Hey, folks. Capone in Chicago here.

I'll start by saying that for as long as I can remember, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has been my favorite story of all time. I remember being some single-digit age, reading the book for the first time, and feeling like I was getting some message from the story that wasn't in the words--a message about regret, forgiveness and family. Strangely, I never believed the story was really about Christmas. Plus, the idea that you could see how people would act after you were dead fascinated me more than you could possibly understand. But most importantly, this was a ghost story with specters that were both scary and useful. Marley's ghost will always terrify me, even if he means well. Growing up, there wasn't a film version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL that I wouldn't watch--the more faithful to the book, the better. But when all is said and done, my list begins and ends with the 1951 film SCROOGE (I believe later video releases took the film back to its original name) with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge.

My point in telling you all this is to make clear that even hearing Dickens' words thrills me to no end. Scrooge insisting that Marley's ghost is a figment of his mind caused by undigested food always gets me. The way he dresses down his assistant Bob Cratchit for wanting to take Christmas off is pure poetry. The way he pleads with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that he's a changed man is so desperate and honest. So watching writer-director Robert Zemeckis' largely faithful rendition of A CHRISTMAS CAROL was a pleasure at times, simply for the memories it stirred up inside me. There's also a certain fascination factor that goes into watching a film comprised of motion-capture performances by a handful of actors playing multiple roles, most of which actually have features that resemble in some way the actors themselves. This is by far the most realistic-looking version of this process that Zemeckis has been spearheading in recent years with THE POLAR EXPRESS and BEOWULF. The "dead eyes" are a thing of the past, but the fact that nearly every character has unusually rounded cheeks struck me as bizarre. Still, to watch these characters move, it's incredibly easy to forget sometimes that these are computer-generated beings and not actors in makeup.

That said, lead actor Jim Carrey (who plays various ages of Scrooge as well as all three spirits, including the one who doesn't talk) would have been the best choice for a live-action version of this story as well. LEMONY SNICKET proved that he's a man who can wear effects makeup and prosthetics well. He's the man with a thousand voices and faces, and he can handle the dramatic elements as easily as the comic, overly gruff side of Scrooge. What we get is a beautifully strange animated work that, at times, looks so perfect in capturing human looks and behaviors that it's a distraction from the timeless story. The version of this film that I saw was in IMAX 3-D, and some of the cityscapes and flying sequence are exquisite. But for every detailed tour of 1800s London, there are money shots of Scrooge flying through the air or running away from a haunted horse and carriage that act as unnecessary action sequences in a film about plot and characters.

I appreciated that this version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is absolutely not for little children (not that any version really was). Marley's ghostly jaw nearly detaches when he screams. The Ghost of Christmas Present (perhaps the most stunningly rendered of any element of this movie) has what appears to be a massive coronary, dies, and turns to skeletal ashes. There are dead bodies throughout, scary moment galore, and a lead character that would rather see poor people dead than be charitable toward them. Be smart, parents, and leave the little ones at home.

There are some really nice moments in A CHRISTMAS CAROL, particularly the scenes of Scrooge's past, when he was an abandoned boy and young man surrounded by a few people who loved him. Robin Wright Penn voices both Scrooge's sister and his only real love (nothing weird about that, nope), and the scenes between them are heart-wrenching. Bob Hoskins is on hand as Scrooge's first boss, the jovial Mr. Fezziwig, Colin Firth plays Scrooge's nephew Fred, and Cary Elwes plays a legion of characters throughout the story. But it's Gary Oldman who most impressed me as Bob Cratchit and Marley's Ghost, and even Tiny Tim. Oldman has a bevy of great voices and personalities to choose from, and he pulls out a couple of gems for this film. The touches are nice, but something about this production just didn't gel for me. I almost want to watch it again with the sound off just to fully appreciate the visual landscape and really pick apart what I like and dislike about the human character designs going on here without feeling like I'm missing plot points.

On a certain level, if you are endlessly fascinated by the new technology that is going into making today's animated works look so groovy, then you really can't miss A CHRISTMAS CAROL. But if you actually cherish this story, you may find the entire experience frustrating and disappointing. In the end, I don't think I can recommend the experience of going to this movie, but if decide to take it on, you shouldn't have difficulty finding a unique vision to stare at for 90-some minutes. The film is a failure on an epic scale, but that doesn't make it any less of a curiosity and a continuing experiment.

-- Capone
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