7/10
Faithful Adaptation-Hit And Miss Effects
23 December 2023
Some reviewers have called this a "new" twist. Uh, no. It is, almost word for word, scene for scene, a faithful adaptation of the original book by Dickens.

The good? Gorgeous scenery, intriguing camera angles and Scrooge's familiar character arc from curmudgeon to repentant soul trying to get things right.

The not so good? The first two ghosts (also played by Carrey) are obnoxiously weird. Christmas Past looks like Jim Carey's smirking head floating incongruously above a wispy phantom torso. And Christmas Present is a jarring, cackling boor, with forced belly laughing at the most bizarre times.

This is not a movie for young viewers. From the beginning funeral for Marley, complete with coins on the dead man's eyes, it is (as originally written) a macabre tale filled with terrifying images. The ghost of Marley is horrific.

Most of the motion capture is mesmerizing, with only a few supporting characters looking flat and poorly animated.

The film also cries out for a more inspiring musical score, instead relying on the crazy antics of multiple characters performed by Carrey to move the story along.

Despite all this, I recommend it as a true book to movie transition, with some beautiful visuals.
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