Robert Zemeckis has offered us a visually spectacular film that has no emotion in it whatsoever. 'A Christmas Carol' will no doubt satisfy younger viewers but in the long run it is probably the least faithful adaptation to the story I have seen. It doesn't capture the magic or the moral fable of the Dickens classic.
A Christmas Carol has been adapted to death. So much so that we almost loose sight of what the story is about. It is a morality tale about a lonely broken man who over the years isolates himself from all humanity. Christmas isn't merely Christmas, Dickens uses it as an allegory for the best in the human soul. It is a time of year where there is warmth, family, and love things Ebenzer Scoorge never had. The best adaptations of the story must make you pity Scoorge. In the telling and retelling of the story it has become a children's fairy tale. I'd like to see an adaptation not marketed or made based around the assumption that it has to be childish. I think the best adaptation of the story is the Musical which Kelsey Grammar starred in an adaptation of. It doesn't compromise the story and yet it is family oriented. I think when you try to dumb down the story it loses all meaning. Zemeckis has given us one of the silliest and childish Christmas Carols ever. The Muppets did it better.
Part of why I think the film misses it's target is Jim Carrey. Even in the computer fashion he gives his most over the top performance. Scoorge is a cartoon Shrek like character here. He is silly even in the beginning of the film. Carrey plays Scoorge as a clown. You can't have a story about a man finding his soul, if the man is a clown.
On the other hand technically the film is a wonder. Zemeckis has a brilliant imagination. The 3-D effects are brilliantly incorporated and they for the most part don't take away from the story. There are times though when the staging is off. Scoorge flying around like Superman is unnecessary. I think overall the film is much better at being a showcase for 3-D computer animation than it is at being a general film. Zemeckis ought to try making an original story in this format. Beowulf didn't translate well and neither does Christmas Carol. Scoorge isn't meant to shrink.
A Christmas Carol has been adapted to death. So much so that we almost loose sight of what the story is about. It is a morality tale about a lonely broken man who over the years isolates himself from all humanity. Christmas isn't merely Christmas, Dickens uses it as an allegory for the best in the human soul. It is a time of year where there is warmth, family, and love things Ebenzer Scoorge never had. The best adaptations of the story must make you pity Scoorge. In the telling and retelling of the story it has become a children's fairy tale. I'd like to see an adaptation not marketed or made based around the assumption that it has to be childish. I think the best adaptation of the story is the Musical which Kelsey Grammar starred in an adaptation of. It doesn't compromise the story and yet it is family oriented. I think when you try to dumb down the story it loses all meaning. Zemeckis has given us one of the silliest and childish Christmas Carols ever. The Muppets did it better.
Part of why I think the film misses it's target is Jim Carrey. Even in the computer fashion he gives his most over the top performance. Scoorge is a cartoon Shrek like character here. He is silly even in the beginning of the film. Carrey plays Scoorge as a clown. You can't have a story about a man finding his soul, if the man is a clown.
On the other hand technically the film is a wonder. Zemeckis has a brilliant imagination. The 3-D effects are brilliantly incorporated and they for the most part don't take away from the story. There are times though when the staging is off. Scoorge flying around like Superman is unnecessary. I think overall the film is much better at being a showcase for 3-D computer animation than it is at being a general film. Zemeckis ought to try making an original story in this format. Beowulf didn't translate well and neither does Christmas Carol. Scoorge isn't meant to shrink.