A wonderful adaption of Charles Dickens' immortal Christmas story.
Despite having the Muppets play major roles in this film, this is not a parody of A Christmas Carol but rather a full-on adaptation. There are many splices of Muppet humor throughout the film, but the focus always remains on the actual focus. Plenty of people even believe this to be one of the most faithful film adaptions of the book. This was not always going to be the case. In fact instead of having original puppets to play the roles of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, it was originally planned to have the classic Muppet characters, Miss Piggy, Scooter and Gonzo to play the roles. Fans of this movie can be glad that this was changed, especially since Gonzo has his best movie role in this film. He not only is the story's narrator but he plays Charles Dickens narrating his own story to his good friend Rizzo the rat. This is a perfect role for the kindhearted, whimsical and hilarious Muppet.
As an adaption of A Christmas Carol, this is top notch. Though my favorite movie version of this story the 1951 Masterpiece, this is still in my top few film versions. This movie perfectly captures the heart of the story. Michael Caine is wonderful as Scrooge. He captures all the little nuances of the character and makes the character always sympathetic, while still perfectly conveying all the darker parts of the character. The romantic scenes with Belle are probably better done here than almost any other adaption and these scenes really have the ability to pull on your heartstrings. Scrooge's character arc always feels completely believable, and we can feel the change growing in the character. This is of course the most important aspect of any adaptation of this story. Because if this doesn't work then the whole story feels pointless. This movie also does not leave out the darker aspects of the story. While it is not scary in the way a horror movie is, there is an uneasy feeling to the scenes with The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Though this is lightened up by a truly funny exchange between Gonzo (sorry I mean Charles Dickens) and Rizzo about the creepiness, it is still very effective. There is also a decent jump scare with the first appearance of the Marleys (here played by Statler & Waldorf). The Muppets are also perfectly cast in roles that suit their personalities and do not distract from the drama of the story. Kermit is perfect as Bob Cratchit, exuding all the warmth we except from the character. Miss Piggy is hilarious as Mrs. Cratchit, while also handling the dramatic scenes very well. Fozzie is perfectly cast as Fezziwig (sorry Fozzie-wig (I love that pun)). However the standout here is Kermit's nephew Robin as Tiny Tim. Never has this little guy enjoyed a better movie role and this film reminds us why he is more than just a cute kid character.
The typical Muppet elements also work wonderfully. The humor is really funny. The exchanges between Gonzo and Rizzo are hilarious and they truly steal the show. There are also some truly delightful slapstick gags here that always put a smile on my face. There is also a wonderful number of corny puns and plays on words, that are simply delightful in their silliness. The songs (written by Paul Williams (who also wrote the songs for The Muppet Movie (1979))), are also simply wonderful. Many of them are truly beautiful and they stay in your mind well after the film is over. As well as these truly beautiful songs there are also some silly fun songs that are simply a delight. Out of all the Muppet movies this one probably has the second-best songs (after The Muppet Movie).
What makes this movie all the more impressive is that this is the first Muppet movie made after creator and voice of Kermit, Jim Henson passed away. The loss was greatly felt by everyone involved and Kermit's speech about coming and going can be viewed as a tribute to the wonderful man. Yet this tragedy does not show itself in the quality of the movie. Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson, directed this movie and simply did a wonderful job. He would follow this with another delightful movie adaption of a book featuring the Muppets with Muppet Treasure Island (1996), as well as some episodes of the TV series Muppets Tonight. Steve Whitmore took over as the voice of Kermit and would continue to play the character until 2016. Whitmore would admit to being incredibly nervous before recording the song numbers. However he didn't need to be as he sounds simply wonderful.
No comments:
Post a Comment