James R | On 27, Dec 2022

Director: Stephen Donnelly
Cast: Luke Evans, Jessie Buckley, Olivia Colman, Johnny Flynn, Fra Fee, Jonathan Pryce
Certificate: PG

Does the world need another adaptation of A Christmas Carol? That question doesn’t seem to get asked very often these days, as each year brings us a new interpretation of Charles Dickens’ classic fable, presumably to fill the festive schedules rather than try something different. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is Netflix’s first attempt tackling the familiar tale and, bizarrely (or perhaps inevitably), it’s based on another adaptation: 1970’s Scrooge.

The main difference is obvious immediately: this is an animated version of the story and, unfortunately, it’s not a very attractively animated version, with a 3D style that feels clunky rather than expressive or eye-catching. That decision allows the animation team to really go to town on the visual effects, presenting the whole thing as something more akin to a sci-fi film than a supernatural spooky tale. The problem is, though, the less attention is given to the actual characters, which means that you’re more intrigued by what’s going on behind Scrooge than his actual journey of transformation.

The story is essentially the same, as Ebenezer is visited by three spirits – past, present and future – to warm him to change his ways from being a selfish, cruel moneylender. Aside from streamlining of supporting characters and a clearer reason for Scrooge’s dislike of his nephew (Fra Fee), there are some odder changes, such as the introduction of a pet dog for Scrooge, which doesn’t add much other than distraction.

Fortunately, the voice cast are all rather charming, from Olivia Colman as Past, Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley and Johnny Flynn as Bob Cratchit to Jessie Buckley as Isabel Fezziwig, Scrooge’s former fiancee. Luke Evans as Scrooge is the star draw, bringing a wonderfully cold edge to Ebenezer’s initial nastiness and a warmth to his hints of kindness. But the real reason why Luke Evans is here is perhaps his singing, with Evans belting out showstopping tunes with aplomb – supported by the phenomenal Buckley, who has demonstrated her vocal chops in Wild Rose, Cabaret and more.

Which brings as to Scrooge: A Christmas Carol’s real distinctive feature: it’s a musical, with songs by the late Leslie Bricusse. Many of them come from Bricusse’s songs for the original 1970 film, but are given a polish and reimagining for this new context. That works for some of them – such as Happiness and I’ll Begin Again – but also leaves others – such as Thank You Very Much and I Like Life – feeling painfully dated and awkward. The new additions to the soundtrack are where the film properly works, such as Buckley and Evans’ surprisingly moving duet Later Never Comes and Evans’ Humbuggingly good rant, Tell Me.

But the odd successful show tune isn’t enough to redeem this oft-repeated story of redemption. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol ends up standing out from the pack as an interesting music experiment rather than a new cinematic classic. It didn’t need to be a new film adaptation: it just needed to be an album.

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