Fiery is the latest in the long history of adapting Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol. However, it’s the most modern musical update I’ve seen in a long time (having been in one of the high school musical releases). It also features two excellent lead performances from Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, as well as an excellent supporting cast and cameos. Full of humor, heart and catchy songs, this is just the movie to get you into the Christmas spirit!
Animated review
The film follows the basic principle of A Christmas Carol: Jacob Marley and the three spirits of past, present and future select a dark soul to reform before Christmas Day. However, unlike the original version, the afterlife is a musical and the haunting is a production in its own right, full of song, dance, cues and transitions galore! However, this time the dark soul decides to shed some light on the spirits themselves, specifically Present (Will Ferrell). Ferrell is a great choice to play Present, having already been part of another Christmas classic in Elf. He brings his reliable humor to the film as well as great singing and dancing.
He also has great chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, who plays the unlucky dark soul Clint Briggs; he’s truly a modern-day Scrooge who uses the power of social media to influence people around the world. I didn’t know I wanted Ryan Reynolds in a musical before, but he does a great job with song and dance and follows Ferrell perfectly. They are really two main performances and you can’t have one without the other.
Also Read: Enola Holmes 2: Mysteriously Fun Sequel
The supporting cast are also excellent, especially Octavia Spencer and Patrick Page. Spencer plays Kimberly, Briggs’ vice president who unexpectedly finds herself sucked into this vacation adventure. Page was also an excellent choice for Marley; I especially liked that they were able to incorporate some great bass notes into his song. There are also other fun casting choices and cameos, but I don’t want to spoil them for you because they’re too much fun!
All in all, I think this is going to be a new modern Christmas classic in the same vein as Elf. It’s not a perfect movie; it could have been reduced a bit during the run and a few songs were cut. However, the cast’s charm helps catch it in the long run, especially Ferrell and Reynolds. If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, this is the perfect way to do it once it hits Apple TV+ this Friday!
Evaluation:
Follow us for more entertainment coverage at Facebook, Twitter, instagramand Youtube.
