Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Man Who Invented Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Kind of like "The Man Who Invented Fire" but whatever, it's still a fun little movie.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 22, 2018

"The story behind the story"-type movies recently seem to be growing in popularity. Consider Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, a film about a love triangle that's a driving force behind the creation of the popular comic book character Wonder Woman. The Man Who Invented Christmas is similarly structured. It's nowhere near as risqué (or at all, really) to be sure, but it does explore the origins -- however authentic, however contrived -- of the beloved Christmastime tale A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the acclaimed 19th century English author who high school students and lovers of literature might know better as the man who wrote novels like Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. It's an agreeable little film, blending in humor, drama, and an interesting look at a troubled artist whose writings spur him to imagine manifestations of the very characters he is creating who, in a roundabout way, turn the tables on him and force him to see his life from a new perspective, just as the story goes in the book.

Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) has written a sensational bestseller in Oliver Twist. He’s a literary star at home in London and abroad as well. But since his greatest success he has penned a trio of flops, and he has writer’s block. Nothing is coming to him, and his prospects for rediscovering that same level of success seem ever more hopeless. He’s battling personal problems, too -- money troubles, notably -- and his various issues are only exacerbated by his critics and the presence of his father, John (Jonathan Pryce). His situation appears bleak and his prospects dim, but when his agent promises publishers that Charles will have the first chapter of a new book to them soon, his crisis only intensifies. Scared of the writing process and struggling through the process of coming to terms with his dark past, inspiration strikes (“bah, humbug!”) and the story that would become A Christmas Carol begins to take shape as its characters, notably Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), begin to develop in his imagination and, in front of his eyes, manifest in the real world.

What's most fascinating about The Man Who Invented Christmas isn't necessarily the ebbs and flows of Dickens' writing but rather the ebbs and flows of Dickens' genius. He's portrayed, brilliantly by Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast), as a man who struggles with confidence. He worries about money even as he lives comfortably, he struggles to reconcile with his past and his relationship with his father, he's been battling a serious case of writers' block, and in those times when he has been writing, the books have not done particularly well, not in sales and not with the critics, including one highbrow (Miles Jupp) who delights in knocking Dickens down in what are amongst the film's best scenes. But as the artist gains inspiration for his book, including meeting people whose names, phrases, and characteristics would come to shape the story, Dickens finds himself in a frenzy of literally brilliance and on the path to personal redemption, guided by a manifestation of Scrooge himself, who is in many ways Dickens' mirror of his own creation, an outlet, ultimately, into whom the writer pours his soul and onto whom he lays his heart.

The movie isn’t exactly teeming with a sense of authenticity. The movie is based on a book of the same name by Les Standiford, but it certainly takes some liberties with the true story for comedic and dramatic effect. The film is playful, light on its feet, and enjoys its character, his struggles and ultimately his successes and particularly his idiosyncrasies. Stevens' portrayal is on the nose, capturing the realities of a struggling writer, running (literally, often) with ideas as they spring into his head in classic "eureka!" moments, and battling through his clashes with Scrooge, portrayed by Christopher Plummer with scene-stealing aplomb. But it's mostly Stevens putting on that writers' front and not only portraying, but seemingly understanding, how for so many the process works, as characters aren't necessarily forged as words on a page but, for him, anyway, living, breathing figures who guide him in their own creation and, along the way, guide him back into reality and success. That's the movie's real magic, its brilliant capture of the process with the added benefit of watching one of literature's great tales come to be.

The Man Who Invented Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Man Who Invented Christmas features a wonderful 1080p transfer. This is a very well defined image, sourced from a digital shoot, that offers a steady diet of textural delights. Intimate facial features are effortlessly revealed. Dense London environments -- even digitally supported exteriors -- are clear and detailed, but the real joy, beyond essential faces and clothes, are London streets and storefronts and back alleys and cemeteries that are home to complex brick and stone surfaces and plenty of enjoyable secondary elements that are just as sharp and revealing as the broader big boys. Additionally, cramped interiors, lined with books, big furnishings, lived-in rooms, and small but critical support textures like a book's cover, pillows, and candelabra in Dickens' bedroom are all more than capably sharp and revealing. Colors are pleasantly rich and well saturated. Warm woods and musty books, brighter accents on clothes and curtains, and excellent black depth and shadow detail are highlights. Even gray-shaded daytime London street colors are impressively accurate. Mild source noise is visible throughout but is never an irritant. This is a very capable and agreeable 1080p presentation from Universal.

The Man Who Invented Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Man Who Invented Christmas features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It opens with a busy, engaged bang as chants and stomps dominate the entirety of the stage as a crowd eagerly awaits Dickens' arrival on-stage. Dense, engaged stage width and depth is common; there's a very lively sense of humanity in various scenes. Surrounds carry music, too, as well as effects, particularly as Dickens' imagination begins to run wild and the chained Jacob Marley enters the film, the scene also met with a nice burst of low end engagement. Fantastic environmental ambience filters into the stage in many scenes. Rolling water and a ringing buoy on a pier in chapter 15 prove particularly engaging, but so too are other effects such as bustling London city streets or some reverberation during a flashback at the 72-minute mark. There is almost a sense of overhead engagement when a chandelier falls at the 35:40 mark, playing also with the expected crashing chaos and low end weight. Dialogue is refined and detailed, well prioritized, and properly positioned.

The Man Who Invented Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Man Who Invented Christmas contains one extra. The Story Behind 'The Man Who Invented Christmas' (1080p, 2:46) takes look at the story, characters, and the book's enduring legacy. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

The Man Who Invented Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fun little watch about a man who finds inspiration to write in the world around him, but also as his story becomes a reflection of himself, in a roundabout way. It's well acted with a pair of leads in Stevens and Plummer who devour the material in every scene. Universal's Blu-ray skimps on special features but does deliver fantastic 1080p picture and 5.1 lossless sound. Recommended.