A Christmas Carol (1999)
I saw this film years ago and the thing that always stood out to me was Patrick Stewart’s performance as Scrooge, because of how brilliantly he played the role. Upon rewatching it recently, I still feel that is true.
This was a claustrophobic, atmospheric film which did a brilliant job of encapsulating a dark, bleak London not dissimilar from how it had probably been during the Victorian era. Another of this film’s highlights is the performances of its actors, aside from Stewart. Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) shines as Bob Cratchett, Scrooge’s clerk whose familial togetherness and goodness is one of the aspects that inspires Scrooge to do better and become a better person.
The film’s use of special effects look dated but hold up well enough, and yet still manage to be eerie despite this. Stewart is innately charismatic and even the secondary characters give a memorable performance.
While this doesn’t do anything spectacular with the main story, it still works as a memorable viewing experience.
MY RATING: **** / *****
Movie and Television Blog (2013- 