Rated PG for scary sequences and images.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express, Beowulf)
Starring Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman
Disney’s A Christmas Carol is an instant holiday classic.
Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). 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.
For a week leading up to the release of Disney’s A Christmas Carol my family would gather in our living room and read the Charles Dickens classic. There are two reasons I don’t regret that decision at all. First I really enjoyed that family time, reading that classic story near our Christmas tree. Secondly, the film is an almost word-for-word adaptation, and I know I would have missed that if we didn’t take the time to read it.
I usually get nervous anytime a filmmaker takes a classic story and tries to make it the next big blockbuster. When I heard Robert Zemeckis was attached to this project, I got even more nervous because he butchered Beowulf. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised how close he stuck to the original story. And that redemption story is just as true today as it was when it was first penned in 1843.
Jim Carrey is just so good. Ebenezer Scrooge is not exactly the role I would have envisioned for one of today’s best comedic actors, but he nails it. From the crotchety old miser to the big-hearted humanitarian, Carrey just might be the best Scrooge we have ever seen.
As far as the motion-capture animation, no question about it, Robert Zemeckis continues to get better with the process. Polar Express was good, Beowulf (visually) was better and A Christmas Carol is amazing.
On our way home for the theater, my family all agreed, this movie will be added to the list of films we watch every Christmas…it was Worth Buying.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There are a few scenes that younger viewers will find way too scary…especially on the big screen and in 3-D.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
