A Christmas Carol (1999)
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
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Very well executed
Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
This remake is the absolute worst remake of the Dickens classic. Watch the fantastic 1938 movie and compare it to this horrid, schlocky, poorly uninspired excise for a tv movie. To make things worse TNT on demand shows so many obnoxious commercials that you cant speed up,its actually painful. What a total waste.
In one scene in particular, i can't help but feel Patrick Stewart tried hard and failed as, Ebenezer Scrooge. The acting where he meets his dead partner of seven years, Jacob Marley (played wonderfully by, Bernard Lloyd), is down right awful. There is another scene in where Patrick Stewart first meets the "Ghost Of Christmas Future". I couldn't help but notice that scene was filmed during the day and edited to make it look like night. That is another scene in this movie i can not stand. But that wasn't the fault of Patrick Stewart or was it? That doesn't mean this is a bad adaptation. Far from it. This is a beautiful version of the classic story. But he didn't come across as mean as some of the others legends before him like, Michael Caine, George C. Scott, Alastair Sim and even Sir Seymour Hicks. But the acting from, Richard E. Grant as Bob Cratchit and Saskia Reeves as Mrs Cratchit and the rest of the supporting cast and Patrick Stewart in some cases makes up for those bad scenes in the movie. And add to the brilliant acting from the other cast members, the music is hauntingly beautiful. There for i give this version of the classic tale 7 out of 10.
First of all, I must say that I "adore" Sir Patrick Stewart, if for no other reason, for the countless hours of pure pleasure watching the best interpretation ever of a Star Trek captain. But having said that, does anybody else feel, as I do, that his Scrooge is a bit too gentle in the first part of the story? Could he have conveyed more nastiness? Also, Marley could have been more scary. It feels like normal daily business that they sit down and have a friendly conversation. And the spirit of Christmas yet to come? Two lights instead of eyes? Strolling along the roads of London? Not very credible. Apart from the above mentioned "minor glitches" this is possibly the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol I have ever seen. There are some incredibly powerful, moving scenes. There is where the Shakespearean actor shows all his unrivaled talent. With other words, it is very much "a one man show". Imagine a lesser actor in the role of Scrooge and this would be a mediocre film.
Patrick Stewart ruins this reading of Dickens' well-loved tale of Christmas redemption and reclamation.Sticking to his one-note acting style, he reprises one more time, yet again, ad nauseum, the the Ghandi-in-an-usher's-uniform Picard tones, strutting about like a skinny little peacock, booming "make it so!". Stewart just does not have the depth and breadth of acting chops to play Scrooge. His imperious booming voice does not carry the day in this version, not at all.The story was paced by Dickens to deliver many punches to Scrooge all along the way, yet Stewart stays uniformly stone-like until he sees his own name on the tomb stone at which point Stewart the actor gives one of the more laughable displays of emotion ever captured for repeated viewing.It should hardly be necessary to describe his transformation at the end of the story except to say that a motion sickness bag may come in handy as he really sticks a fork in this botched version of a Christmas Carol.If you think that being a mono-toned authority figure, as in Picard, is the mark of great acting, then you'll quickly be dispelled of that misguided view after watching this horrible abomination.Interestingly, Patrick Stewart was the executive producer of this failed production, so there could be little room for blame except directly at his feet. I'm sure that Patrick Stewart was giving the director direction.Watch this one for laughs, but if you are hoping to see a version of this wonderful story that will move you, stick with the 1951 Allastair Sim version.