Movie Review: Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Looks absolutely amazing

Cons: Effects overshadow the characters so we never connect with the story

The Bottom Line:

Wonderful effects

But we can't connect to Scrooge

Pointless creepy scenes

Stunning Visuals Try to Mask the Fact that the Heart has Been Removed

When I say I love A Christmas Carol, I'm not exaggerating.  I will watch/read/listen to at least two versions of the classic story over the next two months.  And I have done that every year for over two decades.  Granted, I usually stick with favorites, but when I get a chance to see something new, I do.  So I couldn't pass up the motion capture 3D version done by Disney.

The familiar elements of the story are all in place.  Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) is a miser living in 1800's London.  He abuses his clerk Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman) and turns down an invitation from his nephew Fred (Colin Firth) to Christmas dinner.  But that night, Scrooge is visited by ghosts.  First, it's his dead partner, then three more trying attempt to change him.  Will it be enough to show him the true lessons of Christmas?

Based on the previews, I wasn't sure if I would like this film.  Mind you, I knew Jim Carrey could be a serious actor when he wants to be.  And he does a great job as Scrooge.  While his delivery of a couple of famous lines brought laughs, he plays most of it straight, only truly being his normal self for the finale where it works perfectly.

Likewise, the rest of the cast is good.  Many of those involved play multiple roles, but you'd never know.  Every character is distinct.  Trivia fans will probably want to note that Cary Elwes (playing multiple characters) and Robin Wright Penn (playing Scrooge's fiancee Belle) are both in the film, although they don't really share any screen time.

I do believe that this is my first motion capture film.  I'm not super familiar with the process, but I believe it involves a computer using the information from sensors on the actors as they perform the roles.  It's a weird mix of animation and live action.  However, with computer animation having come so far, I'm not quite impressed.  It looked like a nicely done computer animated film, but nothing more.

The 3D effects were amazing, however.  I wasn't planning to see it in 3D, but that was all that was offered in town, so I went.  I'm glad I did.  The movie was obviously designed for it with many shots being created to make full effect of the technology.  They work.  And the shots with snow falling were amazing.

My biggest problem comes from the story, however.  Maybe I've just become too familiar with it, but I felt like it was just going through the paces and not actually taking time to connect us to Scrooge.  Instead, time was spent on setting up shots that were amazing.  But a movie is more than its effects, and we needed to see Scrooge truly react to all he saw so we could believe his transformation.

Additionally, the Ghosts were just weird.  The Ghost of Christmas Past seemed more like a computer program that would occasionally freeze for a second or two while everything else kept moving.  I did love how the Ghost of Christmas Present moved them around, but the scene where he left Scrooge was again needlessly creepy.  Then there was the long, pointless scene they added for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  Seriously, use that time to better build the characters.

Despite a PG rating, this movie isn't for the young.  Quite a few images are rather disturbing.  The last spirit, always creepy, goes above and beyond here.  I'm convinced this version would give kids nightmares, although those who don't frighten easily should be fine.

At lot of time and effort went into Disney's A Christmas Carol.  It looks absolutely amazing.  But they spent so much time on the effects they missed the heart of the story.  If you must see it, it is worth seeing in 3D.  But if effects aren't the reason you see a film, skip it and catch a classic version of the tale instead.

Looking for Mark approved versions of A Christmas Carol?  Check out the 1984 TV version starring George C. Scott or the Muppet Christmas Carol.  (Yes, I do seriously recommend the Muppet version over this one.)

And you don't know where else Cary Elwes and Robin Wright Penn have starred together?  Inconceivable!