Review of movie The Grinch

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Rating:3.5/5

If you’re familiar with the Dr Seuss children’s classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, you’ll be familiar with this story as well. How can the Grinch ensure he gets some peace and quiet while Whoville celebrates? Why he’s going to take matters into his own hands, of course! Along with his trusty dog Max, the Grinch plans to steal all the decorations and gifts from the entire town in one single night, and toss them off into an abyss. This re-imagining doesn’t deviate too much from the original story but adds some subplots and characters to give it a bit more flavour. Animation wise, Illumination knows precisely how to make their characters visually endearing as evident by everyone’s favourite Minions. They create a broad canvas by making Whoville larger-than-life, then filling it with a lot of tiny details and a splash of colour that gets you right into the spirit of Christmas. And that’s really what this film is all about. 

There is a timely and relevant message on kindness and acceptance that’s firmly rooted in the screenplay. This becomes evident towards the third act and gives the film more to look forward to than merely having a bad guy trying to burst everyone’s happy bubble. Cindy Lou Who, voiced by Cameron Seely plays a crucial role in this aspect. Benedict Cumberbatch has a lot of campy fun voicing the Grinch, and he goes all out to embrace the grouchy and grumpy character. There’s a slight menace to his take on this character, but Cumberbatch also adds some heart to the otherwise pessimistic persona, and that’s when the movie pulls on your heartstrings just a little bit.

As long as they can sit through the first two acts, this gives something for adults to look forward to. Otherwise, the interactions between the Grinch, his dog Max and a huge reindeer Fred lend to the most entertaining moments. Pharrell Williams as the narrator speaking in rhymes from the original book adds a nice touch that threads the film. While 'The Grinch' isn't exactly groundbreaking or fresh, it has just enough Christmas magic to justify another modern retelling of an old story.