User Reviews

The rhythmic machinery **** rebellion: A 3.0-star vivid but familiar drift through high-tension Victorian grit.2013(3.0)I watched A Christmas Carol (2009) in 2013, and it remains a vivid 3.0-star record in my archive—a raw revelation of how a sensational **** classic can be trapped in a narrative rhythm that feels 100% mechanical and stagnant. This experience **** the fourth wall of the holiday genre by infusing Jim Carrey’s raw, motion-capture precision into a rhythmic journey that turned a pathetic miser’s redemption into a vivid act of storytelling grit. The narrative rhythm was far from stagnant in its visual ambition; instead, it offered a sensational acting power show where the raw, high-tension flights over London and the hororong appearances of the spirits left me in a state of absolute awe at its technological soul. While the production leveraged the vivid, sensational 3D aesthetics and the raw, bbo-jjak vulnerability of Tiny Tim, the overall soul felt stagnant, as the narrative rhythm dragged through a pathetic cycle of predictable moral lessons that lacked the chewy intellectual wit of a true masterpiece. The 95% preservation of my memory is dominated by the rhythmic, raw beauty of the Ghost of Christmas Present and the vivid but pathetic isolation of Scrooge, creating a journey that felt more like a visual showcase than a permanent, sensational scar on my soul. Unlike the vivid soul of Stoker or the raw brilliance of Tarzan, this encounter possessed a rhythm that was too stagnant and "safe" to achieve a higher rank. It stands in my 2013 record as a powerful 3.0-star testament to the raw power of Zemeckis’s vision—a high-tension encounter with the vivid rhythm of the past, present, and future that remains a chewy, if familiar, artifact of my cinematic journey.

Os Fantasmas de Scrooge (2009) é uma adaptação visualmente ambiciosa, mas que sofre com sua própria tecnologia. A fidelidade ao livro e a atuação de Jim Carrey são pontos fortes, mas o estilo de animação acaba tornando os personagens estranhos e, em alguns momentos, frios demais. O ritmo também poderia ser melhor equilibrado, evitando sequências de ação exageradas que desviam do tom emocional da história.É uma boa adaptação, especialmente para quem gosta de versões mais sombrias e visuais detalhados, mas não supera adaptações clássicas que apostam mais na atuação tradicional e no impacto emocional do que na tecnologia.

I love animation and I love Christmas films. Not to mention that I adore ****' story. 2009's A Christmas Carol mayn't quite be a classic for the Yuletide season, but it is a worthy film and one of the more loyal adaptations of the story, maintaining not just the details but the spirit as well. CONS: There are few cons actually here. I did feel the film was too long, I personally think 80 minutes is a perfect length for telling the story, this was nearly 100 minutes. In order to do this, while they were musically and visually stunning, there were two scenes that didn't quite work for me and could have been omitted, one being the extinguishing of Ghost of Christmas Past, the other being the carriage chase. As impressive as they are, they don't enhance the storytelling much and feel odd in their placement too. The film does occasionally drag as well, particularly towards the end. PROS: However, there is much to enjoy here. The story has a classic feel in how it is told, and it has the heart and sentiment of the original story. The dialogue is delightful and almost word-from-word from the original story as well. There are three outstanding things though. One is the vocal cast, Gary Oldman is excellent as is Colin Firth, but it is Jim Carrey's show all the way, while his distinctive acting style is here it is also naturally understated. Two is the score, I like Alan Silvestri a lot, and his score here is beautiful and compliments the spirit and meaning of Christmas wonderfully. Most impressive are the visuals, which in the colours, backgrounds, 3D effects and character designs are outstanding. So all in all, while not a movie to treasure perhaps, it is definitely worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

50, a good Christmas movie, a good story, perfect for this time of year, but it's just simple movie

Why call 'The Exorcist' the scariest horror ever made when Robert Zemeckis 'A Christmas Carol' exist. Season's greetings from hell! One of the most ugliest and horrifying Christmas movies out there. However, I respect it in some strange way. There's nothing like it. It's weirdly in the same vein as Tom Hooper's horror masterpiece 'Cats', in terms of CGI and having an identity crisis.

Fine Interpretation for Adults: Not for Children What would Christmas be without a visit to Charles ****' 'A Christmas Carol', a story that dates back to 1843 and has been loved and read every year at this time? There have been other films, stage productions, musicals, and family readings galore and it still holds the magic of what the spirit of Christmas is all about. Doubtless there will be flocks of naysayers who don't buy into this adaptation by Robert Zemekis, but given the ghost story magic ****' created, this film takes it one step further and makes the ghostly three spirits very much alive and beautiful fanciful. Combining the actors with animation (animating the actors might be a better way of describing the magic) makes each of the many very well known actors who portray the characters that much more credible. Jim Carrey is at his peak as an actor in his ability to become the illusions his mind creates: he portrays all three ghosts as well a Scrooge at every level of his history. Other actors who are transformed by Zemekis and staff include Gary Oldman as the trio of Cratchit, Marley's Ghost, and Tiny Tim, Colin Firth as the jovial nephew, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Fionnula Flanagan and a host of others. The costumes and scenery are brilliantly executed. One problem with the film that may require parental judgment is the fact that the ghosts are truly scary and children might not be able to get past the fear they instill. But they will grow into the film as it is likely a work that will be resurrected every Christmas season as a tradition. It is 'excellent, my good fellows'.

