Is There An App To Make You Look Like The Grinch

The Grinch (2018) Poster

8 /10

This film shocked me...it was good...very good.

I know this will upset some folks, but the 2000 version of Dr. Seuss' classic, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" was an abomination. First, the entire message of the original story was lost...and was, in fact, the opposite of Seuss' story. Second, the story was all about Jim Carrey and his mugging for the camera....everything else seemed secondary. Because of this, I was terribly disappointed, as I loved the original story and the great 1966 cartoon. Because of this, I was very reticent to watch this 2018 incarnation. But, in hindsight, my fears about the latest film are mostly unfounded.

Because the film is about an hour and a half long, I already realized that the story had to be padded and include some new material...this is just inevitable. However, I was surprised how much I liked this material...such as the Grinch's cute reindeer. It was very pleasant and all contributed to the story instead of distracting from it. And, as far as the story goes, it stuck pretty close to the book--even using many exact quotes from the classic tale.

As far as the quality of the film goes, it's a mixed bag but mostly good. The animation was eye-popping and wonderful. It really is great on the big screen and the 3-D effects were magnificent. I also liked that they made the Grinch a hater of Christmas but NOT a hateful or evil character. He was kinder and more sweet at times....even though he hated the holiday. The only things I wasn't thrilled about were the narration by John Legend and the voicework for the Grinch himself by Benedict Cumberbatch. I had the distinct impression that BOTH were used simply because the studio could get them--not because they were appropriate for the film. Legend is apparently a nice guy...but his nice-guy voice wasn't what you'd want or expect from a narrator. The same for Cumberbatch--who DID sound very different from his usual English accented voice but still was too 'normal' a voice for a character such as the Grinch.

Overall, despite my voice talent complaint, the film is a great family film...one that honors the book and 1966 film instead of ignoring it like the 2000 incarnation. Well worth seeing and amazingly heartwarming...especially at the end as well as when the Grinch is interacting with his dog and pet reindeer.

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6 /10

Neither a Christmas cracker or a bah humbug

Part of me was interested in seeing 'The Grinch', being a fan of the original Dr Seuss story and especially the 1966 animated version with Boris Karloff voicing Grinch (do like the Jim Carrey version better than most) and being someone who likes Benedict Cumberbatch and a lot of what he's done. Was nervous though too because the trailer did not look good, the reviews are mixed to not great and did question whether it was necessary.

Dr Seuss adaptations have been very hit and miss. The animated short television specials have fared significantly better than the feature films, Dr Seuss' work lends itself better to adaptations of a short length and the television specials were not only great adaptations and true in detail and spirit but great on their own. Of the feature films, the best one is by far 'Horton Hears a Who' with the worst being the live action 'The Cat in the Hat' (to me among the worst films ever made). Illumination has also been variable, loved the first two 'Despicable Me' films while not caring for 'Minions'.

Saw 'The Grinch' anyway as someone trying to see and review as many 2018 films as possible and loving the story and Christmas films, also to see how Cumberbatch would fare as Grinch. Seeing it, it is nowhere near as good as the 1966 version and is neither a Christmas cracker or a bah humbug. It is also neither among the best or worst films of the year, somewhere in the middle for me.

There are definitely great things here. The animation cannot be faulted, so much gorgeous and meticulous attention to detail and rich vibrant colours that really immerses one into the world of Whoville. Some of the soundtrack has a festive and infectious feel. There are funny and emotional moments, the former with the funny and adorable (plus more interesting) Max and the latter with the Cindy Lou subplot, that and the character herself being the sweet and charming heart of the film.

It is not a film without soul, having a warm glow more than once and some spirited elaborate set pieces, it does well with sticking to the spirit of the story and with the back and forth between Mount Crumpet and Whoville. It is not too long and has a lively pace generally. As said, Max and Cindy Lou are the best characters. Mostly the voice acting is good, with Cameron Seely being the clear standout.

Having said all of this, 'The Grinch' could have been better. It does offer very little new or fresh, trying to be faithful to the source material while not moving enough beyond that that it all feels too safe. It could have done with more humour and heart generally, could have done without the repetitive and tired screaming goat gag and outside of the Cindy Lou subplot soul is missing.

Found myself mixed on the pretty unrecognisable Cumberbatch. He does well providing a curmudgeonly touch and has moments of grinchy- meanness, plaudits too for not making Grinch too scary or resorting to excessive mugging. Do feel though that he was not mean or Grinchy-enough and he would have fared much better using his own voice for the character which would have fitted better. Had a big issue with the annoying, intrusive and over-explanatory narration that was not always necessary and with a rather out of place Pharrell Williams. Other parts of the soundtrack grated and too reminiscent of commercial music neither catchy or to my taste that didn't gel with the setting or the rest of the film. Too many of the supporting characters are forgettable and one-dimensional.

Overall, better than what the critics have generally said but was rather mixed on a film with a lot of great merits but feels too safe and one does question the point of it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

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6 /10

can't improve on perfection

The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) hates Christmas. To his horror, he has emotionally eaten all the food and is forced to go into Whoville during the Christmas season. It doesn't go well and he comes up with the idea to ruin Christmas by impersonating Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Cindy Lou Who needs to talk to Santa about her wish. She recruits her friends to catch Santa.

The 1966 special is perfect. This movie tries to improve on it by expanding on the story. It's a fool's errand. It could never improve on perfection. I actually don't mind the expansion in general. There are two big no-nos. The Whos look way too human and where are their antennas? They're just people with tiny noses. If the Whos are humans, then make Grinch a human and make this a live action movie. I wouldn't recommend it but at least, that could be interesting. This movie tries to be too modern. It needs to get rid of the electronics. The Whos exist in a specific world and the closer it gets to the modern world, the worst the visual content gets. The Whos have a certain style. At some point, it's no longer Dr. Seuss. At least, it's short. As for the voice work, the original had the greatness of Boris Karloff and the iconic song with Thurl Ravenscroft. These are iconic voices like Darth Vader. It doesn't get better than the best. Now it can be argued that Karloff was not the Grinch but rather the narrator reading the Grinch's dialogue. He's still the voice of the Grinch to me and Cumberbatch is doing something less compelling. I can see how the voice fits the character but it comes off weakly. Cindy Lou Who is older which is fine but the Whos sound too modern. They lack the wide eyed innocence that is inherent in their world. Nobody is evil but there is a stress in some of them especially the mom. Finally, there is the Grinch underwear. I get the joke but I'm conflicted about the results. Overall, this is an impossible job. Unless the filmmaker is willing to take unhealthy risks, it could never achieve much more than this movie. It's fine but this will be soon forgotten.

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6 /10

Very Colorful

I watched this with my grandson. Yes, I still think the original cartoon based on the book is superior. There is a simplicity that really works. The Grinch is downright mean. I love Benedict Cumberbach, but found his voice just too soothing to pull off our guy. There was too much psychological mumbo jumbo as the writers came up with an excuse for the Grinch being the way he was. Of course, it was his childhood. The movie is spectacular in its visuals. There are colorful scenes and excellent structures, making Whoville really magnificent. But the story is watered down and using Cindy Lou Who as an active character didn't work for me.

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6 /10

Bah humbug... no not really

Warning: Spoilers

Okay, here we have the newest version of that one character by Dr. Seuss who is most loved by many: The Grinch. This time it is not starring Jim Carrey, but this 2018 take is entirely animated and I have read people say that this is considered a potential candidate to be nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars, but I think the reception was not good enough overall and chances are slim for the film to make the field, even if the year 2018 in animation is not at its most competitive I'd say. The main character is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch and you will find some other known names in the cast perhaps like Lansbury of course, but also Jones and Pharrell. I cannot say a whole lot, actually nothing at all, about these voice performances for I watched the German dub that has Otto Waalkes in it and actually I am glad I could listen to him all the time and not the in my opinion very overrated Cumberbatch. Waalkes also did a really good job, was perhaps the best thing about the film all in all. But that was not too difficult as the film also left me unimpressed for the most part sadly.

First of all, I felt the little girl, who is really the defining human character here, was very uninteresting and pale, not just compared to the Grinch, but also as a standalone character. Her role is so major, but she brought so little. Very disappointing. Okay, as for the crew I will spare you the names of the many writers and directors. The one you need to know of course is Seuss and actually it's been over half a century now already since the making of the original about the one we have here. But the character is still interesting and relevant without a doubt. Even if I felt the sceneries and locations were not as memorable visually as they could have been, I liked the Grinch's looks a lot. Also really liked that they put the dog next to him and that he took good care of it which shows that he really has a heart and yeah as we find out at the end, the problem is his loneliness that turned him into such a miser. But yeah, even the ending that was kinda heartfelt did not feel as emotional to me as it could have been as in theory this ending has a lot to offer, not just for me. One thing I did enjoy though were the minor characters, like the loud goat or the fat reindeer that brings his family in the end and when we see him reunite with said family earlier, it is one of the best moments of the movie. Again that scene shows how the Grinch is a good guy deep inside as he lets him go, even if he cannot fulfill flawlessly his plan now. So he has to recruit the tiny dog to pull the gigantic sleigh. Oh well, the dog is really glad to be of help and that was kinda cute too. He really loves his owner, no matter how grumpy he may be.

Okay I think that's all that comes to mind. I believe it was clear that this film would not really suck a whole lot from the beginning. But yeah, I also think it could have been much better too be honest and it was a bit of a missed opportunity as now it could be another decade or even more until the next Grinch movie. Solid quality from Illumination, better than some of their other stuff, but also worse than their best (for that the human characters were just too weak and almost entirely forgettable) I guess. One of the better, but certainly not best animated films of 2018. I give it a thumbs-up.

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4 /10

The Grinch

Dr Seuss short story of The Grinch gets a second big screen treatment.

There was a very good short animated cartoon made in 1966 where the Grinch was voiced by Boris Karloff.

This CGI animated version is colourful but bland. The songs have been updated by they come across as mediocre. The voice acting is below par. Benedict Cumberbatch does not come anywhere near Jim Carrey never mind Karloff.

Here the Grinch hates Christmas because as a child he was always lonely at Christmas. Forced to go into Whoville during the run up to Christmas to stock up on food. The Grinch sees consumerism gone rampant over the festive period. Everything is bigger including the Christmas tree and there is forced jollity.

The Grinch has a twisted idea to ruin everyone's Christmas. One girl Cindy-Lou wants to speak to Santa as she has a special wish. Maybe she can make the Grinch's heart two sizes bigger.

Obviously the kids will enjoy this overlong movie. It lacks the wicked fun and zest of the 1966 cartoon.

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3 /10

Reef-here

Warning: Spoilers

This is a reboot for modern times. The differences:

First thing I noticed is that Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft are gone. They are pitifully replaced Benedict Cumberbatch who sounds like a real geek. The hip-hop version of the song was equally bad. Cindy Lou Who is being raised by a single mom. Whoville has some token diversity in the background, but not any main characters.

The songs were Jesus oriented and not secular as before, however on the flip side, the Whos were concerned their presents were gone, unlike the first feature where they broke out in song, which I found more spiritually uplifting than their Christmas songs. What kid would recognize Nilsson? And anybody who does would have seen the original and be let down by this one. Who was the target audience?

And did the guy giving away reefs sound like he said reefer? Couldn't they get Tony Todd or Samual L. Jackson to read the parts?

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8 /10

Another (this time animated) Grinch

So yes there was the Jim Carey one (which you may think is the original, but seems like Boris Karloff would like to disagree according to imdb at least), but if you watch them back to back and with any nostalgia excluded, you may feel like me ... and see this as the superior movie. Though I have not seen the Karloff one, so I'm not saying the ultimate Grinch.

Having said, the Carey Grinch was live action and this is animated. So maybe you prefer one over the other anyway. If that is the case, I will not be able to tell you what's what anyway. But this does take things that I personally would consider "flaws" from the Carey adaptation and succeed in making them work (like the santa sleigh with the presents to name one). Very well animated and voice talent that deserves that name and then some. Great kids movie that grown ups can enjoy too

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4 /10

The Grinch

Warning: Spoilers

First there was the 1966 Chuck Jones/Boris Karloff cartoon, second was the 2000 live-action Jim Carrey movie, this is the third adaptation of the famous story by Dr. Suess, a computer-animated outing from the makers of Despicable Me. Basically the Whos down in Whoville are preparing for Christmas, everyone is excited to be buying gifts, decorations and food. The only one who is not in the festive spirit is the cantankerous, green-haired creature called The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) who lives in a cave on Mount Crumpit just north of the town. He hates Christmas, it is assumed the reason is because his heart is two sizes too small, his only friend is his loyal dog Max, they only come out of the cave if they need food or to do bad things. Six-year-old Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely) notices her mother Donna Who (Angie Tribeca's Rashida Jones) has been overworked looking after her and her twin brothers Buster and Bean. She decides to send a letter to Santa Claus to ask for help for her mother, but she encounters the Grinch, who sarcastically says she should talk to Santa face-to-face about it, she eventually decides to try and trap Santa with the help of her friends. With Christmas just around the corner, the festivities cause the Grinch to relive her sad childhood, he spent it mostly alone and unwanted in a rundown orphanage. The Grinch wants Christmas to end once and for all, so he comes up with the idea everything Christmassy and lessen his distress. To start his plan, he goes to find a reindeer, the only one he is able to lure is a fat reindeer he names Fred, and he steals a sleigh from frenemy Mr. Bricklebaum (Kenan Thompson). The Grinch has a test run, but discovers that Fred has a wife and child, with a heavy heart he lets him go back to them. On Christmas Eve, the Grinch makes a Santa Claus disguise and many gadgets to assist his theft, and he makes Max into a makeshift reindeer to pull the sleigh. During the night, the Grinch and Max go down to Whoville and begin stealing all decoration, presents and food, going house to house. The final house the Grinch goes to is Cindy Lou's, he encounters her when she attempts and fails to trap him, thinking he is Santa Claus. The Grinch is touched by her request to help lighten her mother's workload, and her kind advice about listening to the Whos' singing to take his sadness away, nevertheless he continues with his mission. After stealing every Christmas present and decoration, the Grinch and Max head back to the top of Mount Crumpit to dump it, but the Grinch waits to hear the sadness of the Whos. The townspeople wake on Christmas warning and are shocked to see everything festive has been taken, Cindy Lou believes she is to blame, for "catching" Santa, but her mother assures her Christmas is more than just presents. The Whos join together in song, the Grinch hears the singing and is puzzled to see and hear them celebrating without anything Christmassy. The Grinch realises that Christmas is more than just presents, he immerses himself in the singing, his heart grows three sizes, and he is filled with joy and wonder. The sleigh almost falls off the edge of the mountain, the Grinch tries to save it, in the nick of time Fred and his family come to the rescue. The Grinch and Max go to Whoville to return the stolen items, he admits his theft to the Whos and apologises before returning to his cave. Feeling sorry for the Grinch, Cindy Lou comes to invite him to her house to celebrate Christmas, he awkwardly attends. When seated down for dinner, he confesses that it wasn't really Christmas he hated, it was being lonely and his bitterness over being neglected, the Grinch offers a toast, and has the honour of carving the roast beast for the feast. Also starring Tristan O'Hare as Groopert, Sam Lavagnino as Ozzy, Ramone Hamilton as Axl, Angela Lansbury as Mayor McGerkle, Scarlett Estevez as Izzy, Michael Beattie as Store Clerk and Georgia Toffolo as Mrs. Toffee Apple, and narrated by Pharrell Williams. Cumberbatch putting on an American accent is a good choice as the exasperated hairy, green pest, Williams is an odd choice as narrator, and his version of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is not very good. There is nothing wrong with the animation, and it sticks to the basic plot with the mean creature stealing Christmas, but the backstory of why the Grinch is mean isn't great, the lead character integrating with other characters is a mistake, it only makes you laugh a little, and the sentimentality is icky, it is nowhere near as entertaining as previous versions, a disappointing and very average seasonal animated comedy. Okay!

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6 /10

Definitely a nice rendering of the classic tale...

I sat down to watch the 2018 animated movie "The Grinch" with my 9 year old son, but I must admit that I wasn't really expecting much from this animated movie. So it turned out that I was positively surprised, because it actually turned out to be good.

The storyline is straightforward, and pretty much a new rendering of the classic tale of how the Grinch stole Christmas. But it was actually enjoyable to see a new twist to it.

And it definitely helped that the animation and CGI was quite spectacular, and the level of details and textures was just phenomenal, and it really helped bring the animated movie to life on the screen.

Furthermore, the impressive cast list also helped bring the characters to life on the screen in a very convincing manner.

"The Grinch" is definitely an animated movie that it well-worth sitting down to watch with the family for the Christmas holidays. But it is also an animated movie that can be watched while it is not the Christmas holidays.

I am rating "The Grinch" six out of ten stars.

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7 /10

The Grinch was another enjoyable version of Dr. Seuss' holiday story

tavm 15 November 2018

Previously, Dr. Seuss' book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was filmed in drawn animation by Chuck Jones with Boris Karloff voicing the title character as well as narrating and in live action by Ron Howard with Jim Carrey playing that same character. Now, Benedict Cumberbatch voices him in computer animation by Illumination Entertainment, makers of the Despicable Me movies. It admirably changes some things and adds some other characters in expanding the story. Chuck Jones' version is still the definitive one and the Howard/Carrey version has some good moments but this current version does make this Grinch a little more sympathetic even before his transformation. In summary, me and my movie theatre-working friend really enjoyed The Grinch.

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Not as entertaining as I hoped

This film tells the story of a grumpy man who steals Christmas to make everyone else miserable.

The animation itself is great, and I am impressed by how real things look. The snow looks just so real that it amazes me. However, the story is just rather plain and dull. Nothing much happens, and the jokes are not funny. It was not as entertaining as I hoped.

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8 /10

"He didn't steal our Christmas . . . "

Warning: Spoilers

" . . . he just stole our stuff," proclaim the victims of perhaps Universal Movie Studio's scariest monster yet, THE GRINCH. Universal has long recognized that Ecclesiastical Ogres in general--such as THE MUMMY, and the Egyptian priests manipulating him--and Roman despoilers in particular, including THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, are especially threatening because they ring so true to Real Life. As Hollywood's pre-eminent House of Horror, Universal pulls out all the stops for THE GRINCH, giving him the same sort of cavernous hide-out, massive pipe organ, and self-pitying misanthropy displayed nearly a century ago by its PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. However, a screaming Lamb gets in the last syllable of THE GRINCH. This is appropriate, since the Lamb of God would no doubt react more violently to most any opulent modern-day Temple than He did to His birth "den of vipers" in Jerusalem. Universal must be commended for taking on Organized Gloating during the Holiday Season with this horror offering for all ages, THE GRINCH.

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8 /10

Even though I'm not a fan, personally...

Warning: Spoilers

The Grinch is a miserable green git who lives up a mountain. He hates the enjoyment which the village in the valley below gets from Christmas, so determines to ruin it for them by stealing it.

Dr Seuss' story is a classic for American kids, less so for British kids, even though the cinema has previously seen both live action and animated versions. This time around, we're in CGI mode, and Benedict Cumberbatch is voicing the verdant curmudgeon.

I guess this works well enough as a kids' film. It's bright and colourful, nicely animated, well-voiced. visually imaginative (albeit on-model with the Seuss master vision), has a lot of quite funny gags, and a decent moral. It's probably my fault that I find Seuss' work pretty smug - and therefore annoying - stuff.

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2 /10

A kinder gentler Grinch?

