The Grinch (2018) User Reviews (690)

Neither a Christmas cracker or a bah humbug

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 20 November 2018]

Part of me was interested in seeing 'The Grinch', being a fan of the original Dr Seuss story and especially the 1966 animated version with Boris Karloff voicing Grinch (do like the Jim Carrey version better than most) and being someone who likes Benedict Cumberbatch and a lot of what he's done. Was nervous though too because the trailer did not look good, the reviews are mixed to not great and did question whether it was necessary.

Dr Seuss adaptations have been very hit and miss. The animated short television specials have fared significantly better than the feature films, Dr Seuss' work lends itself better to adaptations of a short length and the television specials were not only great adaptations and true in detail and spirit but great on their own. Of the feature films, the best one is by far 'Horton Hears a Who' with the worst being the live action 'The Cat in the Hat' (to me among the worst films ever made). Illumination has also been variable, loved the first two 'Despicable Me' films while not caring for 'Minions'.

Saw 'The Grinch' anyway as someone trying to see and review as many 2018 films as possible and loving the story and Christmas films, also to see how Cumberbatch would fare as Grinch. Seeing it, it is nowhere near as good as the 1966 version and is neither a Christmas cracker or a bah humbug. It is also neither among the best or worst films of the year, somewhere in the middle for me.

There are definitely great things here. The animation cannot be faulted, so much gorgeous and meticulous attention to detail and rich vibrant colours that really immerses one into the world of Whoville. Some of the soundtrack has a festive and infectious feel. There are funny and emotional moments, the former with the funny and adorable (plus more interesting) Max and the latter with the Cindy Lou subplot, that and the character herself being the sweet and charming heart of the film.

It is not a film without soul, having a warm glow more than once and some spirited elaborate set pieces, it does well with sticking to the spirit of the story and with the back and forth between Mount Crumpet and Whoville. It is not too long and has a lively pace generally. As said, Max and Cindy Lou are the best characters. Mostly the voice acting is good, with Cameron Seely being the clear standout.

Having said all of this, 'The Grinch' could have been better. It does offer very little new or fresh, trying to be faithful to the source material while not moving enough beyond that that it all feels too safe. It could have done with more humour and heart generally, could have done without the repetitive and tired screaming goat gag and outside of the Cindy Lou subplot soul is missing.

Found myself mixed on the pretty unrecognisable Cumberbatch. He does well providing a curmudgeonly touch and has moments of grinchy- meanness, plaudits too for not making Grinch too scary or resorting to excessive mugging. Do feel though that he was not mean or Grinchy-enough and he would have fared much better using his own voice for the character which would have fitted better. Had a big issue with the annoying, intrusive and over-explanatory narration that was not always necessary and with a rather out of place Pharrell Williams. Other parts of the soundtrack grated and too reminiscent of commercial music neither catchy or to my taste that didn't gel with the setting or the rest of the film. Too many of the supporting characters are forgettable and one-dimensional.

Overall, better than what the critics have generally said but was rather mixed on a film with a lot of great merits but feels too safe and one does question the point of it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The trailer shows it all

[jimmy_a-71398 · 6/10 · 9 November 2018]

If you've seen the trailer you've seen the whole movie. It's funny, yes, but the trailer ruins it as it has included every single joke from the movie.

I probably won't be watching again

[katierollings-02905 · 5/10 · 13 November 2018]

Well maybe in the distant future. I mean it was watchable but not amazing. I expected it to be funnier. Benedict has nothing on Jim Carrey and I can't help but compare and it's light years away from that amazing movie.

Very Colorful

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 26 June 2019]

I watched this with my grandson. Yes, I still think the original cartoon based on the book is superior. There is a simplicity that really works. The Grinch is downright mean. I love Benedict Cumberbach, but found his voice just too soothing to pull off our guy. There was too much psychological mumbo jumbo as the writers came up with an excuse for the Grinch being the way he was. Of course, it was his childhood. The movie is spectacular in its visuals. There are colorful scenes and excellent structures, making Whoville really magnificent. But the story is watered down and using Cindy Lou Who as an active character didn't work for me.

