Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 Live Action Film: HD-DVD/DVD Combo)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: B+ Extras: B- Film: B-
At the
tail end (no pun intended) of Jim Carrey’s big star hit commercial cycle, he
dared to play The Grinch in Ron Howard’s live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
in 2000. After trying to take on some
roles to “legitimize” him as a “real actor” that got limited raves and box
office, Carrey went all out with a good mix of improvisation to go with the
decent Jeffrey Price/Peter S. Seaman screenplay. Made in the shadow of the classic animated
version with Boris Karloff voicing The Grinch, the film had much to live up to. It will never replace that version, but it is
impressive how often this film works.
Cindy Lou
Who (Taylor Momsen) is a curious little girl in a way that even threatens to
subvert the conformity of Whoville. She
is often as optimistic as she is inquisitive and has faith in the goodness of
all living beings. However, this is
about to be challenged by The Grinch, who is irritated that she can be this way
decades after he decided that all the world was bad and intends to stay totally
cynical no matter what. Let the battles
begin.
The best
Christmas stories tend to be ones where cynicism versus hope, such as Miracle On 34th Street, A Christmas Carol (both reviewed
elsewhere on this site) and Richard Donner’s grossly underrated Scrooged (1988, roughly based on A
Christmas Carol) with Bill Murray. Though a certain mentality would like it all
to be airheaded, naďve optimism, but have also amounted to classic holiday hits
for the most part. Though some crude
humor is here, the Seuss estate had input on the project and the result is more
balanced (good taste/bad taste, etc.) than it would be in the usual Carrey
comedy, but Howard juggles what is the largest such production since Jeannot
Szwarc’s Santa Claus – The Movie in
1985 (also reviewed on the site).
However,
that did not fare very well at the box office, but we’ve seen much worse
since. For Howard and Carrey, this Grinch was a deservedly huge hit, even
if purist fans of the book were not as happy with it. Yet, the thing Howard really pulls off is a
holiday film with more cross-generational appeal than any to date and over the
next few years, this critic believes it will become at least a minor holiday
classic. The constant sales don’t lie
either. Now in HD-DVD, we expect even
more kudos now that there is a better way to experience it.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on the HD-DVD side looks better than the
anamorphically enhanced standard DVD side, though cinematographer Don Peterman,
A.S.C., shot the film to have a soft look intended to evoke Christmas. Color is consistent in both versions, but
better on the preferred HD side. I also
liked the production design, Rick Baker’s amusing make-up and costumes were
faithful enough to the spirit of the books.
The sound
design here is very impressive, more so than one would expect from a holiday
film. The DVD side offers a passable
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and an exceptional DTS 5.1 mix, which is more or less
matched by the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 on the HD side. With well-recorded dialogue and sound
effects, plus a different kind of score from James Horner, the mix is
constantly active and has very good character about it. So much so in fact that I am very surprised
that Universal did not use Dolby True HD or DTS HD on the 1080p side. Whether it is a slow moment or active one,
the film constantly offers surrounds that make sense, giving it one of the best
sonic characteristics of any holiday film to date.
Extras
include nearly a dozen cooking recipes, games, a public service announcement
and interactive function on the DVD side that offers icons throughout so Howard
can talk about how the film was made.
You can do this with or without seeing him and learn more about just how
much hard work went into this particular production.
- Nicholas Sheffo
