Scrooge1951

76/100 A perfectly fine adaptation of the classic and on all fronts a perfectly good movie. I am convinced that those who say stuff like Die Hard is a Christmas movie have never been sat down to have this beamed into their skulls. This is Christmas. I really don't have much to say about this one, it's just a really nice movie. There are little touches from the book I like, like how Marley's ghost clangs its chains or the writhing mass of ghosts, here depicted as a bunch of actors composited into one shot in a pretty cool effect for a film this early. Still can't get an accurate portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Past, though. The characters themselves, though, have a little flourish added to them. We get to see the Cratchits other than Bob a bit earlier than in the book, and it works to flesh them out. The one who gets the highest profit out of this, though, is, as in most things, Scrooge, here played by Alastair Sim. He is ever the heartless miser, but here not through pure greed and through anger, but instead through his cold manners. Scrooge here seems less of a mean, nasty, rude man as described in the book, and more one who has given up hope in himself and others. This change works to make his redemption feel realistic because you really believe he can change. There are also touches of generational trauma(?!) here. Weird to add, but appreciated, I guess? Yeah, this movie's nothing special. It really doesn't have to be. It's A Christmas Carol. It's just kinda good, but sometimes you just need a kinda good movie. Check it out, preferably on the 24th next years instead of being a dum-dum and watching it on the 26th like me.