The Grinch

[DylanAnglin · 7/10 · 11 November 2018]

I rarely watch animated movies, so I didn't expect much going into this one. I have to say I like the original and Jim Carrey ones better, but this is still fun. For a family movie, or just a movie to go see with a friend or girlfriend, I think this is a good flick to see going into the holidays! 7/10

Very pretty movie!

[JackHammer69 · 7/10 · 21 July 2019]

Very colourful, and beautiful visuals. I DESPISED the Hip Hop soundtrack though.

My 3 Year Old Loved It

[jgibson75 · 7/10 · 10 November 2018]

This was the first movie theater experience for my 3 year old son. At 1 hour and 30 minutes he did get a tad restless in the later half of the film, which is to be expected. But he did love the film and the experience. As for me, nothing will top the classic cartoon from my childhood. And bits of this felt a bit more stretched out than needed be. But overall I found it cute, lighthearted entertainment that managed to capture the spirit of the original. The voice acting and a animation were solid. The songs, while not as good in my 43 year old eyes as the original tunes, were still serviceable.

This film shocked me...it was good...very good.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 24 December 2019]

I know this will upset some folks, but the 2000 version of Dr. Seuss' classic, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" was an abomination. First, the entire message of the original story was lost...and was, in fact, the opposite of Seuss' story. Second, the story was all about Jim Carrey and his mugging for the camera....everything else seemed secondary. Because of this, I was terribly disappointed, as I loved the original story and the great 1966 cartoon. Because of this, I was very reticent to watch this 2018 incarnation. But, in hindsight, my fears about the latest film are mostly unfounded.

Because the film is about an hour and a half long, I already realized that the story had to be padded and include some new material...this is just inevitable. However, I was surprised how much I liked this material...such as the Grinch's cute reindeer. It was very pleasant and all contributed to the story instead of distracting from it. And, as far as the story goes, it stuck pretty close to the book--even using many exact quotes from the classic tale.

As far as the quality of the film goes, it's a mixed bag but mostly good. The animation was eye-popping and wonderful. It really is great on the big screen and the 3-D effects were magnificent. I also liked that they made the Grinch a hater of Christmas but NOT a hateful or evil character. He was kinder and more sweet at times....even though he hated the holiday. The only things I wasn't thrilled about were the narration by John Legend and the voicework for the Grinch himself by Benedict Cumberbatch. I had the distinct impression that BOTH were used simply because the studio could get them--not because they were appropriate for the film. Legend is apparently a nice guy...but his nice-guy voice wasn't what you'd want or expect from a narrator. The same for Cumberbatch--who DID sound very different from his usual English accented voice but still was too 'normal' a voice for a character such as the Grinch.

Overall, despite my voice talent complaint, the film is a great family film...one that honors the book and 1966 film instead of ignoring it like the 2000 incarnation. Well worth seeing and amazingly heartwarming...especially at the end as well as when the Grinch is interacting with his dog and pet reindeer.

Good movie, but forgettable.

[nubsies · 7/10 · 9 November 2018]

This movie is wonderful. It truely makes you get into the christmas spirit. The cast in this movie was great, especially Benedict Cumberbatch. He really put alot alot of power and character into the Grinch. Even better than Jim Carreys Grinch imo. The grich is a pretty lonely character so he has max to get along with. Max is a great character, though a dog, he's still loveable. The chemistry between Max and Grinch works great. In my opinion they could have given Frank a better exit than the way they did. I felt like the process of the Grinch becoming Santa was pushed a little late in the film, and that they spent too much time showing grinch just wondering around. There wasn't a whole lot going on with the story/plot. It was kinda just the same as the previous live action film with Jim Carrey, but the new characters kind of helped with that. Also what made it a little better was that they gave Cindy-Lou a motive for being in the movie, which was her just trying to help her mom. I was expecting to get some kind of cameo from past illumination characters, but i did like the callbacks to the previous grinch film. I feel like thus movie will only be popular for the next couple days. I dont really plan on seeing this again. Its not amazing but still a fun watch. Great movie for the kids.

