Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is such a classic story that it’s almost impossible for a film maker to make a baubles of it and Robert Zemeckis’ animated film is a delight to watch, but with a surprisingly hard edge. Next time you fall asleep when someone’s telling you about how “dark” the next Harry Potter instalment will (inevitably not) be, point them in the direction of this to see how it should be done. Zemeckis really tightens the tension drum at times on this one, giving the impression you’ve walked into a hybrid Burton / Del Toro animation by accident. The scene alone where the ghost of Jacob Marley first visits Scrooge is classic haunted house delivery and will have the youngsters watching through their fingers. In fact, it’s surprising that this has escaped with a PG certificate, as many scenes will truly terrify youngsters. As for the animation, its scores heavily in most places and the 3D actually seems to add something for once, including some fantastic flying camera sequences over Victorian London. However, Jim Carrey as Scrooge doesn’t really set the screen alight, as his performance consists of mumbling and not much else. I’m sure Disney thought putting Carrey’s name up in lights would entice people into the cinema, but they could have saved quite a few pennies by recruiting a less famous voice cast, which I’m sure Scrooge himself would have agreed made financial sense. Humbug indeed.
The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A decent take on a classic tale, but even though it’s an uplifting story, many moments will have kids cowering in fright. Rating: 7/10.
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