The Grinch Review: 3 Ups & 6 Downs

1. The Jim Carrey Version Is Better

Though the 1966 adaptation is far and away the most consistently acclaimed screen version of The Grinch, it's fair to say that the new movie is going to be most commonly compared to the 2000 Jim Carrey-starring movie, and it just doesn't measure up.

Ron Howard's version certainly had plenty of flaws, but it was at least trying to be something other than a bland family comedy.

Howard made weird and interesting choices and layered a cutting consumerist satire over the entire thing, while making the characters edgier than in the source material.

By comparison the new film just feels totally uninspired, to say nothing of the fact that Carrey's excellent performance added a hell of a lot to the movie, whereas Cumerbatch just quickly disappears into the background.

If the Howard movie at least tried to be something smarter and different, this feels like a pallid imitation without any soul to speak of.

So, The Grinch isn't a good film, but it isn't a totally worthless sit either. Here's what Illumination actually got right...