OK, but feels unnecessary

[brynnharms-70885 · 4/10 · 10 November 2018]

Took the grandkids to this movie...they didn't think it was very good. It seems like something that was produced for the dollars it could make rather than a story that needed to be told.

The good: it was not very long. The colors are brilliant and visually stimulating. Max was remade with a little more of a fun personality.

The bad: Grinch somehow seemed wrong. I'm not sure if it was the voice, the artistic effects, or just a general un-Grinchiness. The story was a retelling that didn't need to be. The biggest negative is the feeling that this movie is forgettable.

I'm sure I'll never watch it again. I've watched the original about a billion times, and the Jim Carrey version nearly the same.

Bottom line...save your money and rent it later.

Don't listen to the grinches reviewing this movie!

[benribble · 9/10 · 9 November 2018]

Anyone who gave this a bad rating clearly is just upset because, they don't like a modern Grinch because they grew up with the original classic Grinch cartoon. This movie was one of the most adorable and fun feel-good animated movies I've seen in a long time. Benedict Cumberbatch killed it as the Grinch and, all the gadgets and grandeur of the grinches holiday heist scene is so creative and colourful and fantastical! This is one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time up there with Nightmare before Christmas. This movie was a joy to watch and if you couldn't find joy in this movie maybe, you're the Grinch.

Doesn't make sense.

[Jaspa1982 · 6/10 · 2 April 2019]

Watched this with my 8 year old son when he was sick from school. He said he really liked it but I noticed he wasn't laughing very often. I think the story is so timeless and characters so rich that just the fact that it's The Grinch is enough to satisfy. But for me, an adult that actually enjoyed Jim Carey's over the top movie, and of course the universally loved magnificent Chuck Jones version, I just thought this was dull. Very few laughs (although certainly some), nothing new visually, no real imagination. The opening was the best part, as The Grinch wakes and dresses in a fun way. But after that, just kinda of cruises along, one pop song after another.

The animation however, is truly fabulous. Looks amazing, bright and colorful and beautiful. Max the dog is cute. The snow really crunched and you can feel the cold.

It's been said so often that it's hardly worth saying again - but why remake something and not significantly change it, offering something new to the story? How about setting the story after The Grinch steals Christmas instead of retelling exactly the story we've already seen and enjoyed? Just doesn't make sense to me.

Wrong voice, the most friendly Grinch I have ever seen

[longstock60 · 1/10 · 10 November 2018]

They picked the absolute worst voice for the Grinch. Also the Grinch didn't even seem bad. In fact, its like a five year old would have considered this movie less than a G rating. The Grinch is known to have a hard stare and grin with a rough voice. They ruined this version.

Such a disappointment

[mandiday-07134 · 16 December 2018]

There were cute scenes but they were all in the trailer. The whole family was disappointed by this movie.

Harmless 'Grinch' plays it safe

[nsharath009 · 6/10 · 10 November 2018]

Cheer up: "The Grinch" is a respectable, if safe, retelling of Dr. Seuss' holiday classic.

This computer animated fable - which follows the televised 1966 cartoon special and 2000's Jim Carrey-starring live action version - honors the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" and preserves Seuss' wonky visual style.

If this Grinch is considerably cuddlier than the green monster you remember - his edges are rounded rather than sharp, his eyes soft rather than twisted and menacing - that's just the reality of today's marketplace. Can you imagine the uproar if the Grinch was an actual, you know, Grinch?

