A Christmas Carol

[Bourne101]

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Written by Robert Zemeckis

Genre: Family

Plot Outline: Ebenezer Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk and his cheery nephew. But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Robin Wright Penn

Rated PG for scary sequences and images.

Runtime: 96 minutes

On one hand, I'm looking forward to seeing a Christmas flick and I like Jim Carrey. On the other hand, the trailers were pretty bland and seemed to be focusing far too much on action and 3D shit. Zemeckis also needs to fuck off with the motion capture. It was neat when it was first introduced, but it's getting old now. I enjoyed The Polar Express, but Beowulf was not all that great. This could be good if it focuses more on the story than the visuals, but I do not have high hopes.

[Badbird]

I liked Beowulf, but this just looks boring. It's basically exactly what you would expect it to look like, and, aside from throwing in some action, it doesn't seem to do anything new with the material.

The story has been done to death, so unless you are going to bring something new and original* to the table, just don't bother.




*3-D does not count as new or original.

[ilovemovies]

I think it looks great but I DO wish Zemeckis would go back to making live action movies.

[Tweek]

He looks like he's enjoying himself a little too much in that poster.

[Highspeed]

I'm partial to the version with those cute little muppets, but this looks like a nice family movie to take my nephews to.

[LordSimen]

I always dig seeing classic stories retold for new generations. This looks fun and entertaining.

[ericdraven]

Why the fuck are they releasing it so soon? I mean, it's the week after halloween for fuck sake.

[ilovemovies]

Originally Posted by ericdraven

Why the fuck are they releasing it so soon? I mean, it's the week after halloween for fuck sake.

I've been asking why hollywood releases christmas movies in early November for a LONG time! This is hardly the first time they've done this. They've been doing this going way back to the Santa Clause sequels.

[Mystique963]

Movie seemed like it was geared towards the 3D aspect. Love Jim Carrey but I like him a lot more in live action.

[dellamorte dellamore]

Originally Posted by ilovemovies

I've been asking why hollywood releases christmas movies in early November for a LONG time! This is hardly the first time they've done this. They've been doing this going way back to the Santa Clause sequels.

I think it's to give the film momentum leading into Xmas. If they release it one week before or that weekend, once Xmas is over, the appeal may be gone, this gives them( releasing it in early Nov.) 2 months to sustain an audience. A quick check reveals that this worked for Santa Clause, Elf, and Polar Express, all 3 films were released in the beginning of Nov. and did quite well by the end of their runs despite relatively modest opening weekends

[Bourne101]

Originally Posted by dellamorte dellamore

I think it's to give the film momentum leading into Xmas. If they release it one week before or that weekend, once Xmas is over, the appeal may be gone, this gives them( releasing it in early Nov.) 2 months to sustain an audience. A quick check reveals that this worked for Santa Clause, Elf, and Polar Express, all 3 films were released in the beginning of Nov. and did quite well by the end of their runs despite relatively modest opening weekends

Precisely.

[Bourne101]

A Christmas Carol - 7/10

Pretty good Christmas movie. I'll start with the negatives. This is NOT a kids film. The story is very dark, not relatable to young kids and features many creepy elements. But, because the film costs so much to make and must look like it would appeal to kids, there must be these little unnecessary jokes (the chipmunk voice) and prolonged action sequences to get kids to go see it. If the film got rid of the unnecessary jokes and the prolonged action sequences, this film would have been much sharper and tighter. That's the main problem with the film. On a lesser note, the motion capture thing is getting a bit old. Zemeckis needs to stop doing it. Sure, the film does look visually stunning and there are some really, really nice shots, but this film could have been so much cheaper and efficient to make had it just been a live-action film. Without the motion capture, the long-winded action sequences could have been removed. And though it doesn't really relate to the quality of the film itself, 3D needs to die. This film would have been better in 2D, straight up. The illusion that it is snowing in the theatre or that Jim Carrey is flying toward me just isn't interesting or exciting. Now, on to the positives, and there are quite a few. Jim Carrey is great as Scrooge. In fact, all of the actors do a great job. Visually, even with the motion capture, it looks magnificent. Very gorgeous scenery throughout. The story (minus the action sequences) is told very well. There are some truly great scenes here and I certainly connected with the film on a much higher emotional level than I expected. There are some pretty powerful scenes as well, especially the scene with Scrooge and Bell. The only thing about the story that was a tad disappointing is that we never get to see the family receive their turkey that Scrooge gives to them. If that scene had been there, the quality of the story would have elevated to an even higher level. So overall, the film is very well-made, acted and tells the classic story very well. Its only downfalls are the unnecessary additions to make the film appeal to kids and the fact that motion capture probably should not have been used. Solid film though, and it certainly got me in the Christmas spirit!

[Otis_Driftwood]

Hey Badbird,

It was boring and the SOS (just with a 3D experiment involved). BTW, did you hear? Disney's letting Zemeckis do a sequel??!! It's called "A Christmas Carol II: The Apology".

I gave it a mere 3 out of 10.

[rocknblues81]

Haven't they made this story 1,000 times? Why do people pay to go see the same story over and over. Oh, and f***k Christmas.

[SkyNet]

went and saw this today in IMAX 3D... really enjoyed it... of course it is the same story as has been told before... but the 3D is awesome, the animation is top notch and it is just a really good and enjoyable time at the flicks.

Worth checking out whenever it comes time for you and yours to get into the Holiday Season.

[Strider]

I have ZERO interest in watching A Christmas Carol right now. I may see it once the holiday season is in full swing. However, I don't feel like I need to rush out to see this at the moment, especially since this is the millionth adaptation of the same old story, which I know quite well.

And Robert Zemeckis seriously needs to take a break from making animated features and return to the world of live-action film.

Strider

[ilovemovies]

A MASSIVE disappointment!

This movie lacks the magic and wonder of The Polar Express and the excitement of Beowulf, making it EASILY the weakest of the 3 motion capture flicks that Zemeckis has done. I found this to be a shockingly lifeless and inert experience. Even the animation wasn't THAT impressive this time. I'm a big fan of this story. It's a timeless and wonderful story that Charles Dickens has created. This is undoubtedly the worst telling of it that I've ever seen. Even Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past, which I actually liked, was better.

4/10