A Christmas Carol Review – Not Quite Magical Yet!

Robert Zemeckis is so convinced by the creative merits of motion-capture technology he has abandoned live-action filmmaking. Forever. Or so he keeps telling anybody who will listen. The director would argue he has freed himself from the tyrannies of filmmaking and problems he could not control. Mo-cap has destroyed the accidents, trouble and hassle associated with undertaking a major production. With untold creative choices, it seems Zemeckis has become rather stuck. If it is such a radical, revolutionary tool – why not use it as such?

In choosing material, Zemeckis, very tellingly, has gone for literary adaptations: from children’s books to Dickens (with a poetic epic in between). If the director created an original work off his own back (and imagination) would it appeal to us as much? Raiding literature for material is nothing new. Yet there is a sense he’s never held a burning desire to make any of his animated films: he has used them to test the ability of his new computer software and digital cameras.

These are salient concerns. It is not some dismissal of technological advancements – cinema has been a constant technological medium since its very inception. No matter how much artistry goes into these things – if there’s no connection with the characters – the film is doomed. And let us not forget, this is mainstream cinema at its most commercially-minded.

A Christmas Carol is not a complete failure. The opening shot – despite its all too pristine view of Victorian-era London – is quite astonishing (especially in 3-D). Another fine moment takes place when Scrooge is chased along the streets by a supernatural horse and carriage. The film’s use of expressionist lighting gives, on occasion, a nice gothic touch. However, on the whole, it is lacking in atmosphere. Its attempts at heartfelt sentiment fail completely. Presenting Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) as a crotchety, crooked-backed miser with an elongated nose and chin is rather odd. Carrey – a man who is famous for his elastic facial expressions – is rendered stilted by the animation process. Surely this was never the intention?

The Christmas spirits, too, responsible for Scrooge’s re-education are poorly imagined. It might have been a great idea at the time, and maybe it appeased Jim Carrey’s wacky creativity, but having the Ghost of Christmas Present as a floating candle speaking with an Irish lilt and wearing a permanent grin is bemusing, at best.

Since the story is centred around Scrooge and his journey through Christmas Hell – not many other characters get a look in: Gary Oldman and Colin Firth have a few scenes and have no impact whatsoever. Bob Hoskins is wasted entirely.

Charles Dickens’ Christmas ghost story (a Victorian tradition) was a warning against greed and inhumanity in the capitalist world. The gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is highlighted during the whirlwind introduction as a chef in a grand kitchen throws scraps to some begging street urchins before a feral dog comes along and steals it away. Scrooge, too, has a rather unambiguous opinion on the poor and destitute. Of course, Zemeckis is making no personal comment – merely servicing the plot.

The handling of the progress from miserable old sod to Christmas-loving loon is slapdash at best. There is no sense of inner conflict or development (surely the point of the story?) – just a series of set- pieces until all of a sudden Scrooge has miraculously changed. It feels a little undercooked. If motion capture animation is going draw people in, it needs to invest a little more warmth and humanity. And yes – imagination.

A Christmas Carol will not go down as a classic of animation. It’s neither too scary nor too “anything”. It is safe and passable entertainment. In the anarchic hands of Jim Carrey and the creative and iconic Robert Zemeckis – it should be so much more. Mo-cap is a bit like being in The Matrix…it looks wonderful, but there’s something not quite right.

Does Zemeckis not see the irony inherent in his technological computer dreams? How many traditionally skilled film technicians have been made unemployed by his new direction? The director might have identified with Ebenezer Scrooge after-all. Maybe Zemeckis can expect a few visitors on Christmas Eve?

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