptations show up on IMDB). Everyone has a different favorite. There’s the classic George C. Scott version from 1984, Bill Murray in Scrooged (1988), and fun ones like the Muppets, Mr. Magoo, the Flintstones, Sesame Street, and Disney’s animated version.
Maybe not today, but in a few years, Zemeckis’ version of this classic tale will undoubtedly be many people’s favorites.
IMDB 7.2/10
Rotten tomatoes 55%
Movie Wiseguys 7.5/10