A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Robin Wright

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

The Story:
Crotchety old Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) only cares about his wealth, and doesn't give second thoughts to anyone around him, especially his underpaid clerk Bob Cratchet (Gary Oldman).  When he's visited on Christmas Eve by the spirit of his former colleague Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman), Scrooge is warned that he will be visited by three spirits.  When the spirits arrive, they show Scrooge Christmas past, present, and future, they challenge Scrooge to change his views and fully embrace what it means to have the Christmas spirit.

The Synopsis:
Very few fictional books have maintained the public knowledge than Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," a story that has been told and retold since its creation in 1843.  The novel has been made into countless television specials and movies, and the play can be seen in pretty much every part of the world especially during the Christmas season.  Pretty much anyone you talk to - young or old - will know the names Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Jacob Marley.  The term 'Scrooge' is even used to describe a person who is stingy with money.  The lasting impact of this small novella has resonated throughout the ages and will undoubtedly still continue for decades to come.

So it's very difficult to turn a story that everyone knows into a film that people want to see, because we all know the ending by now.  Director Robert Zemeckis turned the tale on its head by not doing a live adaptation of it, but rather an animated version using motion capture, a feat he accomplished twice before in the other Christmas classic "The Polar Express" as well as "Beowulf."  This added a new dimension to the story in that the impossible could be made more possible, and Zemeckis was able to stay closer to the classic story than other iterations.

The result is a film that, while vividly brilliant and beautiful, could also be downright terrifying.  Dickens said he wanted to write a Christmas ghost story, and Zemeckis fulfills that wish by taking out most of what made the other versions more family friendly and instead focused on the dread Scrooge faces as he embarks on his perilous journey.  From the opening scene (seeing Marley dead with pennies in his eyes probably won't be warmly welcomed by children) to Marley's terrifying spirit arriving to the entire section involving the Ghost of Christmas Future, the film takes a tonally dark path that probably won't be appropriate for children of all ages, but maintains the heart of what Dickens was trying to convey.

Still, despite this darker path, the film is beautiful in its imagery and animation.  The characters are created with such precision and care that you can see each strand of hair, each facial expression, and each movement made.  To top it off, the settings are reminiscent of what life would've been like in Dickens' era, with the entire landscape in a more classic blend of old-timey housing.

Jim Carrey delivers another solid performance as Scrooge, a man who's so typecast that you don't really expect him to make any wild deviations, and he doesn't.  He's the epitome of Scrooge, both the good and the bad.  We travel with him and experience his change in ourselves, striving for us to be better people and to embrace the Christmas spirit all year round.

The Summary:
A beautiful re-telling of a traditional Christmas classic, Robert Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" might be darker than other versions, but the animations are pure brilliance.

The Score: A