Monday, November 9, 2009

A CHRISTMAS CAROL




Amimated story

PRINCIPAL VOICES
Jim Carrey: Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts
Gary Oldman: Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim
Colin Firth: Scrooge’s nephew Fred

REVIEW
Sometimes they should leave well enough alone. Anyone who has read the book or seen the 1951 movie Scrooge played by Alastair Sim will probably be disappointed with the latest incarnation of this classic tale by Charles Dickens.

Not because Disney strays from the basic premise of the story (which they don’t) but because it is difficult to relate to animated characters that for the most part look as though they are made of plastic. Although Ebenezer Scrooge shows a range of emotions and comes close to the real thing, the others do not.

The use of the latest computer generated animation (including 3D in some theatres) has resulted in some really amazing scenes and Carrey’s versatility is nothing short of amazing. But that is not enough to evoke any real emotional involvement which is the whole point of the exercise. And the transformation Scrooge goes through lacks that eureka moment, overshadowed by all the whiz-bang technology.

CLASSIFICATION
for scary sequences and images.

P.S.
I was concerned that the little ones might be frightened by some of the scenes (particularly the ghost of Christmas Past) but as we exited the theatre I overheard one 4-year-old say “it wasn’t real scary…I didn’t even close my eyes once”.

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