Runtime: 85 minutes
Directed by: Yarrow Cheney/Scott Mosier
Starring: The voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury (RIP)
From: Universal/Illumination
I've finally experienced an Illumination movie, and an experience it was. Like in previous years while in Kansas, someone in the house wanted to watch a movie and by the end I was the only one who was still paying attention. Believe me, this wasn't my selection, although it wasn't something that I feared experienced at the same time. I've never done a review of the original 60's cartoon that I saw more than once as a kid. The Ron Howard remake I talked about a few years ago; what a weird film that had nightmare fuel moments, including how the residents of Whoville looked. This at least wasn't as peculiar as that; on the other side of the coin, however, this comes off as rather bland and boring.
It's the standard Grinch story although like in the 2000 live action version, what was told rather succinctly in 25 minutes was padded out to feature length. The title character was bizarrely somewhat likable even before the turn in the final act, which is an unfortunate decision. He's not much more than a surly loner rather than a detestable creature which is properly terrifying to everyone in Whoville. This dude shops in the town grocery store, after all! Then there was the attempts at “humor”, the usage of songs from the past few decades, and an overall flat presentation. The inclusion of Tyler, The Creator on the soundtrack was not something I personally enjoy; his popularity has always baffled me but that's another topic I'll have to further expand on in another review if the opportunity ever arises. As many others in the cast had American accents, Cumberbatch didn't use his butterscotch-smooth voice and instead was an accent which was just generic.
All the cards laid out on the table, it's not a movie I hated. After all, including such messages as “you wish for Santa to make your mom happy as she's overworked & underappreciated” and “being neglected can lead to emotional scarring that can last for the rest of your life” are certainly worthy topics to be discussed in a family movie. The execution of that could have been better... from hearsay I understand that this is a typical Illumination production: excitable, gaudy, trite brightly colored nonsense which isn't the worst thing to show the young ones yet the parents likely won't enjoy the experience. I realize how successful they are when it comes to profit yet there's no rush for me to see whatever else they have made.
Still, there's a setpiece or two that's actually fine & there is the voice of Angela Lansbury (RIP) in a small role so there's no need for me to get TOO mad about this.
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