A Christmas Carol (in 3D)

A friend recently said that in a drunken stupor he stumbled upon my blog in the hopes of finding a review of "A Christmas Carol (2009)". Unfortunately, he did not find it. This is my quick attempt at an apology to him.

The story is one that everyone already knows, but this incarnation had a much darker feel to it. I was surprised to find that it wasn't child friendly, and held nothing back. A few of the images and scenes were fairly brutal, especially for the younger audiences that have been attending. But I don't so much care about them, as I'm pretty relieved that the movie wasn't hokey. It was hilarious when it needed to be, and frightening when the scene called for it. The voice acting left nothing to be desired.

What was much more impressive, however, was the utilization of the 3D effect. This is the first film I've seen that was intended for 3D; the only other attempt was the reissue of Toy Story, which was never meant to be shown in this way, so it jumped back and forth between 2 and 3D, ultimately resulting in a god damn splitting headache. This movie, however, used the effect the entire time, and I could not be more pleased with it than I am right now. While I was fairly convinced that it would be just an attempt to throw things at the screen for some cheap shock value, it was anything but. Granted, there were a few moments where gold flecks and whips flew at the audience, but it was used purposefully. At times where it was snowing on screen, I had to remind myself that I was in a theater, and that the audience around me had no reason to shiver. A scene near the end in which a surprised Bob Cratchit watches from outside the office as Scrooge dances was so deep that I could not believe that I was watching a film; I felt as though I had been dropped into the scene and I was intruding on the action.

Verdict: So Stoked. I firmly believe now that 3D can be a great addition to a film as long as it is utilized carefully. If the effect is your only selling point, so much so that the plot is lacking and wholly unentertaining, don't bother to make the movie at all. If used well, though, 3D can allow the audience to feel like a part of the action instead of an innocent bystander.