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A Christmas Carol
Director Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, Forest Gump) uses his motion-capture technology to re-tell Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story.
Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption by several mysterious apparitions - the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Chrismas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (all three are played by Carrey). Also features Gary Oldman as Bob Crachit / Tiny Tim and Bob Hoskins as Mr. Fezziwig.
Starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes
Directed by Robert Zemeckis ('Beowulf', 'The Polar Express', 'Cast Away', 'What Lies Beneath', 'Forest Gump', 'Back to the Future')
Written by Robert Zemeckis (based on the novella by Charles Dickens)
Family, Drama, Animated, Adaptation | 1hr 36mins | Rated (PG) | some scenes may scare very young children | Origin: USA
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- Teaser
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- London Premiere
- Flicks Review
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- The People's Reviews
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- Press Reviews
- Official Site
Flicks review
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Yet another adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale of yuletide redemption hits the big screen but, despite the authentically dour London setting and the flowery dialogue being very faithful to the original text, you might be wondering why it’s necessary.
Technically, this film is impressive. The motion-capture process, in the same vein as director Zemeckis’ The Polar Express and Beowulf, allows for Jim Carrey to perform as not only Ebeneezer Scrooge, but also the spirits of past, present and future.
But, perhaps afraid that the character-based source material wouldn’t offer enough thrills, the filmmakers shove in some additional action sequences that involve Scrooge zooming across rooftops, sliding down drainpipes or even surfing on a broken icicle. It’s silly, not particularly engaging and at odds with the more mature approach elsewhere.
It’s the eerieness and loneliness of Scrooge’s Christmas that Zemeckis nails. Younger children will have nightmares for weeks. Whether it’s Marley’s dislocated jaw or the gruesome end of the jovial Ghost of Christmas Present, this could well be the scariest version of A Christmas Carol I’ve seen.By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
The Peoples voice
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One of the Worst
1
This may well stick to the original and the annimation may well be near perfect but as a kids film it is perhaps the worst I have ever seen.
By barry duff
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A faithful rendering of the original
4
The problem for any version of this story made in rrecent decades is that it will inevitably be compared with earlier versions rather than Dickens' original story. Needless to say the biting social comment of the original has been gradually candy coated in a series of earlier film and tv versions to provide a bland "goodwill to all men" message more fitted to more recent and more commercial notions of the festive season. This version moves away from that safe ground. It takes us back to the original and reminds us that it is a story of the supernatural (remember that Dickens was an admirer and financial supporter of Edgar Allan Poe!) - and provides some genuinely frightening moments.
Scrooge here is more than the caricature grouch the popular myth makes him. Instead he is a real, damaged individual who demands a more complex reaction than the character presented in the many more superficial renderings of the story. This is still a heart-warming story of the the possibility of reform and redemption, but not the facile endorsement of Christmas cheer the story has too often been reduced to.
The look of this film takes us close to the appearance of the original illustrations, and the tone and atmosphere match. If you want seasonal tinsel get the muppets version on DVD. If you want a serious look at the story as Dickens wrote it, see this movie.By Graham
Press Reviews
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Hollywood Reporter
Exuberant movie technology overwhelms, then buries Dickens' emotional tale.
Click to read the full review -
Urban Cinefile (Australia)
Conceptually brilliant with mind-blowing special effects, but who is the intended audience of this visual extravaganza? Certainly not children: the content is far too dark with haunting imagery that could provoke nightmares for impressionable youngsters.
Click to read the full review -
Variety (USA)
While it's true that the various ghosts and geographically plausible aerial images of the British metropolis in mid-19th-century are arrestingly vivid, there isn't a moment when it wouldn't be preferable to see Jim Carrey himself, even slathered in old-age makeup, as well as the real Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins and the rest of the cast, rather than their airbrushed CGI approximations.
Click to read the full review
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