Movie Review
This will be true for many people, but not everyone gets excited about the holiday season. Some people will be quite stressed about the prospect, perhaps because of the cost, the expectations of others, and the thought of spending time with people they will avoid for the rest of the year.
For these people, the words “Bah Humbug” probably won’t be far from their lips, especially when they’re annoyed by the excitement of neighbors and co-workers who are full of Christmas spirit! They might even be accused of being Scrooge-like if they dare to say it, probably someone wearing a big red hat and a Rudolph-embellished jumper!
Some of us can probably relate to the grumpy old moneylender anyway, not because we’re greedy like him, but because we can relate to his reasons for hating Christmas. As seen in many adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, old Ebenezer is initially portrayed as somewhat of a miser.
But when we delve deeper into the story, we begin to understand the source of his discontent and why Christmas is not a happy time for him. If events in our lives have swallowed our Christmas spirit, comparisons to Scrooge should not be unfavourable!
Of course, if you’ve seen any version of A Christmas Carol, whether it’s with the Muppets, Alastair Sim, or an action-packed Jim Carrey, you know that Scrooge undergoes a transformation after several imaginary encounters on Christmas Eve.
She regains her Christmas spirit and becomes a happier person after learning a few useful life lessons, and after following her story, we can be inspired by her example if we can heed the messages that touch on the oft-told fairy tale.
A Christmas carol reminds us of the importance of family and the limited time we have with them. And it encourages us to reconnect with the person we were before the trials of life left us disgruntled, angry, and regretting our past mistakes.
For these reasons, we should all make time for Dickens’ classic story, whether it’s the original novel or, now, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, one of the many film adaptations available, featuring the author’s latest treatment of the moral tale.
This new version doesn’t stray too far from the previous ones, but since the messages inside are still worth remembering, especially at Christmas time, Netflix’s latest cartoon still has value, so you shouldn’t declare “bah humbug”. your kids encourage you to watch with them!
Colourful Animation
As a film, it’s accomplished with bright and colorful 3D animation, some decent songs courtesy of the late composer Leslie Bricusse, and some excellent voice work from a respected cast including Luke Evans as Ebenezer Scrooge, Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley, and Olivia prepared. Colman, like The Ghost of Christmas Past, all play their parts with gusto.
The story plays out as you’d expect, but director Stephen Donnelly still finds ways to tell it imaginatively. A scene in which Scrooge falls through time against a backdrop of memory-reflecting mirror fragments is particularly impressive, and there are a number of other sequences that showcase the creative talents of the animation team. The scenes involving the film’s ghosts are particularly well done, including the wax Ghost of Christmas Past turning from a candle into all sorts of other designs, but the entire film is well animated, so there’s nothing to complain about on that front.
Predictable
As suggested, the film is predictable, but that’s to be expected from a story that’s been told many times before. However, there are a few new additions to keep the kids entertained, including Prudence, a farting dog who has become Scrooge’s faithful companion. There’s also a group of young street urchins that pop up sporadically throughout the story, and some flying gerbil-like creatures that appear during Scrooge’s travels through time, which will make youngsters laugh.
These additions do not affect the story in any way, but will prevent the youngsters from getting bored, especially those who complain about the lack of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy while watching!
Not Best Adaptations
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol will never be considered one of the best adaptations of Dickens’ story, but this latest version is quite enjoyable. It still holds the messages of hope and goodwill that many of us need to hear, the visuals are sometimes impactful, and the musical sequence, which includes songs from the 1970 Albert Finney Scrooge film, isn’t overly intrusive.
Purists will always prefer the 1951 Alastair Sim version, and kids will have more fun with A Muppet Christmas Carol , but it’s not the cinematic equivalent of Brussels sprouts you might expect. So it’s almost certainly worth watching, especially if you’re looking for a fresh take on Scrooge’s story, rather than one of the previous movie iterations you’ve probably seen a hundred times before.
