User reviews

Seems like everyone is forgetting this is just ment to be a fun Christmas movie for kids think it's great and a lot better then the old one

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

If you've seen the trailer you've seen the whole movie. It's funny, yes, but the trailer ruins it as it has included every single joke from the movie.

I rarely watch animated movies, so I didn't expect much going into this one. I have to say I like the original and Jim Carrey ones better, but this is still fun. For a family movie, or just a movie to go see with a friend or girlfriend, I think this is a good flick to see going into the holidays! 7/10

Based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name, The Grinch follows the titular character - a miserable recluse who lives in solitude with his dog Max. The only thing he hates more than people is Christmas, and when the local festivities become too much to bear he hatches a plan to ruin Christmas for everyone in the entire town of Whoville...

I have not read the Grinch, but I have seen several other adaptations of it - and it's a heartwarming tale about how one little girl can melt the heart of even the most miserable meiser. This is no different, and I find it fascinating how this story is still relevant even some 60-odd years later, with it's criticism of the commercialisation of Christmas. In fact, I'd argue it's even more relevant today than ever!

Being from Illumination, the animation quality is top notch, the voicework great and it's full of their usual trademark visual humour, which works a treat within the context of this story. The kids will love it (and unlike the 2000 version doesn't look weird and creepy). The perfect Christmas movie to stick on for the young ones!

Very colourful, and beautiful visuals. I DESPISED the Hip Hop soundtrack though.

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.

This was the first movie theater experience for my 3 year old son. At 1 hour and 30 minutes he did get a tad restless in the later half of the film, which is to be expected. But he did love the film and the experience. As for me, nothing will top the classic cartoon from my childhood. And bits of this felt a bit more stretched out than needed be. But overall I found it cute, lighthearted entertainment that managed to capture the spirit of the original. The voice acting and a animation were solid. The songs, while not as good in my 43 year old eyes as the original tunes, were still serviceable.

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.

I found it to pay homage to the Warner bros days of old! Is it super cheesy and ultra PG? yes. However I honestly enjoyed it! The animation is on point as always, the script kept me involved and the characters a delight. Illumination, you've pulled it off once again.

Took the grandkids to this movie...they didn't think it was very good. It seems like something that was produced for the dollars it could make rather than a story that needed to be told.

The good: it was not very long. The colors are brilliant and visually stimulating. Max was remade with a little more of a fun personality.

The bad: Grinch somehow seemed wrong. I'm not sure if it was the voice, the artistic effects, or just a general un-Grinchiness. The story was a retelling that didn't need to be. The biggest negative is the feeling that this movie is forgettable.

I'm sure I'll never watch it again. I've watched the original about a billion times, and the Jim Carrey version nearly the same.

Bottom line...save your money and rent it later.

Anyone who gave this a bad rating clearly is just upset because, they don't like a modern Grinch because they grew up with the original classic Grinch cartoon. This movie was one of the most adorable and fun feel-good animated movies I've seen in a long time. Benedict Cumberbatch killed it as the Grinch and, all the gadgets and grandeur of the grinches holiday heist scene is so creative and colourful and fantastical! This is one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time up there with Nightmare before Christmas. This movie was a joy to watch and if you couldn't find joy in this movie maybe, you're the Grinch.

They picked the absolute worst voice for the Grinch. Also the Grinch didn't even seem bad. In fact, its like a five year old would have considered this movie less than a G rating. The Grinch is known to have a hard stare and grin with a rough voice. They ruined this version.

Sitting in the theater part way through my initial thought for a title to a review was "Empty calories", but in this case that would be too harsh. More accurate would be something like "Innocuously & mildly entertaining". This is quite a different Grinch, more of a victim than the ultra-nasty villain from the book and original TV show. As Kamunrah might say "he's not bad, just vaguely grouchy". So he gets in Wiley Coyote situations while ineffectively trying to spoil the Who's Christmas. This is brought to you by the same mindless folks that did Minions, so there's little soul to this movie, but there is a smidgen of real warmth and a nice wrap.

This is a fun, easy watching, updated retelling of The Grinch who Stole Christmas...but that's it, there's nothing else to it.

It doesn't have the charisma that Jim Carrey brought to the original live action remake, and it doesn't have the charm of the original short cartoon made in 1966. In fact, the Grinch doesn't seem that mean at all...just a tad grumpy.

But...the animation is absolutely excellent, the modernising of the story is quite fun, as is the soundtrack, and it's an enjoyable Christmas movie with some very good chuckles thrown in there. Happy to watch this with the kids again over the festive break...

I found the casting of Benedict to make for a strange Grinch, but it is a very festive Christmas movie. I think those that don't enjoy Jim Carrey will find this one more tolerable, as it's certainly a more tame Grinch.

The animation is well done and the theme of Christmas is very well done, but it's an average movie.

It is the classic story of The Grinch we all know so well. So yes its predictable, yes we know what's going to happen and how it ends, but even so it was a joy to watch and the kids really enjoyed it. This version of the grinch is a little less disgusting and you see a bit more kindness from him, which I liked. It had quite a few laughs and some very sweet moments. I personally liked it better than the Jim Carry version. But nothing beats the original.

Look I'm probably not the target audience for this movie but I gotta say I smiled I. Laughed I felt flat out joy one of the best of the year simple sweet and fall down funny for once instead of a movie being about war it was about peice and love and joy nothing I regret about seeing this movie

Cheer up: "The Grinch" is a respectable, if safe, retelling of Dr. Seuss' holiday classic.

This computer animated fable - which follows the televised 1966 cartoon special and 2000's Jim Carrey-starring live action version - honors the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" and preserves Seuss' wonky visual style.

