Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott Produced an Adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’

When one thinks of Christmas movies, the image of Tom Hardy or Guy Pearce doesn’t necessarily come to mind. Hardy has made a name for himself by taking challenging roles that usually lead to more masculine and stoic roles. While he is a vastly underrated actor, Guy Pearce has never reached the same acclaim as Hardy. Yet, he has also settled into similar roles, dripping machismo. That is not to say that celebrating the holidays is not necessarily under the scope of ‘manly,’ but the season is more focused on good tidings and coming together.

Is this why their work on an adaptation of A Christmas Carol flew under the radar? Or is it just that it exists as one of the many superb adaptations and gets lost in the slew of Christmas movies that drop yearly? We will examine this underrated Christmas gem, why it did not get the deserved praise, and why you should watch it this holiday season — that is if you can handle the darker take on the classic tale.

Not Just Another Adaption of ‘A Christmas Carol’

It is hard to deny that Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is the most famous and culturally resonating Christmas story of all time; there are over a hundred adaptations for the screen and TV. Most of these stick to the story relatively faithfully, and many have seen success, becoming classics of the holiday. This includes A Christmas Carol (1938), Scrooge (1970), and The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), among the few that have made it into the annual tradition of festive viewing in households.

Released in 2019 as a TV miniseries on BBC One in the UK and FX in America, A Christmas Carol consisted of three 40-plus-minute episodes. The series follows the same premise of Dickens’s work: Scrooge meets with ghosts during Christmas, giving him a new view on life as he reflects on the past. Yet, where the miniseries differs is that it takes a much more mature tone and adds additional narrative elements.

With a generally bleaker tone than other adaptations, the series included graphic violence, nudity, and adult language. It also explores more complex themes, with Scrooge being portrayed as suffering sexual abuse as a child, which pushed his cruelty towards women as an adult. Other changes include political commentary that is more pronounced than in the original work, changes to characters, and a different ending. While still in the theme of A Christmas Carol with its conclusion, there is enough of a twist to leave it better for audiences to discover.

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What Makes 2019’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Great

It is difficult to overlook the superb cast in 2019’s A Christmas Carol. Guy Pearce does a phenomenal job as a more contemplative Scrooge, Andy Serkis perfectly performs as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Stephen Graham brings a unique spin to Jacob Marley. The rest of the cast, rounded out by Joe Alwyn, Vinette Robinson, Remmie Milner, Lenny Rush, Jason Flemyng, Remmie Milner, and Charlotte Riley, also do a phenomenal job in their respective roles. Tom Hardy, who acted as executive producer alongside other notable names like Ridley Scott, certainly reflected confidence in the project.

While the more mature take certainly adds intrigue, just adding these elements does not necessarily make a classic better, even with a strong cast. Steven Knight’s script is so well executed that it adds emotional depth and profound commentary to the holiday classic in a way that inspires contemplation. The miniseries is very much a modern, well-thought-out take. This has certainly been reflected in the audience reception; while the movie does not have an RT score from critics, it has 81% on the Popcornmeter, 7.3/10 on IMDB, and 3.2/5 on Letterboxd.

Why ‘A Christmas Carol’ Remains Underrated

Backed by a phenomenal cast and a fresh take on a classic aimed at a more mature audience, the reason 2019’s A Christmas Carol remains underrated remains obvious despite its strengths. The TV miniseries format is not as widely accessible to people on the holidays looking for a movie to casually tune in for; even when episodes are grouped together, the series has a somewhat daunting runtime. This means it demands the viewer’s attention, which is often split during the season’s chaos.

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Still, the most straightforward answer is that the film is aimed at a mature audience, and its non-kid-friendly nature vastly limits viewing potential during the holiday season. This is something you save to watch on Christmas when the kids are in bed, but even then, it will depend on what mature audiences want on the holiday; even the most hardened cinema fan tends to indulge in more sentimental movies during the holidays. Is it still worth watching (if you can set aside the time), as 2019’s A Christmas Carol is a unique take on the traditional tale that will appease those looking for darker and more contemplative entertainment. You can stream 2019’s A Christmas Carol on Hulu.