Benedict Cumberbatch ditches his accent to voice the Christmas-hating heel, who lives in a cave by himself high above Whoville. Cumberbatch's reading is rather sanitized; if directors Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier didn't want a British Grinch, Cumberbatch was a curious choice.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and ol' Grinchy is forced to go into Whoville and interact with its cheery inhabitants, who are preparing for a Christmas celebration that promises to be three times larger than the average holiday blowout. The Grinch - aided by his trusty dog Max - devises a scheme to rob the residents of Whoville of all their Christmas bounty while dressed as Santa Claus, until his plan is foiled by young Cindy Lou Who (voiced by Cameron Seely), who puts a little love back in the Grinch's rotten, decrepit heart.

You know the story, and "The Grinch" wisely sticks to the basics without modernizing the details (the Grinch doesn't suddenly have an Instagram account) or greatly altering the structure. The 2000 version spent a good deal of time diving into the Grinch's backstory, making him a victim of childhood bullying; that's gone here. And since the original book runs just 69 pages, "The Grinch" doesn't stretch for material, and wraps in a concise 86 minutes.

Pharrell Williams narrates the story, but doesn't have much flavor in his phrasing; somewhere, there's a voice actor cursing the day celebrities took over the voiceover field.

Illumination Entertainment, responsible for the "Despicable Me" movies and "The Secret Life of Pets," is in charge here, and gives the film a brightly lit, visually appealing aesthetic.

"The Grinch" doesn't reinvent the story of the Grinch, nor does it top the crudely drawn charms of the original TV version. (It's tough to beat Boris Karloff's Grinch, and Cumberbatch doesn't put up much of a fight.) But by the end it opens it arms and spreads a fair amount of holiday cheer, which is obvious to even those whose hearts are two sizes too small.

It's updated

[AsianTalentHollywood · 6/10 · 14 December 2020]

As someone who remembers the premiere of the half hour animated classic, I loved seeing it updated with wonderful animation. I liked the additions to the story as well and the funny animal characters. The Ox alone is worth watching. Where it misses the mark is the casting of voice artists. The Grinch in particular is a really bad choice. There is no evil darkness to the grinch and a voice like Boris Karloff was a necessary component. Pharrell was not the best choice for narration and I'm a huge fan. Hits outweigh the misses, it's a fun update, and you can still watch the original too.

Not bad, but not great either...

[krazy-mm · 7/10 · 8 November 2018]

Just watched The Grinch in theatre I work at. From the first released trailer they hooked me, so I had an advanced screening today. For me only.

Story seemed to me kinda empty (obviously I had higher expectations), but it is just classic retelling of the same. The plot is classic Grinch tale - Whovilles are happy, Grinch hates it, they love Christmas, he steals it. But the little guy who really steals the entire show is Grinch's dog - Max! Every scene he is at - is so funny and cute, The characters are great and charming, especially Grinch's dog and moose and Cindy Lou Who's friends. Other than that...it seemed to me pretty blank.

As a years-long fan of Grinch's character - charmingly grumpy and bad, lovably mean Grinch, I give the movie score 7 of 10.

Usually I will give the movie score 5 of 10, but thanks to great characters I gave 2 stars more. I recommend this movie to take your kids in theaters - they will have fun, and hopefully you will too. If the story is not that good for you, the feel of classic Christmas spirit is what you get here and that I am sure you will enjoy.

Cute enough to see, but likely won't be memorable

[EderR28 · 6/10 · 10 November 2018]

The animation is wonky and it's generally unremarkable, but some of it works. Cindy was so cute and Benedict Cumberbatch was a great choice but his voice sounded odd like a Cumberbatch, Ryan Reynolds, and Bill Hader mix. It's not gonna wow anybody but no one will regret seeing it either. It sucks having to be compared to the fantastic original but for the most part The Grinch satisfies enough.

Cute family Christmas movie.

