|
|
 |
Flintstones Christmas Carol (A)
R1 - America - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (26th November 2007). |
|
The Film
 Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' is probably the most influential Christmas story ever told. It's been done, redone and re-imagined so many times, it's almost impossible to think of a TV show that hasn't spoofed it. So, this is the time where the legendary Flintstone family experiences their own version of the popular tale. The community theatre puts on a play version of 'A Christmas Carol' and Fred takes his role way too seriously, more or less forgetting buying presents for his family and, more importantly, forgetting the real meaning of Christmas. He also gets distracted by the cute blond girl starring opposite him, but there's also a pretty nasty strain of flu going around Bedrock. In the end, there's enough of everything to get Fred to forget about Christmas. The way Fred changes is actually pretty inventive. He's read the play, he knows what's going to happen, but his character parallels Scrooge’s pretty closely. Using the play as a vehicle for Fred's transformation is also pretty intelligent. Never forgetting Fred Flintstone is the star, there's plenty of bangs on the noggin and crashes to see and laugh at. This is an enjoyable tale told in a fun way, enjoyable for the whole family. There's enough freshness in the story that people who know 'A Christmas Carol' won't find this long. I personally wonder at how a play could have such elaborate sets, street scenes and special effects. That's the magic of the theatre!
Video
1.33:1 full screen. For a cartoon from 1994, though, the picture looks a bit used up. Even for an animated movie, the picture is pretty soft, and the colours don't pop out as much as they should. In fact, they seem a bit dull. On the plus side, there are no specks, no scratches, and no compression artifacts or edge enhancement. For tube TV watching, this should be pretty good.
Audio
The movie comes in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track (and also a Portuguese dub in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono). It's pretty good, considering this is a cartoon from 1994. The dialogue is clear and every paraphrase (and quote) from 'A Christmas Carol' is clear and audible. Pops and hisses also seemed to have been taken out, leaving the track pretty clean. Nothing is drowned out and all the crashes and yells are clearly audible. English (HoH) and Portuguese subtitles are here.
Extras
The biggest extra is an actual Bonus Episode from the show's fourth season in 1964. It's 'A Flintstones Christmas' (25:15) and for some extra Christmas money, Fred decides to get a job at MacyRock, a big store that needs help during the holidays. It's a fun episode. After that, only a bunch of Trailers remain. Three trailers are here, for 'Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!' (0:56), 'Dennis the Menace' (0:43) and 'Christmas with Tom and Jerry and the Flintstones' (1:25). There's also a Start-up Trailer for 'Christmas Television Favorites Collection' (1:18).
Overall
|
|||||
|