The Grinch (2018) (Movie Review)

    For the past two years, I’ve kicked off the Christmas season with reviews of different versions of the Grinch … and why stop now. In 2018, Illuminations studio produced a new CGI animated version of “The Grinch”, making it the third adaption of the classic Dr. Sues book. I’ve loved the story of the Grinch my whole life, it’s one of my absolute favorite Christmas tales, and much like “A Christmas Carol”, I’m always open to a new version of the story. While Illumination has yet to deliver something I’ve really liked, they still have their place in our modern animation medium, and giving the Grinch a new CGI makeover seemed like a logical step. So, as versions of the Grinch go, I find this film suitably enjoyable … but unfortunately not too memorable either. It’s one of those cases in which a movie didn’t really disappoint me, but it just didn’t leave any kind of impression either, and that’s something the Grinch has never done before. The original 1966 animated special is still a beloved classic, and even Jim Carry’s live action movie was able to leave a memorable impression on a generation of kids. Still, maybe a closer look is required, just to see if this latest animated version of the Grinch is really so hollow, or if it has some hidden strengths that deserve to be acknowledged. 

   As the classic story goes, the Grinch is a recluse who lives high up in the mountains, and hates the cheerful people of Who-Vile. When Christmas comes around, things get more upsetting for him, and thus, he decides to finally make everyone in town as miserable as him by stealing their favorite holiday. 

Meanwhile, a little Who girl named Cindy-Lou is concerned for her over-working mother, and wants her to be happy. As such, she plans to devise a plan to catch Santa, and ask him for a personal Christmas wish to help her mother. Not a bad premise … for a forty-minuet direct to video special. The problem here is that our animated remake is a theatrical production with a run time of an hour and a half, and as such, it goes into every single detail of the plans of our two main characters. We see how the Grinch gets his sled, we see him send his dog on a goofy recon mission, we see the lengths he’ll go through to catch and tame a reindeer … only to sympathetically let it go back to its family, which is very out of character. Cindy-Lou has a thoughtful goal to help her mother, but we don’t really see enough of them interacting with one another to make a strong connection. Most of Cindy’s scenes are spent with a group of friends as they go into great detail on how they’ll trap Santa, and it just goes on, and on. If it wasn’t clear, this films biggest problem is an overabundance of padding, and cartoony fluff. What’s worse is that the film could have dedicated it’s time to meaningful character scenes, like a more detailed backstory as to why the Grinch became an outcast, or more scenes with Cindy bonding with her mother. The possibilities are all there, and the film occasionally gives us glimpses of emotional character beats, but it’s all very basic.         

   Speaking of things being basic, let’s look a little closer at our three main characters. The Grinch this time is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who could have been an ideal choice … had the character been more like the original Boris Karloff version. The sad truth is that nothing really separates this version of the Grinch from any other kooky, hyperactive animated character we get these days. His movement and facial features are no different from the lead character in “Despicable Me”, and his voice is surprisingly restrained, without much personality shining through. 

For as over the top as Jim Carry got in the live action movie, he at least gave the character a movement and a voice that stood out from the crowd. He’s also a little too nice in this version, as he treats his dog max like his best friend, and has all these heartfelt moments before he reforms. Cindy-Lou is likewise your run of the mil, adventurous and mischievous little girl, who also drops modern catch phrases. For better or worse, she feels like a completely different character from the last two versions. When compared to the live action movie, that Cindy-Lou had a layered connection to the Grinch, and was passionate about him joining in on the celebration. This time, neither character makes a connection until the tale end of the film, which is done okay, but I just feel like I’m missing something of substance. I will give credit that Illumination studio’s didn’t turn Max into another Minion rip-off, like every other animated picture to come from this studio. Also, all three of our leads are still perfectly likable on their own set terms, I enjoy watching them enough, but they just can’t leave a memorable impression either.

   Of course, the big hook for this film is experiencing it with its new CGI aesthetic, and for the most part it doesn’t disappoint. We are admittedly in an age when animated pictures are harder to impress, as they all kind of look and sound the same, but I’ll still try and be objective about the films design. All around, not only is the film bursting with warm holiday colors, but it absolutely captures the look and atmosphere of a Dr. Sues story. The details are all fantastic, and each scene is packed with imaginative splendor. 

I especially love the lighting, as each scene glows with an appropriate color pallet. Another great detail is that, from a distance, the town looks like one big gingerbread house. One thing that’s sadly lacking is a good soundtrack, as both of the previous versions contained some big musical highlights. The original had iconic song numbers, while the live action film had Faith Hills “Where are you Christmas?”, along with an uplifting score composted by the late James Horner. This films score is a by-the-numbers Danny Elfman track, while all the songs feel like they were lifted from a Billboards top song playlist. Also, this is yet another Dr. Sues adaption that fails to commit to the rhymes that made the source material so captivating. Pharrell Williams provides the narration, and he occasionally drops a rhyme, but it still doesn’t match everyone’s normal speech.          

   Now, for all the films padding, and by the number’s execution, it’s still not without some select highlights. I like this one scene in which he tries to ruin a tree lighting ceremony, only to get stuck in this massive Christmas tree himself. The climactic scene of the Grinch stealing decorations from all the homes is a lot of fun, especially with its creative new inventions on display. What really makes it work is that, in a really smart alteration, Cindy-Lou’s house is the very last stop, and the Grinch’s conversation with her plant the seeds of his reformation, and as such, he ponders everything she said on his way up to the mountain. While his change of heart admittedly feels a little rushed when compared to the previous two films, it all balances out with arguably my favorite epilogue of any version. Each story ends with him carving the roast beast, but this film really adds some touching layers to the scene. It takes it’s time with him awkwardly trying to fit in at the house party, being social, trying to be helpful, and giving a wholesome little speech to everyone at the table. It’s just a really nice final scene that gets me in the warm feels, and closes the film on a high note.        

   In the end, the 2018 remake of “The Grinch” is very … okay. It certainly looks nice, it has it’s touching highlights, and makes for an enjoyable watch on its own, but it’s unfortunately not something I’d care to re-watch for Christmas seasons to come. The biggest problem is that it’s just a little too by the numbers to really leave an impression. While I can’t defend the live action 2000 Jim Carry movie as any kind of high art, it did still leave an impression on my childhood, and it’s one that I enjoy re-watching now and then. Kids from this decade could certainly have similar feelings for this one, but I doubt it will stand out in the huge crowd of superior children’s entertainment we have these days. Still, the spirit of its source material is reserved, despite not adding too much new to the template, and if you’re a longtime fan of the Grinch like me, you’ll probably still enjoy this film on some level. It certainly wasn’t mandatory, but it was still delightful, and gave me just enough cheer to put me in the Christmas spirit.  

Thanks for reading my review of the 2018 animated remake of “The Grinch” … and continue to enjoy the Christmas and Holiday specials you Love!