Tis the season, and here's the gift that keeps on giving.  Bill Murray
"Scrooged" us on the big screen back in the late 80s.  Patrick Stewart
did his one-man show on Broadway in the 90s.  And countless TV shows
integrated the Charles Dickens classic into their plots during
Christmastime episodes throughout the years.  You would only be one of
a handful of people if you didn't know the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Now, the Christmas classic is a 3D production.

It's certainly an exhilarating visual experience.  Director Robert
Zemckis is in firm control of this technology, after he used it
successfully in "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf".  Yet, with that
last film about the fabled Geat warrior, peoples' expressions couldn't
be adequately captured.  I remarked that the characters of "Beowulf"
all looked sleepy or drunk.  That's certainly not the case here.  This
world is richly detailed, from the fabric of the clothing they wear to
the bushiness of the eyebrows to the wrinkles in the skin to the
authentic atmosphere of Victorian England.

As it is "animated", it allows the Director to do things that you
can't normally do (or is too expensive to do) in live-action.  This
includes, for example, the doorknob-cam angle; the swooping aerials
that give us a grand look at this time and place; and the morphing
effects.  At many points, it has the stunning kind of beauty that
evokes the most beautiful holiday greeting cards.

The texture and the flow of the story, however, had all the appeal of
chimney soot. This is a much dour Ebenezer Scrooge, and he's quite the
blackened curmudgeon.  He walks and carries with him a chill as bitter
as the north winds.  Scrooge lives out this loveless existence,
consumed by greed and selfishness.  There's an exaggerated meanness
about him that mutes the power of the character and eventual
catharsis.

For a Christmas film, it's certainly more intense than you would
initially imagine.  Given the 3D glasses, I suppose it would be going
against the grain if they didn't have at least a few coming-at-ya and
a few Boo! moments.  There is a spirit of a dead acquaintance, which
embodies the creepy zombie-type, with clinking chains and all.  The
Ghost of Christmas Past resembles a flame who talks with the kind of
pitch that reminds you of any Scooby Doo villain.  The Ghost of
Christmas Present is more of a hearty-looking Viking who excels at
self-amusement.  The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come is a shadowy
menace that no one would want in their dreams.  Yet, admittedly, this
sequence offered the most thrills.

Jim Carrey shows considerable range as he takes on multiple roles in
this film.  And, I think that he has found a new lease on Hollywood
life in animated tales such as this and in "Horton Hears a Who".
Here, his voice works overtime as he does eight different characters,
including all three Ghosts that challenge Ebenezer to rethink his
life.

Ultimately, I felt that the film lacked a certain level of continuity
as it jumped back and forth between the visits by the three Ghosts.
The lesson of humility and love and giving gets blurred and it oddly
doesn't provide the punch of satisfaction that you expect from a
holiday tale.  Regarding my feelings for this film, I'm as conflicted
as Scrooge is during his visit with the Ghost of Xmas Present.  Yet,
it's like going to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas
Spectacular.  No matter how many times you've seen it, it never gets
old.

Grade: B-

S:      0 out of 3
L:      0 out of 3
V:      1 out of 3