"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is an 'adaptation' of the classic Dr. Seuss book about a green curmudgeon who lives on a mountain despising Christmas and all it stands for until he realizes exactly why it meant so much to the people around him. This book was then adapted into a classic animated cartoon that I adore, and this adaptation was adapted from that cartoon.
Let me make it clear: I did not want to see this movie, but my schoolmates voted on watching it in Freshmen year of high school when all work was done, and I thought, well, "How Bad Can This Possibly Be? If everyone else likes it so much, it must have some value" Oh boy how naive I was...
There is only one good thing in this movie, and that is the fact that Jim Carrey is trying so hard to make you laugh. I can't fault him for that.
Everything else in this movie is absolute garbage. The look of the movie is coated in a thick, dusty, foggy filter, like looking through a broken camera lens. The design of the "Whos" themselves are disturbing, the stuff of nightmares. The movie looks gross and almost nauseating, and a Dr. Seuss movie shouldn't look like a scary fever-dream you cannot wake up from.
There are also some really inappropriate jokes in this movie, which are really not suitable for kids, and it disturbs me a little to know so many children adore this movie for its humor.
The final thing that always ticked me off about this movie is the change in the theme. The original "Whos" had lots of things that made them happy in the original, but the "things" and the "noise" were not part of that. They were nice to have, but they were not necessary. Family and Unity were always what mattered. In this adaptation though, the "Whos" are capitalistic, and only Cindy-Lou truly sees the holiday as it should be seen, but that defeats the entire purpose of the story. The Grinch himself is a changed 'man' after seeing the "Whos" sing and gather together, but in this movie it means nothing. No character really has a moral compass except Cindy-Lou, who is a literal child. The theme of the original Grinch is not about innocence, it is about connection. This defeats the purpose of Seusses original intentions, and makes their whole reconciliation with the Grinch more their fault than his fault.
In all honesty, this is one of my least favorite movies of all time. I have no idea why so many people like this movie non-ironically. I hope that someday, someone can explain to me why they like this movie in a way that makes any sense. Stick with the original cartoon.
Let me make it clear: I did not want to see this movie, but my schoolmates voted on watching it in Freshmen year of high school when all work was done, and I thought, well, "How Bad Can This Possibly Be? If everyone else likes it so much, it must have some value" Oh boy how naive I was...
There is only one good thing in this movie, and that is the fact that Jim Carrey is trying so hard to make you laugh. I can't fault him for that.
Everything else in this movie is absolute garbage. The look of the movie is coated in a thick, dusty, foggy filter, like looking through a broken camera lens. The design of the "Whos" themselves are disturbing, the stuff of nightmares. The movie looks gross and almost nauseating, and a Dr. Seuss movie shouldn't look like a scary fever-dream you cannot wake up from.
There are also some really inappropriate jokes in this movie, which are really not suitable for kids, and it disturbs me a little to know so many children adore this movie for its humor.
The final thing that always ticked me off about this movie is the change in the theme. The original "Whos" had lots of things that made them happy in the original, but the "things" and the "noise" were not part of that. They were nice to have, but they were not necessary. Family and Unity were always what mattered. In this adaptation though, the "Whos" are capitalistic, and only Cindy-Lou truly sees the holiday as it should be seen, but that defeats the entire purpose of the story. The Grinch himself is a changed 'man' after seeing the "Whos" sing and gather together, but in this movie it means nothing. No character really has a moral compass except Cindy-Lou, who is a literal child. The theme of the original Grinch is not about innocence, it is about connection. This defeats the purpose of Seusses original intentions, and makes their whole reconciliation with the Grinch more their fault than his fault.
In all honesty, this is one of my least favorite movies of all time. I have no idea why so many people like this movie non-ironically. I hope that someday, someone can explain to me why they like this movie in a way that makes any sense. Stick with the original cartoon.