A Christmas Carol – let's face it, this is one of the most powerful ever tales written, and has well withstood the test of time. With good reason, the story has been told many times both in live action and in purely animated forms (there is an animated version starring Mr. Magoo that is actually rather good in my mind). The challenge each time is to tell a story that follows the viewer's expectations of the story while trying to be fresh about it.
Thus, we have the most recent incarnation, done using motion photography of actors which is converted into animated video. So, how does this version stand up?
Well, it isn't the best, and it isn't the worst either. Zemeckis has taken an old story, stayed true to it, and created a somewhat unique version of it.
Now, I saw the 3D version of it. Frankly, with the exception of a couple of places, the 3D added a minor amount of interest to the story. To give Zemeckis credit, he generally didn't shove the 3D into the watcher's face.
Nevertheless, the problem with the film is that much time in spent in pure spectacle. Some was OK – when the Spirit of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back in time, the flying sequence is short, exciting and adds some interest. However, when the Spirit of Christmas Future takes Scrooge, there is a long chase sequence that is reminiscent of the 3 Stooges and Saturday morning cartoons. This disrupts the flow of what should be one of the most serious and scary parts of the film. Character portrayal was uneven. Certainly, Carrey's Scrooge is quite good, as was his portrayal of many of the characters. I will admit, Carrey has come a long way from such movies as Ace Ventura. He demonstrates a good range of acting in the portrayal of the various Dicken's characters.
But the portrayal of some of the other character's left me scratching my head. In particular, the animated version of Bob Cratchit reminded me of Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman for some reason. And the movie's end seems sudden and left some ends loose. For example, Scrooge sends a turkey to the Cratchit family, but then there is no follow-up – what happened when this massive bird suddenly appears at his doorstep?
So, overall, a decent enough film – but with flaws.
Thus, we have the most recent incarnation, done using motion photography of actors which is converted into animated video. So, how does this version stand up?
Well, it isn't the best, and it isn't the worst either. Zemeckis has taken an old story, stayed true to it, and created a somewhat unique version of it.
Now, I saw the 3D version of it. Frankly, with the exception of a couple of places, the 3D added a minor amount of interest to the story. To give Zemeckis credit, he generally didn't shove the 3D into the watcher's face.
Nevertheless, the problem with the film is that much time in spent in pure spectacle. Some was OK – when the Spirit of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back in time, the flying sequence is short, exciting and adds some interest. However, when the Spirit of Christmas Future takes Scrooge, there is a long chase sequence that is reminiscent of the 3 Stooges and Saturday morning cartoons. This disrupts the flow of what should be one of the most serious and scary parts of the film. Character portrayal was uneven. Certainly, Carrey's Scrooge is quite good, as was his portrayal of many of the characters. I will admit, Carrey has come a long way from such movies as Ace Ventura. He demonstrates a good range of acting in the portrayal of the various Dicken's characters.
But the portrayal of some of the other character's left me scratching my head. In particular, the animated version of Bob Cratchit reminded me of Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman for some reason. And the movie's end seems sudden and left some ends loose. For example, Scrooge sends a turkey to the Cratchit family, but then there is no follow-up – what happened when this massive bird suddenly appears at his doorstep?
So, overall, a decent enough film – but with flaws.