"BAH HUMBUG" - IT'S FABULOUS!! (A Christmas Carol 3D (DVD))

Member Name: totalserenity

Product:	A Christmas Carol 3D (DVD)
Date:	13/11/09 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A TRUE NEW CLASSICAL VERSION ON THE MAKING!

Disadvantages: A TAD FRIGHTENING FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN METHINKS...

Ebenezer Scrooge is a right old misery, he is!

"Bah Humbug" is his miserable catchphrase and he revels in being a dour old devil!

A credit collector by trade in Victorian England, there isn't an ounce of pity or generosity in his crumpled old soul...

Scrooge lost his partner Jacob Marley seven years previously and has continued his thriving business feeding off the backs of the poor and needy - plus his beleaguered assistant the affable Mr. Bob Cratchit.

On Christmas Eve Ebenezer is in an even more odious mood when his jolly nephew, Fred, calls upon him at work to invite him to dine with he and his wife on Christmas night. Rejecting the genuine invitation to partake in Yuletide festivities outright, Scrooge just progresses throughout the beginning of the tale to display his downright dark and mean-spirited nature at a time of year when all should be rejoicing in a Dickensian England of old.

However, later that day he encounters the shock of his life in the shape of Old Marley's ghost, weighed down with the ominous shackles he had created through life; Scrooge's old business partner pleads with this wretched excuse for a human being to come to his senses and start behaving in a more caring way towards society.

Throughout the night Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three more frightening apparitions - the Ghost of Christmas Past quickly followed by the Ghost of Christmas Present - and then lastly by the ghost of Christmas Future.

Scrooge is taken by all three spirits on a soul-searching journey to see if they can get him to amend his wicked ways before its too late...

Will Ebenezer see the light...or carry on down the path of self-destruction, that is the big question?

There aren't many of us of a certain age who are not familiar with the tale of Scrooge plus there have been many different variations on this theme cinematically created; but with Disney's new 3D twist on the Christmas Classic the viewer is able to experience some amazing feats through the eyes of Scrooge himself as he faces his demons from the past through to his possible future.

I took my teenage daughter to see this film and have to say how dark and atmospheric it is at times despite it being deemed as suitable for children to see.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the amazing animation and attention to detail that from a 3D perspective was truly awesome and jaw-dropping in its cartoon nature. The Dickensian scenery sweeping over rooftops of an authentic-feeling Victorian London; the opening scenes which were breath-taking in their realism with huge snow drops falling towards the audience so you felt you could almost reach out and grab them, in addition the realistic faces of the characters all cooked a truly wonderful melting pot of graphic animation that was as gripping as it was riveting.

Jim Carrey acts the part of the caricatured Scrooge plus the three ghosts that take him on his enlightening night-time journey in the early hours Christmas Morning, and he does a fine job too.

(The only problem for me was his acted accents, I found them terribly false and affected - but that's a minor point in a major picture.)

Fred is played by Colin Firth - with the resemblance to the real-life actors being so striking you can instantly recognise them as they hit the big screen!

The mild-mannered Bob Cratchit is voiced by that magnificent actor Gary Oldman, and there are cameo roles for Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright-Penn also.
The cast list is impressive and each actor played their roles incredibly well (bar the phoney accent!), and I felt this has motion picture has done Carrey's illustrious career no harm at all.

Visually the movie is stunning, though I would not personally take young children to see it. There are a few 'jump' moments where I was slightly scared for a second and a young boy near to us who was aged about four was very distressed and vocal with it - so much so Laura and I had to move seats as it was so distracting.

For me one of the highlights of this version of 'A Christmas Carol' was the 3D element - it added a whole new viewing dimension of watching a movie from a bird's eye point of view.

Knowing the story like the back of my hand did not detract from this adaptation one iota as I was too busy enjoying the visual feast before my eyes!

Artistic and very cleverly done, the direction is as good as the minute detailed freezing cold snow/ice scenes of a sometimes grim Dickensian England. The viewer becomes engrossed in Scrooge's journey almost as much as the character does as time progresses.

However, it's not all good news in my opinion...

There wasn't enough emphasis on the Cratchit family unit as much as there is in the book, for example. Although little Tim - the beloved crippled son of our lovely Bob - puts in a few appearances there isn't as much attention placed on that aspect of the storyline on Disney's version. I thought this was a shame, especially towards the more uplifting end where we wait for our injection of good cheer and a happy solution to Scrooge's dour nature.

The Christmas morning scenes are done with some authenticity but there was a notable scene at the Cratchit's family home missing which shortens the ending too much I feel.

And here is my only major misgiving about this Yuletide movie - the final five minutes as lovely as they are seem rushed after all the built up to Scrooge's epiphany.

Any Christmas film aimed at this PG age group (and me, me, me!) should have had a longer built up to cheer and merriment and goodwill to all men I think. The journey was wonderful, nevertheless the ending as beautifully executed as it was lacked an extra twinkling finale that all festive movies should have at this time of year.

As a 3D extraganza it was wonderfully fabulous and spectacular therefore I must award a full seasonal 5 Dooyoo Stars - a must-see for family and loved ones, but not if your children are sensitive souls as it just isn't light enough to engross a young child without frightening them, alas.


Presented by: Disney

Released: 2009

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Certificate: PG

Written by: Mr. Charles Dickens

Running Time: 1 hr 36 mins



© Written exclusively for Dooyoo.

Summary: I THINK THIS WILL BE A HUGE SUCCESS AND IS A TESTAMENT TO CARREY'S VERSATILE TALENTS...