Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 29, 2017

Remember when Jim Carrey was a box office powerhouse, a sure-fire, can't-miss superstar whose name alone all but guaranteed a humongous box office and plenty of laughs? He was right up there in the Julia Roberts stratosphere and, indeed, he's starred in some of the funniest (and best) movies of his heyday. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas isn't one of them. Even paired with Ron Howard, the widely acclaimed filmmaker whose credits include dramatic hits such as Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code and more fantastical films including Cocoon and Willow, the film fails to take off, capturing a core spirit of frivolity and Seuss-like oddity but struggling to build, never mind maintain, an agreeable pace or grasp onto anything of compelling narrative interest.

If the movie is anything, it's lively and visually attuned to its whimsical world of the Who. Howard’s direction is cockeyed and crooked, reflecting the playful nature, odd world, and fantastical narrative that makes the story. If one were going to make a live-action Seuss adaptation, it would have to look something like this. The film always has something visually interesting, if not arresting, on display, so even when the storyline feels too far extended and the characters bore, there's ample opportunity for visual exploration. But that's also a problem. The film seems made for "event" status, to wrench a whimsical and weird place and story into the live-action realm, and Howard has chosen to emphasize style over substance. The film runs too long and its design can't prop up its almost always fledgeling and overextended story. It's fun at first but the curvy cues, disproportionately designed elements, and hard cinematic angles grow tiresome as the film progresses, as it becomes clear that style towers over substance. Even Carrey's performance gets lost in the mix; the title character rarely ascends above the costume, environments, and Howard's construction. Carrey may vocalize and move about well enough, but under the fur and through the movie's fluff there's little room for him to shine, never mind really give the character a tangible personality.

For more thoughts on the film, please see the Blu-ray.com review for the original 2009 release here.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While I do not have access to a copy of Universal's original 2009 Blu-ray release of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, it was by all accounts another all-too-familiar crummy Universal catalogue title. This "newly remastered" presentation, which is also available in 4K on UHD, would appear to offer a fair upgrade over the old Blu-ray, but it is still by no means a real looker. Part of that is the movie's somewhat drab filtering. Colors abound, particularly Christmas greens and reds, but there's not a real sense of significant pop or vibrancy. They're not muted, but the movie is filtered dark enough to render them a little less than eye-popping. Still, solid enough saturation and basic accuracy are evident throughout. Definition is hit-or-miss, with various elements often appearing flat and aimlessly detailed with only cursory definition on some shots. Grinch fur is often less than ideally realized, lacking the precision, strand-by-strand, intimate texturing that one would expect to find on the best the format has to offer. Likewise, the snowy, rocky, mountainous terrain around The Grinch's hideaway usually lacks precision detailing, too, leaving such elements, and the entire scenes in which they appear, noticeably dull and boring. On the flip side, a number of scenes offer a more stable, pleasingly filmic veneer. Detail enjoys a fair, occasionally sizable, improvement in depth and sharpness. Skin close-ups show off plenty of makeup details and general costume textures are honestly presented. Blacks aren't too far removed from true. Skin tones can push a little dull in places, a bit more rosy and healthy in others. Still, the image just never leaps off the screen in any one category. An improvement from before? Sure. Perfection? Not really, but the movie doesn't appear to be one that would be capable of blowing anyone away by its innate design.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rather than include the DTS:X soundtrack found on the new UHD release, Universal has opted to include a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. As with the video, I cannot confirm if it is identical to that found on the 2009 release. This track is fair, though, offering regular, but not often substantial, surround implementation. Musical clarity is adequate, with pleasantly wide berth across the front and some back channel spread. Environmental effects are sufficiently fussy and active around the town, and a few fun zips and zooms traverse the listening area. For example, blaring sirens and whooshing mail in the sorting room prove enjoyably robust, as is a Christmas light "machine gun" heard popping all over the stage at the 15-minute mark. Musical clarity and spread are fine, and detailed dialogue is well positioned and prioritized for the duration.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas contains the same supplemental content as that found on the 2009 release. For full reviews, please click here. For convenience, below is a basic list of what's included. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Spotlight on Location
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Who School
• Makeup Application and Design
• Visual Effects
• Music Video: "Where Are You Christmas?" by Faith Hill.
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio Commentary: Director Ron Howard.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a mouthful of a title and the movie is an eyeful of playful odds and ends that overwhelm the core story and the lead performance. Howard's picture lacks charm, struggles to find and maintain rhythm, and generally relies on style over substance, but once the style has been established, it, too, seems to just get in the way. The movie is in serious need of trimming, reorganization, and getting back to basics; as it is it's an interesting footnote to the classic story and the beloved animated short. Universal's "newly remastered" Blu-ray delivers solid if not still somewhat underwhelming video, enjoyable 5.1 channel audio, and a collection of repeat extras. Fans without UHD capabilities will obviously be better served by picking up this release rather than the more dated 2009 disc.