Review - Disney's A Christmas Carol
In Which Robert Zemeckis Bungles Yet Another Classic
Nov 5, 2009
There are two competing sensibilities in Zemeckis's take on A Christmas Carol, which more or less corresponds with the two competing levels of reality produced by the motion capture (mo-cap) animation. On one hand, Zemeckis presents a very sober-bordering-on-lifeless regurgitation of the classic, 1951 version of A Christmas Carol.
While pointless (even troubling, due to the mo-cap animation), there could have been something mildly enjoyable in a 3D IMAX retread of the best rendition of Charles Dickens's much-adapted story. Jim Carrey completely nails Alastair Sim's take on Scrooge, and much of the other vocal work in Zemeckis's version cribs from the superior, Brian Desmond Hurst-directed film. Where Zemeckis deviates from the source (the novel and the 1951 version of the film), though, is when the real trouble begins.
Editing Out The Heart of A Christmas Carol In Favor of Jim Carrey Goofball Antics
In the interest of spectacle and marketability, Zemeckis removes many key emotional beats in Scrooge's flashback in favor of swooping camera work, roller coaster chase scenes, goofy slapstick and other nonsense. Sorry, but when you have Scrooge riding the Ghost of Christmas Past (Carrey) as a rocket ship, and later, have him shrunk down to the size of a mouse and chased around by the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (also Carrey), you don't get to build up your adaptation as faithful.
That Zemeckis includes these ridiculous, Road Runner vs. Coyote moments isn't exactly surprising. After all, this is a Disney (and not Disney-Pixar) picture, and clearly something was going to have off set the genuinely dark story and imagery. Fair enough, concessions must be made, but some of the omissions, edits and tweaks are mind-boggling.
Because in Zemeckis's version of A Christmas Carol (he's responsible for the script too), there is no apparent reason for why Scrooge has become the penultimate humbug. Fan (Robin Wright Penn), Scrooge's sister (who for some reason, has been reimagined as a midget) gets reduced to one scene. Without her death scene, Belle's (also Wright Penn) break up has no real impact and Scrooge's malice toward his nephew Fred (Colin Firth) and the rest of the world doesn't seem as justifiable.
Marley (Carrey) is completely written out of Scrooge's past, Tiny Tim (Gary Oldman) becomes a mere prop and Fezziwig (Bob Hoskins) has no clear relation to Scrooge's ascension to the position of ruthless businessman. Instead of the great scenes detailing how Scrooge got to be the miserable miser he is, Zemeckis prefers the gratingly slow sight gag of Scrooge removing the coins from dead Marley's eyes to open the film.
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