A Christmas Carol (Walt Disney Pictures)
A New Look For An Old Classic
Robert Zemeckis introduced a new type of animation when he presented The Polar Express. It was a live action animation combination that used live actors but gave them a new look via animation. He has used this again with his latest film A Christmas Carol. The film is also being presented in some theaters in 3-D. Live action animation and 3-D give it a different look but the movie itself is still just average entertainment.
The story is familiar to just about everyone since the Charles Dickens novel has reached classic status. It has also been immortalized on film time and time again. There have been dramatic versions, musical versions, animated versions, ad infinitum; and now comes this new live action animation version.
Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) is a stingy, miserable old man. He lives during the Victorian Era of England and makes himself and everyone around him as miserable as can be. This includes his employee Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman) and his nephew Fred (Colin Firth).
One year, on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his deceased partner Jacob Marley (Oldman again). Marley tells him he will receive three other visitors the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. All three of these ghosts (Carrey again in all three roles) do appear and try to make him see the error of his ways.
The acting in the film is good. Carrey manages to create a meaner Scrooge than usual. This works against the film as Scrooges transformation does not ring true at all. You keep thinking he has an ulterior motive for all his last minute generosity.
This film is definitely too scary for small children. It starts off dark and dreary and moves into ghost world status quickly. These are not Casper like friendly ghosts either. They are scary apparitions who are there to push Scrooge into changing.
The film is rated PG for violence.
The live action animation process does not have all the bugs and kinks worked out of it yet. The humans in the film are still dead-eyed. The movie comes off as A Christmas Carol acted out by zombies. They look funny and they act funny. This means that the movie is lifeless as seen through their dead eyes.
Better to watch an older version of the film preferably one with live actors who are not doused in animation. This new version is deadly dreary and that makes for some squirming in the seats. As stated the 3-D action is fun but it is not enough to make the film worthwhile.
I scored A Christmas Carol a bah-humbug 5 out of 10.
