speaking a a big fan of dicken cherish christmas story and i be amaze that it be possible to go so wrong with a movie base upon it and especially one that be actually fairly faithful to the content . i think the main fault lie with the cast or direction of the cast . patrick stewart portrayal be predominantly lifeless compare to other cinematic ebeneezers . in those moment when stewart do attempt to inject some color and his instinct be all wrong . i will never forget the scene toward the end of the film and where the reform scrooge be rejoice in a changed life and and stewart attempt to morph cardiac arrest into a fit of laughter . i get what stewart be try to accomplish but the effect be just plain disturbing and bizarre . the director goal in that scene should be to get the viewer to be happy for scrooge redemption and not to be repulse by his grotesque antic . the ghost of christmas past and present and future be also big disappointment . especially the ghost of christmas yet to come . others have note that he look more like a goofy character from an early star war movie than the mysterious and dreaded apparition of inscrutable future event . the silly light up eye illuminate the interior of the hood and betray the ghost a simply a guy in a cheesy costume . of course and sport a sci fi head but normal and flesh and bone hand do not help either . this costuming of the ghost of christmas yet to come be an even strange decision by the director than the heart attack laugh of patrick stewart scrooge . there be a strange unemotional and detachment from this version that you do not get in others . i think it be because the direction be completely lacking instinct for the mood of the piece . line be quote literally from dickens novel and yet the actor often appear unconvincing and without the emotional commitment require to carry off some of the scene . the staging at time be also quite weird . for example and other version and for the sake of brevity and have not include some scene from the novel and perhaps most notably the scene where the ghost of christmas present take scrooge on a tour of remote area where even people in seclusion be revel in the spirit of the day . this version do include that part of the book . it utilize the singing of silent night a a continuity element from one celebration to another . the vignette end with a far away view of scrooge and the ghost triumphantly silhouette atop a hill a the carol reach it end crescendo . instead of it be a move scene and it all come across a a melodramatic and silly gimmick that be more comical than anything else . others have note that this version also have that cheap and make for tv appearance and i have to agree . compare to the rich and exquisitely lit cinematography of the george c. scott version and you will see that just because this be make for tv do not mean it have to look it . i rate this film with a two only because of my reverence for the story . still and it a shame this cinematic retelling miss so badly with such can not miss material .