Mi película de navidad favorita. Una adaptación de la película original que era en blanco y negro. Tuvo muchas adaptaciones, y yo creo que esta franquicia tiene mucho potencial. Todas sus películas son buenas y merecen seguir haciendo mas adaptaciones a futuro. Los fantasmas de Scrooge es una de mis franquicias de película favoritas. Pero, creo que esta es la mejor de todas. La hicieron mas oscura que la original, pero esto no evita que sea buena, ya que cuenta con personajes muy memorables que irán cambiando la personalidad del anciano con el paso del tiempo, sumándole que la trama es muy triste en prácticamente todo momento, los gráficos son increíbles y en parte transmite un mensaje. Una de las mejores películas animadas en cuanto a gráficos, la mejor película de navidad jamas hecha, y una de mis favoritas de toda la vida! Totalmente recomendada.

Some good animation and fidelity to the book + Carrey is great, but a lot of awkward animation too, particularly the ghost of Christmas past.

I watch this movie when I was 12 and it was amazing. it was my childhood, an outstanding movie with outstanding voice casts.

"A Christmas Carol", by Charles ****, has been regularly adapted to film or television, so even those who haven't read the book know the whole story, and its difficult to bring something substantially different from what already exists. This is bad? I don't think so. Literature classics have always been (and will continue to be) available to be adapted for the movies. We can change perspective, tell things differently or simply be faithful to the book. It's all a matter of taste. Personally, I really like a story that is faithful to the book that gives rise to it, I think its meritorious when adaptation manages to put on screen the magic of words. And, to my delight, I can say that this film has captured the magic of ****. So I will not waste time telling the script or commenting on it because its famous enough. Being a film with Disney seal, we're expecting some quality standard, especially concerning to the animations and the whole visual and sound part of the film. I think it's technically perfect or very close to it. My only negative criticism is the somewhat gloomy and Gothic atmosphere that I notice sometimes. Some scenes are, in fact, scary, and this will surely scare some children, to whom parents are going to show this movie for being a Disney movie. I believe, therefore, that some scenes may not be advisable to very young or impressionable children. A very nice point of the film is the cast of voice actors. The most noteworthy name is, of course, Jim Carrey, an actor who has always stood out for his extraordinary use of voice. Soundtrack is good and discreet but does not have the usual songs, which Disney movies have used us to.

A classic story, retold. This version is darker and scarier, and I like that. The ghosts are actually awesome looking, and scary. I loved 3D style, it makes it feel magical.

As much as I felt that 2009 was a great year for movies (mostly because of nostalgia. I was 11 and would always get excited for new movies in 2009), I've been finding that 2009 has been home to some insanely polarizing films, especially towards the end of the year. As I mentioned in my review mere hours ago, "Where the Wild Things Are" wowed me with its portrayal of childhood, but some people were either bored or weirded out by it. Fast forward less than a month later, and Disney has graced us with the motion-capture adaptation of the classic Charles **** book "A Christmas Carol," yet another wildly polarizing film released in 2009. Some of us loved it for its visual splendor, acting and thrills, while some of us believed it to be a classic case of "style over substance." As for me? Well, I'm in the former camp. I understand the "style over substance" argument, but I found that the film was entertaining, visually thrilling, well-acted and exciting to watch. Obviously, the film isn't for everyone, but it's still a great adventure and a worthy retelling of the classic **** story.

A Christmas Carol was an amazing story ever told in the world, and when it has the domain of Robert Zemeckis , and its amazing 3D animation , good role of Jim Carrey, and also the movie but a bit boring , it's interesting.

Not a bad film by any means! One of the best takes on Charles ****' story that provides a slightly realistic touch with the amazing special effects. The acting is some of the best the Christmas films have ever seen.

i remember when i watch this movie in theatres the joy on my face was lighting like a Christmas tree, when i saw this animated movie. Yes we have seen the same versions of the christmas carol remake movies over over over; But this movies stars Jim Carey as Scrooge who would enjoy that? also this movie is directed by Robert Zemeckis the guy who brought us Back to the future trilogy, Forrest Gump , Polar Express and now this? Epic , This movie has a lot of heart amazing soul directing that zemeckis does when he directs animated feature to Charles **** novel.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A Christmas Carol is beautifully average. The movie simply adapts the book reluctantly. The main appeal is the beautiful animation that unfortunately feels very wooden. There many times the characters look at random objects instead of each other. If it wasn't based on a famous book it would be completely forgettable.

