It seemed funny - weird even - to be celebrating Christmas & getting all Christmassy at the beginning of November, however, I was one of the lucky people to see the world premiere of Disney's A Christmas Carol last night (3rd Nov 2009) at the Odeon Leicester Sq, in London. It was simultaneously premiered at the Empire Leicester Sq & the Odeon West End. The atmosphere was buzzing outside the cinema so I only hoped that the actual film would live up to the hype - well in this reviewers eyes, it did. Right from the start of the film, I knew that they had got the tempo just right between following the original Dickens story & dialogue coupled with the most breathtaking 3D imagery I've seen - when the snow flakes began to fall, you could almost be forgiven for thinking they are real. The story - even though it has been told & re-told over many times before in films, musicals & stage plays - seemed new & fresh with the "Robert Zemeckis" special touch about it (Zemeckis other films in this genre include Polar Express & Beowulf). The only issue I had was having to wear 3D glasses throughout the duration of the film, but it really didn't spoil my overall enjoyment - However, I hope that some day someone will invent a better way of viewing 3D films. The other issue or warning really, is to families with young children. Some of the 3D images were so powerful, when they linked with the excellent sound system of the Odeon Leicester Sq, some of the scenes were quite scary for young eyes & I even saw a young mother take her child out after about 10 minutes. I would therefore give this film a 12 rating - However, you might have brave little ones that can last the duration (which is about 93 minutes). Overall, I can honestly say that this film was one of the best I've seen this year & would suspect that eventually, it be staple viewing on terrestrial TV every year at Christmas. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, but go nearer Christmas to get you in the Christmas mood !! |
