A Christmas Carol sure is one helluva thrill ride. If I was at Universal Studios and this was the Back to the Future ride, I'd be mighty pleased and probably jumping back in line for a secong go 'round. Last time I checked, though, this was supposed to be the retelling of a clasic holiday tale. Instead it feels like a venue for director Robert Zemeckis to show off his 3-D toys again. Sometimes it works, sometimes I'm painfully aware of it.
You probably know the story by now. Ebeneezer Scrooge, crotchety old mizer who hates everything about Christmas, is visited by three ghosts: The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Nothing new there. The ghost of the past is presented as a somewhat androgynous flamechild, similar to the Dickens story. However, when Scrooge dares to extinguish the ghost's flame with a metal cap, it rockets him into space like Wil E. Coyote. Pretty sure that didn't happen in the book....
For the most part the film's plot follows the Dickens story to a tee, but there are a few occasions when it gives in and decides it's a good time to show what all this new fangled technology can do. Scrooge flies through the crusty old town like a geriatric Superman. When chased throughout town by the ominous final ghost, Scrooge is shrunken down to the size of a mouse for comedic effect. Again, not so sure that happens in the book, but it's been awhile since I read it. Anybody remember if Scrooge gets chased around like a rat in a maze in the novel?
The story isn't really the draw here. It's the animation that brings the lumber this time around. I've been in love with Zemeckis's performance capture technology ever since The Polar Express. A Christmas Carol is a gorgeous film, and the animation's lush and vibrant colors splash across every scene wonderfully. At times I do feel it's a bit too pretty for it's own good, especially considering the rundown state the town is meant to be in, but it's hardly a detraction. The background characters, on the other hand, still appear less detailed than the main ones. It's not a big deal most of the time, but in some of the larger set pieces it can be a distraction.
As for Scrooge himself, Jim Carrey's voice work fits the role, but I didn't find anything special about it. He voices multiple characters, each of which isn't immediately recognizable as him, so I guess he must be doing something right. I appreciate the fact that they didn't do what they normally do, which is make the characters on screen all resemble the actors voicing them. Only Scrooge's nephew(voiced by Colin Firth) appears to at all be a direct take on the actor.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember this story being quite so scary. Parents definitely won't want to bring the kiddies to this one. I guess at it's heart it is a ghost story. The very first scene of the film is that of a corpse. When the ghost of Scrooge's business partner first appears, chains rattling and jaw slackened and disjointed, your kids will likely be hiding behind their hands. The ghost of christmas yet to come is a shrouded skeleton with a demon horse as a pet. I'd suggest sticking to the Scrooge McDuck version of A Christmas Carol for the kiddies.
While I enjoyed the film for the most part, I feel like the animation or the 3-D technology isn't enough to make this a must see. We've been down this path before, so it feels like well worn territory by now. I'm hoping that Zemeckis will turn his attention toward's more orignal work using the performance capture technique, like he did in 2006's Monster House, which remains one of my favorite animated films of the decade.
6/10