[agroneman · 8/10 · 11 November 2018]

It is the classic story of The Grinch we all know so well. So yes its predictable, yes we know what's going to happen and how it ends, but even so it was a joy to watch and the kids really enjoyed it. This version of the grinch is a little less disgusting and you see a bit more kindness from him, which I liked. It had quite a few laughs and some very sweet moments. I personally liked it better than the Jim Carry version. But nothing beats the original.

can't improve on perfection

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 August 2019]

The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) hates Christmas. To his horror, he has emotionally eaten all the food and is forced to go into Whoville during the Christmas season. It doesn't go well and he comes up with the idea to ruin Christmas by impersonating Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Cindy Lou Who needs to talk to Santa about her wish. She recruits her friends to catch Santa.

The 1966 special is perfect. This movie tries to improve on it by expanding on the story. It's a fool's errand. It could never improve on perfection. I actually don't mind the expansion in general. There are two big no-nos. The Whos look way too human and where are their antennas? They're just people with tiny noses. If the Whos are humans, then make Grinch a human and make this a live action movie. I wouldn't recommend it but at least, that could be interesting. This movie tries to be too modern. It needs to get rid of the electronics. The Whos exist in a specific world and the closer it gets to the modern world, the worst the visual content gets. The Whos have a certain style. At some point, it's no longer Dr. Seuss. At least, it's short. As for the voice work, the original had the greatness of Boris Karloff and the iconic song with Thurl Ravenscroft. These are iconic voices like Darth Vader. It doesn't get better than the best. Now it can be argued that Karloff was not the Grinch but rather the narrator reading the Grinch's dialogue. He's still the voice of the Grinch to me and Cumberbatch is doing something less compelling. I can see how the voice fits the character but it comes off weakly. Cindy Lou Who is older which is fine but the Whos sound too modern. They lack the wide eyed innocence that is inherent in their world. Nobody is evil but there is a stress in some of them especially the mom. Finally, there is the Grinch underwear. I get the joke but I'm conflicted about the results. Overall, this is an impossible job. Unless the filmmaker is willing to take unhealthy risks, it could never achieve much more than this movie. It's fine but this will be soon forgotten.

Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more. Lost it's message!

[donna-marie-wilson · 2/10 · 18 November 2018]

I just didn't like it. I love the book I read it from November onwards every year to my kids. I love both the older versions but this just got diluted down until it was a poor version of a Christmas movie. The odd funny moments but nothing else. There was nothing mean or awful about the grinch at all he was quite nice to begin with just a lonely sad man who needed friends

Excellent!

[AdrienneGrayceMusic · 10/10 · 11 November 2018]

There is a reason I don't read critic reviews, and it is because I never ever agree with them. Usually when they say a movie is bad, I like it and vice versa. I like to leave reviews for movies and tv shows because I enjoy them, and I don't care about other people's views. I will give you my honest review as just a regular movie lover. Glad I didn't listen to critics on this film. It was great! A sold out theater. Kids and adults all laughed throughout the film. I went with my husband, sister, brother in law, and my niece and nephew. We all loved it equally. I enjoyed Jim Carey's version but I cannot compare them. I was wondering if I could like this without it having Jim Carey but I truly did. Heart-warming film with a slightly different take on it from the last film. To me, the dog, MAX stole the show! Great animation and effects. 3D is even better. To the people saying there was no storyline...ummm, there was! sheesh. Its about...well...THE GRINCH!! You don't take my advice, its just MY opinion, but I advise everyone to see this. Do not expect an Emmy winner, but it is still a great, warm and cozy holiday film.

This movie is not bad, but it is not great either. Still worth seeing though!

[collmarsch · 6/10 · 10 November 2018]

3/5: This movie was okay. It is worth it to see it in theaters but if you are excited about other movies, I'd see those over this.