If this Grinch is considerably cuddlier than the green monster you remember - his edges are rounded rather than sharp, his eyes soft rather than twisted and menacing - that's just the reality of today's marketplace. Can you imagine the uproar if the Grinch was an actual, you know, Grinch?

Benedict Cumberbatch ditches his accent to voice the Christmas-hating heel, who lives in a cave by himself high above Whoville. Cumberbatch's reading is rather sanitized; if directors Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier didn't want a British Grinch, Cumberbatch was a curious choice.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and ol' Grinchy is forced to go into Whoville and interact with its cheery inhabitants, who are preparing for a Christmas celebration that promises to be three times larger than the average holiday blowout. The Grinch - aided by his trusty dog Max - devises a scheme to rob the residents of Whoville of all their Christmas bounty while dressed as Santa Claus, until his plan is foiled by young Cindy Lou Who (voiced by Cameron Seely), who puts a little love back in the Grinch's rotten, decrepit heart.

You know the story, and "The Grinch" wisely sticks to the basics without modernizing the details (the Grinch doesn't suddenly have an Instagram account) or greatly altering the structure. The 2000 version spent a good deal of time diving into the Grinch's backstory, making him a victim of childhood bullying; that's gone here. And since the original book runs just 69 pages, "The Grinch" doesn't stretch for material, and wraps in a concise 86 minutes.

Pharrell Williams narrates the story, but doesn't have much flavor in his phrasing; somewhere, there's a voice actor cursing the day celebrities took over the voiceover field.

Illumination Entertainment, responsible for the "Despicable Me" movies and "The Secret Life of Pets," is in charge here, and gives the film a brightly lit, visually appealing aesthetic.

"The Grinch" doesn't reinvent the story of the Grinch, nor does it top the crudely drawn charms of the original TV version. (It's tough to beat Boris Karloff's Grinch, and Cumberbatch doesn't put up much of a fight.) But by the end it opens it arms and spreads a fair amount of holiday cheer, which is obvious to even those whose hearts are two sizes too small.

Illumination is a studio known for producing gutless, boring, paint-by-numbers, mass appeal movies that focus more on cute gimmicks and marketing than they do on actual storytelling and character development. If you've seen anything else from Illumination, you practically don't need to see this movie, because you can probably just predict every scene in your head and just about get it right. While The Grinch isn't Illumination's worst, it's still a thoughtless and emotionless product only meant to sell toys and theater tickets before charm and charisma.

Benedict Cumberbatch's Grinch is boring. I do like Cumberbatch and I did think he'd be great to voice the Grinch, but he's terrible in this movie. His voice doesn't match the character whatsoever, and does nothing to bring the character more to life. At least Jim Carrey put energy and emotion into his performance, whereas Cumberbatch sounds like he's disappointed about the small paycheck he's just been given. The Grinch himself is written in a way that pulls all punches and has to cave in to cutesy kids logic instead of a clever way that tells a good story. Instead of making The Grinch actually funny or interesting, they make him the typical 2018 grumpy hipster who's a good guy at heart but just needs his morning coffee. Making him a mostly good character really undermines the climactic payoff of him finally understanding the meaning Christmas towards the end.

Sadly, both the character and the overall movie as a whole share the same problems; it's boring, uninspired, and vanilla. Much like the character, the movie sucks out anything interesting in favor for playing it safe and selling toys. The music is even done by rapper Tyler The Creator, and even as a moderate fan of his work, the music here is terribly uninspired and obviously an attempt to make the film more hip. Most of the jokes are entirely predictable. Actually, the entire movie is predictable. I don't mean we've seen the original movies, I mean the film follows every generic story you'll ever see in a kids movie. The film feels more like it was written by a computer and less like a team of engrossed screenwriters. One of the film's running gags is the ex-popular 'screaming goat' meme...seriously, I thought that meme stopped being funny in 2013.

Truthfully, this film is not the worst thing to come out of Illumination. It may not be a good movie, but at least it doesn't completely bastardize and miseducate its message like The Lorax did, and at least it isn't as excruciatingly for-the-masses as Minions or The Secret Life Of Pets. The Grinch, as well as every single other Illumination Studios movie, is like a cute untamed puppy; it may urinate on your rug and chew up all of your shoes, but it's cute and looks at you with big puppy dog eyes and does silly things, so you don't punish it and let it slide when it really shouldn't be forgiven so easily. When are we as an audience going to stop letting these thoughtless movies slide solely because of their cuteness? Regardless, moms and kids alike will continue to enjoy these movies without the slightest care, simply because it's cute and nothing more.

Just watched The Grinch in theatre I work at. From the first released trailer they hooked me, so I had an advanced screening today. For me only.

Story seemed to me kinda empty (obviously I had higher expectations), but it is just classic retelling of the same. The plot is classic Grinch tale - Whovilles are happy, Grinch hates it, they love Christmas, he steals it. But the little guy who really steals the entire show is Grinch's dog - Max! Every scene he is at - is so funny and cute, The characters are great and charming, especially Grinch's dog and moose and Cindy Lou Who's friends. Other than that...it seemed to me pretty blank.

As a years-long fan of Grinch's character - charmingly grumpy and bad, lovably mean Grinch, I give the movie score 7 of 10.

Usually I will give the movie score 5 of 10, but thanks to great characters I gave 2 stars more. I recommend this movie to take your kids in theaters - they will have fun, and hopefully you will too. If the story is not that good for you, the feel of classic Christmas spirit is what you get here and that I am sure you will enjoy.