Considering it's probably the most cinematically-adapted story in history, any new treatment of "A Christmas Carol" might easily be overlooked due to sheer exhaustion. By now, we've all got our favorite versions, and most of them really are pretty much the same. Still, Robert Zemeckis's high-flying rendition of ****' immortal tale is easily one to add to the list of seasonal viewings - it's colorful, it's wild, it's fun, it's heartfelt. There's several small things in this version - such as Scrooge walking in on the simile game at the end - that give it some strong marks in my book, and just the amount of fun Zemeckis has with the animation and story while still staying faithful gives it plenty of its own identity. Carrey's performance as the penny-pinching humbug is actually quite convincing, and is likely my second-favorite treatment of the character to date, and the design of the ghost of Christmas future is really cool and unique. It's just a lot of fun to watch, and a very solid treatment. What else can I say? God bless the Christmas Carols, every one.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I can sum this up in one short phrase: "PG rated horror film." Let me make this clear, this is not a film for kids under 10, or really anyone that's easily frightened (or nauseated for that matter). I'm not saying it's a bad film, but this is not a film for small children. This adaption of the Christmas Carol captures and fleshes out the creepy parts of the tale, leaving the warm and fuzzy parts a little under cooked. The creepy take on this classic is unique, and enjoyable. It's the kind of film that can be enjoyed by a wider audience than if this story had been left to the generic fuzzy ending that so many films have adopted. The story sports more style than previous adaptions. More pizazz, more depth, and more scares. I won't lie, there were times when something startled me; this film is full of GOOD scares, not the silly excuse for jolts that are in so many kid's movies these days. Even though this movie is over two years old, and motion capture has gotten significantly better (Tintin, anyone?), the animation looks great. Everything is well detailed, and everything feels real. However, there's still some stiffness in the moving, and there's one dance scene where gravity and physics are defied so many times, there's no doubt that even kids (kids that can take the scares) will point them out. I mentioned earlier that this is like a PG rated horror film. I liked this unique aspect, but I thought you might like to know what's ahead of you: a pretty creepy scene where a talking corpse (in translucent ghost form) has a conversation with Scrooge, for one. The scene is surprisingly scary, and at one point, the corpse' jaw becomes disconnected when he screams. There's no gore, but it's pretty icky anyway. In addition to this, we see another corpse (it's played as a surprise for laughs), an old wrinkled head, a fat man who's skin blows off him like dust, and two vicious goblin creatures who are very reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. The score is appropriately Christmasy, but it's not outstanding. It does a good job of setting the mood of each scene, though, but I've heard much better Christmas scores. Jim Carrey does a hilarious job as Scrooge. He's grumpy and despicable, but because you recognize him as Carrey, you can't take him seriously. This isn't really a bad thing, but it might irritate die-hard **** fans. There's also one boring, tedious, and completely unnecessary chase scene, that makes little sense, which was most likely added for the benefit of any kids in the audience (who, as I've made a point of mentioning, are brave enough to take the scares). Also, the ending is incredibly corny (though we get the feeling that Carrey was overdoing it for his own entertainment), and little Timmy barely gets any mentioning. Overall, this is an entertaining flick and even though flawed, is a fun and creepy delight. I recommend this film to anyone who likes Jim Carrey, The Christmas Carol, motion capture, or the creeps.

The story is a christmas classic and it sports amazing visuals, but the visuals seem to overwhelm the movie so it can be a bit tiresome and overlong. 2/4 stars.

The thing that astounded me about this movie was how faithful it was to the original book. That was something I did not expect. But this is one of the most faithful adaptations yet made, it even keeps the **** dialog intact instead of updating it for modern ears, which is something even highly regarded versions have done. In fact aside from a poorly conceived action sequence near the end of the film, it is almost a word for word recreation of the book. Visually the movie is stunning, **** London has been brought to life in a way never before seen. It is dark, atmospheric and captivating. The characters themselves are works of art, all beautifully brought to life by some brilliant motion capture and voice acting. This is one of my very favorite versions of the story, a beautifully crafted and faithful movie. But parents be warned, ****' story was a ghost story, it was intended to scare. This is no Muppets Christmas Carol. It has some surprisingly dark and scary moments. Not a movie for the little ones.

I have heard the story of A Christmas Carol numerous times, but this adaption of the story is the greatest by far. It is darker than you would expect.

"A Christmas Carol" is a exhilarating Christmas movie that joyful remakes the original book into a marvelous interpretation.

This movie visually and script-wise is just a little too creepy to be a good adaptation of A Christmas Carol, although it does show some exceptional voice acting from Carey and Oldman.

It was good. The 3D was 10/10 but I was bored at times.

Excellent Animated retelling of the **** classic,The 3D Immerses you into the faithful recreation of **** world,and travels you along at breakneck speed,a modern day Christmas Classic

its way too dark and scary for kids, but to be fair, its not a bad movie. Jim Carrey and the other actors were decent and the visuals were good.