Share this
By now, I think we all know the story of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Netflix’s newest adaptation follows the same formula with very few changes to the story. There’s music, a dog, and a slight change of appearance to a certain Ghost of Christmas Past. And the story continues to be about Scrooge, an old stingy man who is shown his past, present, and future in the hopes that he will change his ways.
Read Also: Spirited: Festive, Joyous, and Not Your Average Christmas Carol
Bah, Humbug!…Sort Of
Scrooge isn’t exactly perfect. It’s a bit longer than it needs to be, partly because of some musical numbers we could do without, and its opening scene is rocky and startling at best. The character designs feel rudimentary, almost like those old early 2000’s direct-to-video movies. In general, it definitely feels like a A Christmas Carol adaptation that Netflix felt obligated to throw into the mix of all the others we’ve seen, and frankly, I’ve seen better versions that I’d prefer to watch.
However, casting aside all its flaws and my feelings that it’s not the greatest adaptation, Scrooge isn’t terrible and in some ways, it’s actually surprising. As it should be, the majority of the voice acting is done by those who do voice acting all the time, the exceptions being Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, and Jonathan Pryce. If I’m being honest, Olivia Colman was the most fun to hear and watch out of the three.
And without giving much away, there are two extremely heartfelt songs that really caught my ear, and astounded me particularly in the way they are presented. Sure, the character designs are wonky, but the animation of a few musical numbers, certain transitions, and the way situations bleed together is stunning. The movie pulls up the parallels of past and present day and lays them out side by side for the viewer with such vivid color.
A Verdict For This Scrooge…
I think if you’re looking for more adaptations of A Christmas Carol to add to your list because you love the story that much, I say go for it. Once you get past the rough beginnings, it can be enjoyable at times and younger audiences may prefer it. But personally, I don’t think I’ll be adding it to my annual holiday viewings, especially since I’ve seen better versions of this story be told. After all, there’s only so many depictions of the same story one can handle after a while and Scrooge is a little past my limit.
Samosa Rating:
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol receives 2 out of 5 Samosas.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is now streaming on Netflix.