I love the Grinch. All the films and just for the fact that it is a Christmas movie that isn't all the same as the others. I came into this film excited because I really enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor and figured he would do a great job as the Grinch. To keep it short, he does a great job as the Grinch. This movie was different from what I expected though. The Whos when the Grinch would visit weren't in fear of the Grinch. They didn't avoid him, there are characters that openly try to embrace the Grinch. While the story of the movie has this tone makes sense, it was weird throughout seeing this. The best part of the film is Max. He is the character that helped me enjoy this movie. The bonding between Grinch and Max is adorable especially if you have a pupper at home. The Whos really take back seat in this film and that was fine because they really didn't enhance it much for me outside of a singular character and a few scenes. This is not a bad movie, I just don't think it is necessary for theaters. If you love the Grinch, I recommend a viewing but with movies like Overlord, Widows, and Girl in the Spiders Web, I feel that your experience could be better served if you're more excited for those films.

TL;DR- This Grinch is the least grinchy of them all. Max and the animal pals make the movie fun to sit through because they are adorable. If you love the Grinch, I'd say see this but if you're excited for other movies this week and next, save your cash and see those.

More or less EXACTLY what one would expect from Illumination's The Grinch.

[Joshua_Penczek · 4/10 · 10 November 2018]

Illumination is a studio known for producing gutless, boring, paint-by-numbers, mass appeal movies that focus more on cute gimmicks and marketing than they do on actual storytelling and character development. If you've seen anything else from Illumination, you practically don't need to see this movie, because you can probably just predict every scene in your head and just about get it right. While The Grinch isn't Illumination's worst, it's still a thoughtless and emotionless product only meant to sell toys and theater tickets before charm and charisma.

Benedict Cumberbatch's Grinch is boring. I do like Cumberbatch and I did think he'd be great to voice the Grinch, but he's terrible in this movie. His voice doesn't match the character whatsoever, and does nothing to bring the character more to life. At least Jim Carrey put energy and emotion into his performance, whereas Cumberbatch sounds like he's disappointed about the small paycheck he's just been given. The Grinch himself is written in a way that pulls all punches and has to cave in to cutesy kids logic instead of a clever way that tells a good story. Instead of making The Grinch actually funny or interesting, they make him the typical 2018 grumpy hipster who's a good guy at heart but just needs his morning coffee. Making him a mostly good character really undermines the climactic payoff of him finally understanding the meaning Christmas towards the end.

Sadly, both the character and the overall movie as a whole share the same problems; it's boring, uninspired, and vanilla. Much like the character, the movie sucks out anything interesting in favor for playing it safe and selling toys. The music is even done by rapper Tyler The Creator, and even as a moderate fan of his work, the music here is terribly uninspired and obviously an attempt to make the film more hip. Most of the jokes are entirely predictable. Actually, the entire movie is predictable. I don't mean we've seen the original movies, I mean the film follows every generic story you'll ever see in a kids movie. The film feels more like it was written by a computer and less like a team of engrossed screenwriters. One of the film's running gags is the ex-popular 'screaming goat' meme...seriously, I thought that meme stopped being funny in 2013.

Truthfully, this film is not the worst thing to come out of Illumination. It may not be a good movie, but at least it doesn't completely bastardize and miseducate its message like The Lorax did, and at least it isn't as excruciatingly for-the-masses as Minions or The Secret Life Of Pets. The Grinch, as well as every single other Illumination Studios movie, is like a cute untamed puppy; it may urinate on your rug and chew up all of your shoes, but it's cute and looks at you with big puppy dog eyes and does silly things, so you don't punish it and let it slide when it really shouldn't be forgiven so easily. When are we as an audience going to stop letting these thoughtless movies slide solely because of their cuteness? Regardless, moms and kids alike will continue to enjoy these movies without the slightest care, simply because it's cute and nothing more.

amazing movie

[amrzoro · 13 November 2018]

I watched this movie at the cenima , it was funny movie ,i think this movie is suitable for kid ..also it's family movie ..i laughed a lot..in my opinion i think this movie deserve high rate .. my rate is (10\10)