Review of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) by John R — 21 Dec 2015

151221: This film is not for kids so be warned. After watching The Grinch in full, and refreshing my memory, I want to emphasize in advance, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I was thinking this was a re-make of the original but it is not.

It is not quaint or pleasant. It's rough and gritty with the Grinch being the only one that sees the Who's for what they've become, and what they've done. Lead by a tyrant, the Who's have forgotten the meaning of Christmas and the Grinch, wallowing in anger and self-pity intends to make them pay.

"Avarice" the Grinch screams and avarice it is, coupled with cruelty. Though I feel the Grinch's anger is somewhat justified, his behavior is not. As we all know, and expect, the Grinch's attempt to steal Christmas and extract revenge on the Who's only results in everyone learning the true meaning of Christmas.

It's a painful education for the Grinch but an education worth suffering. This is a fascinating take on a Classic Christmas. It's nasty and contains some very dark humour; so much so I feel it should be rated much higher than PG.

It's uniquely filmed with interesting details and special effects. If you're patient and resilient, you'll see yourself through all the ghastly behavior to the delightful finale we all expect but you'll be left wondering what happened to that southing Christmas cartoon you grew up with.

Merry Christmas everyone.