Hey everyone, hope you've been reading and enjoying my special BEST OF THE DECADE posts. Anyways, I'm taking a break from that series to offer up a holiday-themed entry, featuring a review of A Christmas Carol. I made it a point to check this one out this past weekend, before the Avatar juggernaut overtakes it in IMAX theaters. Before I get to the review, just want to once again say Happy Hanukkah to my fellow members of the Tribe, and an early Happy Holidays to everyone else. It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks. I'm heading home to Connecticut next Thursday to visit the family, so I'm mentally preparing myself for very un-LA-like freezing cold weather. In the meantime, I've got a lot more to blog about between now and then. In the next several days, expect more in the Best of the 00's series, reviews of The Lovely Bones, Avatar (psyched to see it on Saturday!), and more.
And now for that review ...
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Review:
- It always amazes me how film reviewers are sometimes so capable of overlooking aesthetics when talking about a particular movie. Movies are a visual medium, and it bugs me to no end when people completely gloss over the visual qualities of a film. And I don't just mean visuals of the "kewl f/x" variety. Something like Transformers 2 may have visuals that are technically impressive, but aesthetically not so much. A Christmas Carol, on the other hand, looks unlike any other movie I've seen. Technically, especially when seen in IMAX 3D, it's astounding. Aesthetically, it's equally marvelous. The look and feel of the movie, the detail in the characters and the scenery, the art-style that somehow evokes the Victorian age while also popping off the screen with computer-generated slickness. I know some are quick to dismiss the motion-captured visuals of the film as lacking, and there is an argument to be made about taking this approach versus simply shooting live-action. That said, just from *watching* A Christmas Carol, I was slightly in awe of the imagery I was seeing on the screen.
The visuals may be the star of this one in some respects, but what I admired about Robert Zemeckis' latest literary adaptation was just how ... literary ... it was. The visuals served to enhance the story and give it a new level of excitement, but despite the cutting-edge look of the film, the story was classic Charles Dickens. I give Zemeckis credit - he basically presents the classic story exactly as it was originally told. It's not dumbed down or watered down for kids. There are no snarky pop culture references or thinly-veilled attempts at adult humor. This is a very literary-feeling movie, and I loved that the language, the tone, the darkness of Dickens was all right there on screen.
Of course, the downside of a faithful literary adaptation, especially of a story that's been adapted for the screen countless times, is that you have to ask yourself whether this version actually brings anything new to the table. Other than the remarkable visuals, this is, basically, your grandfather's Christmas Carol.
And so a lot, therefore, rests on the shoulders of Jim Carrey, who is responsible not just for the motion-captured performance of Scrooge, but also plays the parts of all three Christmas ghosts. In many ways, it's a pretty remarkable performance from Carrey, and you have to speculate that, if this was a more basic live-action movie, there might have been talk of Oscars and such. As Scrooge, I don't think Carrey quite has the gravitas of some of the other great actors who have played the role, but he does so fully immerse himself in Scrooge and the Ghosts that you have to give him a lot of credit. They are fun, memorable turns from Carrey.
I also have to talk about the character design work on the Ghosts. It's pretty great, and this is where Zemeckis can really have some fun and be creative. Sure, the grim reaper-esque Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is pretty standard (but still cool), but the Ghost Of Christmas Present, for example, is totally crazy-looking, definitely memorable.
As far as the direction goes, I know that Zemeckis gets flack for being so focused on technologically-driven movies of late, but at the same time, I don't quite get what all the fuss is about. While watching A Christmas Carol, I was often highly impressed with the way the virtual camera was able to immerse us in the movie's world. There are the obligatory sweeping shots and roller-coaster-ride-like moments, and those are a lot of fun, but even the quieter moments have a real artistry to them in terms of cinematography, lighting, and attention to detail.
In the end, this new version of A Christmas Carol isn't breaking any new ground, story-wise, but the stunning look of the movie is enough to make it a must-see. At the same time, I give it props for keeping Dickens' story and words and tone of gothic horror largely intact. Definitely a great movie with which to usher in the holiday season (yes, even for us Jews).
My Grade: B+
- Okay, back soon with more!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment