A Brilliant Conflict

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

"The Muppet Christmas Carol" is another adaption of a classic novel by the Muppet show, displaying the famous play by Charles Dickens this time. It tells the story of an old man who is greedy and hated by almost everyone around him. When three ghosts appear and show him the reality of past, present and future, he soon begins to rethink his believes.The producers did create a cute and heart-warming movie here. While it is not utterly creative to start another adaption of the Dickens novel and nobody would've really missed it, it still includes a lot of intelligent humor that makes the time fly by and enough fluffy puppets to get the audience emotionally involved. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the singing parts, but on the other hand those belong to all of the older Disney movies as well and therefor will add a touch of nostalgia for all the Disney fans out there.All in all this is great for people with children or fans of the Muppets. For anyone else it still has its entertainment value but it won't have the same impact.

Spoiler alert, I know, but thank goodness Scrooge brought Bob and Emily Hartley, er, Cratchit (Kermit and Miss Piggy) a turkey instead of a ham. THAT would've been awkward. As much of a Muppets fan I am, I've only seen The Muppet Christmas Carol once or twice before, probably right around 1992-3 when it came out. At the time, I loved their original stories and wasn't pleased when they took on other fables, like 'A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost- Story of Christmas' or this movie's follow-up, 'Treasure Island.' I thought this was just okay back then.Insert Present Day Me, or in 1992-3 Me's case, Me Yet to Come (wait, that sounded weird…) and this movie isn't just harmless, it's cute, hilarious for all the inserted perfect Muppet humor and knows how to stick to the original source while intergrading basically a kids play. The humor can be appreciated by both adults and children and the story is timeless. Now, the bad part. I know, bah humbug. I'm not a fan of the musical numbers. They're okay, but to me, not catchy or memorable. One stood out – the last one, but overall, they worked but were quickly forgotten.The synopsis should be so well-known by now you would be the Ghost of Christmas Past not to know it. So, I'll spare you. What you might not know, this might very well be the first time it was co-hosted by a rat. Yikes!I liked it. I'm watching this for the first time in almost a quarter century on Decemeber 1st and it *is* getting me into the spirit. Well done, Muppets!And "A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" (I didn't make that up, so I really can't take credit for it. Tiny Tim actually said that. Okay, not for real. It was Charles Dickens who originally wrote it. But YOU GET THE MEANING! Cheers!)***Final thoughts: Funny, the only thing I remembered about this movie from a nearly 25 year absence was the scene where Rizzo came through the bars after needlessly falling. Just as hilarious back then as it was now. Gosh, I love the Muppets!

The Muppets Christmas Carol is based on the story of A Christmas Carol where Scrooge(this time played by Micheal Caine)is visited by 3 ghosts one from the past,one from the present and one from the future,as Scrooge isn't very nice to anyone during the Christmas season so he gets to see stuff that may happen to him if he stays the way he is. So will Scrooge become a better man in the end of the movie?Overall I thought the puppeteers were great,the story was nice and the cast was great. I thought Micheal Caine was good as Scrooge as he was unrecognisable in this movie. If you haven't seen this film yet then do watch it before the Christmas period is over. Its definitely one to watch this Christmas.Also all the muppets are in this movie including Kermit,Miss Piggy and co.

It may not be as off-the-wall hilarious as "The Muppet Movie" or "The Muppets Take Manhattan" as the humour is more gentle and the plot is obviously more serious but it's still a wonderfully entertaining film which leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. What more can you ask for from a Christmas film? It was a fitting tribute to the peerless Jim Henson, whose son Brian did a fantastic job directing the film.Michael Caine is excellent as Scrooge and he takes the role as seriously as if it was a more conventional adaptation of the Dickens classic. When it comes to family / children's films and TV series, some actors see it as an excuse to go over the top but Caine is too experienced and talented to make that mistake. It's a shame that my three favourite Muppets - Fozzie, Miss Piggy and Kermit - all had much less screen time than usual but they were all very well used. The Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come scenes in the Cratchit home were definitely my favourites. The latter could hardly have been more heartfelt if it had involved humans instead of pigs and frogs. Paul Williams wrote some fantastic songs for the film. This is probably my favourite Christmas film.