SYNOPSIS:
The Grinch, a nasty green creature who lives in the mountain above Whoville, hates the Christmas season. He hates everything about Christmas and makes a plan to steal Whoville's Christmas from them, to finally put an end to the holiday!
REVIEW:
We've all grown up with this classic tale. We know the story. However, this animated film decides to give it a little spin. They kind of neutered the Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch). He's not the scary mythological creature hiding away in a dark cave in the mountains. No, this Grinch wanders around town, being greeted as if he were just another Who in Whoville! He even goes shopping! No one bats an eye at his presence, and at worst, they just call him rude.
His infamous abuse against his dog, Max, is gone. He's actually nicer to Max than most people are with their pets. All his anger and loathing and hatred are pretty much just a mask in this version. You can see his love for Christmas peeking out from behind the mask long before his "heart grows 3 sizes that day." No... in this version, the Grinch is just lonely. He takes it out on Christmas because of one Christmas in his youth, when he was left all alone at an orphanage during Christmas day.
Cindy Lou Who is the exact opposite personality in this version. Instead of the adorable, shy, tiniest Who from the original, she's a loud-mouthed tomboy, plotting and scheming with her friends to capture Santa so she can ask him in person for a personal gift.
Oh, and remember in the original how Cindy Lou was the one who explained to all the other Who's what the true meaning of Christmas was? In this version, she blames herself for ruining Christmas because of her attempt to capture Santa. Her mother had to explain the true meaning of Christmas to her instead. So the innocent child lesson was abandoned for a "mother knows best" moral. Which isn't too bad, except it invalidates all the previous planning that Cindy Lou and her friends did in the first half of the film.
I will say, the animation is spectacular in this version. Everything is very clean and bright and beautiful. Even the Grinch got a make-over. His original version was twisted and scary, with crooked, yellow, termite-infested teeth. This Grinch could star in a toothpaste commercial! Plus his fur was perfectly managed and so soft-looking. This was the most friendly, huggable Grinch imaginable. You'd be terrified to be on the same mountain as the original, but people had no problem hugging this Grinch. And his only resistance would be an exasperated grunt. Totally non-threatening.
RECOMMENDATION:
I watched this on my brand-new 65" 4K TV and it was absolutely beautiful-looking. The bright colors lit up the room and everything about Whoville (and even the Grinch's lair) were gorgeous to watch. But that's about where the positives end. This is a complete 180 from the original Grinch. He was a total softie who put on a "tough guy" act. His transformation at the end was extremely weak and undeserved, given his behavior throughout the rest of the film. It felt more like he ruined Christmas because he had a mild tantrum about being inconvenienced one day, and finding out the Whovians didn't care that he ruined Christmas made him immediately regret his actions. He even rolled into town with their gifts, gave a heartfelt apology, then left. I didn't feel like he changed at all; just realized he made a mistake and did his best to correct it. If you want something bright and colorful to entertain your kids, then this movie does the trick. But if you're a fan of the original story, don't expect this film to help you relive those childhood memories.
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