A Christmas Carol (2009)
Run time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Charles Dickens' 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol" could be considered a genre in and of itself, with dozens of adaptations produced since early in the last century. This latest, a Disney computer-generated animation version by Robert Zemeckis starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge and the incomparable Gary Oldman as Marley and Cratchit, might be the first to truly embody the original horror/holiday combination that makes this story totally unique among the classics. The visuals are stunning, and the methods used to move Scrooge through his harrowing journey are truly original. While for all their super-realism the human faces and figures are still a bit strange, the animation is employed superbly to make the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as scary and disturbing (and as effective at their mission of conversion!) as ghosts should be. This film pulls no punches about morality and punishment, but in such a way that the viewer may be inspired to be seamless in their compassion for others. Not for young children. |
