Considering this TV Movie boasts Patrick Stewart in the lead role, I can only confess disappointment at this solid, but stolid, adaptation.
While Stewart is the main trump card, the rest of the cast are a little lacking. Richard E Grant is a severely undervalued actor, but I found his Cratchett not nearly as likable as the character should be.
It's mostly very faithful to the book. While there are strange omissions (there's no Cratchett toast to Scrooge as the "founder of the feast") as well as pointless changes (Scrooge's sister Fan...becomes Fran) and needless additions (the film begins with a scene set following Marley's death - only briefly mentioned in a preamble in the novella) but, for the most part, this is faithful to Dickens. The problem is that it leaves no lasting impression beyond that.
In terms of adaptations, it draws its closest comparison to the George C. Scott effort from 1984. That too, was very faithful to Dickens - but had a flair to it that's missing here. It seems a little churlish to review this by comparing it to other productions of the book but when it's so slavish to the text, it does invite these comparisons.
Unfortunately, this adaptation feels a bit surplus to requirements when one considers the efforts of Simm, Scott and The Muppets. If you need a quick fix of Scrooge, they would get the nod before Stewart.
While Stewart is the main trump card, the rest of the cast are a little lacking. Richard E Grant is a severely undervalued actor, but I found his Cratchett not nearly as likable as the character should be.
It's mostly very faithful to the book. While there are strange omissions (there's no Cratchett toast to Scrooge as the "founder of the feast") as well as pointless changes (Scrooge's sister Fan...becomes Fran) and needless additions (the film begins with a scene set following Marley's death - only briefly mentioned in a preamble in the novella) but, for the most part, this is faithful to Dickens. The problem is that it leaves no lasting impression beyond that.
In terms of adaptations, it draws its closest comparison to the George C. Scott effort from 1984. That too, was very faithful to Dickens - but had a flair to it that's missing here. It seems a little churlish to review this by comparing it to other productions of the book but when it's so slavish to the text, it does invite these comparisons.
Unfortunately, this adaptation feels a bit surplus to requirements when one considers the efforts of Simm, Scott and The Muppets. If you need a quick fix of Scrooge, they would get the nod before Stewart.