Boris Karloff was the voice of the original animated Grinch of 1966, and although he wasn't scary even when I was eight, the Karloff voice brought gravity to the proceedings. The Grinch in this film has the harmless sounding voice of Benedict Cumberbatch. And although the original Grinch was a grouch, this Grinch is nothing more than dissatisfied. I realize that the Grinch can't go around abusing his dog Max like he did in the original - times have changed. But here he is practically the dog's life coach, telling Max that he can do things if only he believes in himself.

But one thing that didn't NEED to change was having Cindy Lou Who be the oldest child of an overworked single mother, Betty Lou Who. How can Cindy Lou be the smallest who in Whoville if she is an older sister? But I digress. Cindy Lou Who has just one wish - for her mother to have it easier and not be so overworked. As for the technical details, the art design tries to be too CGI. I liked the basic Chuck Jones illustrations in the 1966 version that were not meant to look the least bit real. So like most modern films, this one makes the art design photorealistic and completely misses the point of the original tale or at least throws in so many modern subplots that there is no nostalgia or charm for fans of the original.

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3 /10

Not my thing, maybe for young kids.

I only watched this movie because my wife wanted a Christmas movie on Christmas. You could describe me as a grinch as I can't be bothered with those kind of holidays. But anyway I watched it, got bored after about five minutes, promised myself to sit through it and that's exactly what I did, sat through it. Okay the animation is well done, like almost any other animated movie I guess, but the story itself is just not my thing. The rhyming of Dr. Seuss might work for kids, but I'm not a kid and so I don't care. Benedict Cumberbatch, never been a big fan of him as an actor, and after The Grinch I will never be a fan of him narrating either. I thought I would be the only one who didn't like this movie but after reading the first page of reviews I guess we're plenty like me.

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6 /10

You're a softy, Mr. Grinch

Absolutely an Illumination production; the Minions can be felt from the story's exuberance right down to the character designs. But this is a Grinch movie, and he's not nearly as mean as he should be. Cumberbatch's main character is a green-hued Gru, and that's where it lost me a bit. Way too sweet. And then there's Kenan Thompson, stealing the whole movie.

It's not bad, just unnecessary.

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6 /10

that ain't the grinch!

This is a rather odd take on the holiday closet. I was puzzled by the posters, which showed not the Dr. Seuss Grinch, who looks like he's made out of terry cloth, but a cute and fluffy version.

That's pretty representative. While the original Grinch was motivated by an inexplicable malevolence, this Grinch is more like an irritable guy who yells at kids to get off his lawn. It's a sort of Jon Lovitz version, although weirdly enough he's voiced by Benedict Cumberthatch, whose own posh, sardonic voice would have been more appropriate.

Turning Cindy Lou Who from a quiet 2 year old to a rambunctious 10 is also an odd choice, but admittedly you have to find *some* way to get a full movie out of the slight story, and if you put the original out of your head I guess its fine.

There are some clever bits, the animation is good, and I like the idea of Grinch as an ingenious inventor, which allows for some fun creativity in the enterprise. But it's vastly inferior to the amazing original cartoon short from Chuck Jones, and if you can't at least get close to that, what's the point?

Perfectly watchable, kind of cute, but not a valuable addition to the list of Seuss adaptations.

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5 /10

The definition of 'average'.

Pretty much the definition of 'average', 'The Grinch (2018)' really is just fine in every way. It's fairly impressive in terms of its visuals and voice-work but is certainly nothing new, or even compelling, when it comes to its narrative. Really, the visuals and voice-work are only really to the expected standard of today's bigger-budgeted animated fare and the strange 'Illumination-esque' designs, combined with the pulled-back (certainly from the, frankly, creepy Carrey incarnation) but still oddball Seuss stylings, prevent the piece from appearing as aesthetically-pleasing as anything that Disney - or, more specifically, Pixar - are putting out today. The point is that the fact that it looks pretty pretty isn't enough of a selling point to recommend the piece and that's probably the biggest selling point it has. I suppose someone who isn't familiar with the source-story and is young (or willing) enough not to notice the basic nature of the narrative may get more mileage from this bland but inoffensive, family-friendly Christmas flick. 5/10

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6 /10

Average but still prefer old one. Mayor woman, girl living only with mammy... Huh why we need to do this... Women rights... Seriously ...

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6 /10

Mostly mediocre

This is the classic Dr. Seuss story put to theaters in animation. I'm going to say that it's better than the Jim Carrey version. Well, not by that much really. I admired the animation at least. This is probably the second best Dr. Seuss movie next to "Horton Hears A Who!". I think the running time was good.

It worked have worked better as a short film. Well, it already DOES work better as a short film. Maybe it's because I've seen so many movies that I can't really find anything good or bad about it. It's completely harmless in every sense of the word. It really just doesn't add anything new or interesting to the story. It's just so-so. **1/2

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6 /10

The Vidiot Reviews...

The Grinch

The easiest way to ruin Christmas is to redirect all Amazon shipments to the Third World.

Thankfully, the party-pooper in this animated movie lives a cave with no WiFi.

A green hermit named The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) watches over Whoville from his mountaintop with much disdain, particularly for its obsession with the yuletide. To quell the joyous season this year, The Grinch hatches a plan to impersonate Santa so he can pilfer all presents and decorations from the neighbouring township. Meanwhile, a Whoville child hopes to capture Claus so she can make a wish for her overworked mother (Rashida Jones).

Outside of the sappy single mom storyline, Cumberbatch's nasally performance and some slick animation, this adaptation of Dr. Seuss' children's book pretty much follows the same narrative of the far superior 2-D animated TV special.

Moreover, if The Grinch hates Christmas so much he should just convert to Islam. Yellow Light

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6 /10

This Christmas movie didn't steal my heart at all. It was quite mediocre & somewhat boring to watch.

Warning: Spoilers

This third screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss's 1957 children book 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' was not good. Don't get me wrong, the 2018's computer-animation movie produced by Illumination Entertainment & released by Universal Pictures was not a holiday stinker. However, it was indeed, a huge disappointment. It doesn't have the unique, risky, yet funny entertaining humor of the 2000 live-action film version nor the charm of the original 1966 hand drawn animation television special. It was just adequate and that's really sad. Most of the blame, can be said with how they portray the reclusive, Mr. Grinch (Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) who decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville by stealing all their gifts and everything holiday related. He really not that mean. He should had been a heel that should had been cuddly as a cactus. A being that charming as an eel. Yet, throughout the movie, he really is not that bad to be around. Even before, Christmas even came, he already had a heavy heart to certain key characters. He doesn't exploit or mistreat them, much at all. That's a problem, because the Grinch is supposed a bad banana, with a greasy black peel who heart is 'two sizes too small', but he's not! Even his reasons for hating the holiday is kinda muddled. I get that, Christmas, kinda remind him, about how alone and unwanted, he thinks, he really is, but the Who People don't really treat him, that way to justified that type of thinking. Throughout the film, people like Bricklebaum (Voiced by Kenan Thompson), who by far, is the best character in the flick, really go out of their way to befriend him. There's nothing to suggest the Grinch is ostracized by the Who People. Now, if the film make the citizen of Whoville look like selfish materialism consumer bullies like the 2000 film version did. It gives a good reason why the Grinch would think of stealing gifts is fine idea to stop Christmas. Even the original 1966 film, gave an understandable motive for him, trying to steal their gifts, as he couldn't stand, all the noise. He found their loud hedonism nature to be annoying. People can related to that. In this film, only the out of blue carolers are highly obnoxious with their over-stalking forcing of religionist beliefs type singing. Everybody else is just normal and fine. While, this movie hints that he might suffer from some type of social anxiety. It never states, outright if he does has it. Because of this lack of depth, the character motive might seem confusing, and very lost. Another problem with the Grinch is the voice. Benedict's American accent voice has no weight. It's sound a little bland. It didn't seem powerful or sinister at all. The tone had no kick. What happened, here!? Was the Smaug or Khan's voice, too dark to use in a kid's movie!? I doubt it. After all, they got Frankenstein Monster, himself, Boris Karloff to voice the titular character & the narrator in the original version. Look, I get that the film will never outdo the original film, but gees, the 2018's remake directed by Scott Mosier played it, way too safe with the Grinch. Even the narrator felt out of place. Pharrell Williams was not a good choice. Not only did he never did any kind of voice acting, before this. He didn't really, have that seniority traditional storytelling depth & tone, need for this piece in the first place. It felt like he was nervously, reading off, a script, as quick as possible rather than helping, expanding the depth of this world like Sir Anthony Hopkins did in the 2000 film. Also, it was somewhat irritating that the writers didn't keep focus on the original story poem-like rhythm for most of the sequence, he was speaking. Things get more frustrating when the movie try to update the original song 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' by music performer, Thurl Ravenscroft with one from hip hop artist, Tyler the Creator, whom been criticized in the past for his use of homophobic slurs, racial stereotypes, his graphic depictions of violence against women and his allegedly misogynistic lyrics. While, his version was indeed catchy, it still feels dirty to listen to. I can see people, easily getting turn off by it, due to the negatively surrounding his personal life. It will only have niches amount of listeners. It will quickly seem passes. It will never hold the same candle to the Ravenscroft's version; which spiritual transcendence all time. As for the upbeat jazzy version of this song by Bob Malone. I see this one, having more of a shelf life. It's a lot more fun to listen to. As for the humor, in the film. The jokes were not that funny. Nothing really did landed for me. The movie also has pacing problem. Lots of pointless filler scenes that run the time, a little too long like the reindeer hunting sequence & the b plot of Cindy Lou (Voiced by Cameron Seely) trying to capture Santa Claus. None of them, were that compelling nor matter much. At least, the animation was good. It maintaining a colorful and festive atmosphere. Overall: I just wish, the story stood out more. It felt formula, generic & worst of all, recycled. There were too many similar to 2010's film 'Despicable Me' for me to like. If one of your characters sounds & acts like too much like Agnes from 2010's film 'Despicable Me', then you got a problem. In the end, while, I wouldn't say, don't touch this with a 39 ½ foot pole. Given the choice between watching this, again and watching a movie about a seasick crocodile. I'd take the seasick crocodile! At least, I know that film will have some bite to it. Sadly, for me, this will be one time watch.

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7 /10

just for the dogs this movie should be a 1. I don't like dogs. Why do people keep putting them in movies I want to watch?

Mind you this version is nothing like Jim's Version. So don't expect that, be smart for once.

Its was made in 2018 so expect pg, lame, corny, and PC hash. (Put these horrible traits aside for once).

This movie is good for entertainment only value.

The story is about a green Krampus who was abandoned. He was indirectly teased for his misfortunes. Everyone else lived good lives while Green Krampus lived with a worthless dog in a cave. He steals Christmas and since it's a child's movie you have to end in a corny happy ending. (BORING).

The animation is like the books. Its cool. Voice acting is fine.

Verdict: I Don't celebrate Christmas because I'm not a pagan. However, this movie was good to watch as long as you are smart. They negative strong Christmas energy can compromise you. It can make you feel certain ways.

Don't watch if you can't control your vibrations.

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3 /10

For kids...

The well-known story gets a fresh, new look with this 2018 version. I so badly wanted to like it, but unfortunately it was not to be.

The animation is fantastic and the 'camera angles' are really good for an animated film. None of the characters really stood out as special, though, except for the dog Max, who was by far my favorite character. I didn't find the Grinch's story believable or interesting. The film itself is over-sentimental at times, while other scenes are simply too childish, looking like a cartoon instead of an animated feature.

'The Grinch' (2018) is definitely more for children, as I doubt it will have the desired effect on adults. This was not as special as films like 'Arthur Christmas', 'The Polar Express' and the more recent 'Klaus'.

If you've purchased the DVD, its worth watching the 3 Mini Movies included. They are much funnier than the feature film.

https://paulsmoviereviews.wordpress.com/2019/12/03/the-grinch-2018/

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