Truly Dreadful Film

Not even bad in a good way

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Blistering performances.

This episode had basically everything you'd want from a Blackadder episode. I mean, all I've seen so far is some quality humour and characters, but this episode had everything. It had nostalgia to the older seasons because we visited older characters and events, it had a tremendously good story which is basically the opposite of 'A Christmas Carol', it had great new characters including a completely different Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) and it had a ton of hilarious Blackadder jokes.Honestly this is my favourite episode so far. Maybe the length had something to do with it as well; it did add more time for development and plot. I didn't expect this one to be so good, as it has a relatively low rating for a Blackadder episode. It's not a perfect TV episode by far, but in my opinion it's a perfect Blackadder episode.One last thing to add is that I found the entrance of Robbie Coltrane's character, the Spirit of Christmas, highly amusing. It was almost exactly like Hagrid's entrance in Harry Potter, and it even has the same actor, but it is years before Harry Potter. I just found this little thing great and wanted to point it out for the benefit of whoever reads this.

A very funny inversion of both 'A Christmas Carol' and the other Blackadder shows. Here, "Ebenezer Blackadder" is as kind and generous as a man can be, the opposite of every Scrooge (and other Black Adder) we've seen. But then he gets a visit from the ghost of the Christmas spirit, who shows him how awful and selfish his various ancestors were. On the other hand, they don't seem to be taken advantage of quite the way he is... A spirited, funny, and black satire, with terrific work as usual from the whole group; Rowan Atkinson. Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Miriam Margolies and Jim Broadbent. Quite a cast! It doesn't all work, and the very ending is a bit predictable, but there lots of laughs and twisted humor along the way.

SPOILERS Every Christmas it is the same thing. You wake up on Christmas Day, you spend the day with family and you eat Turkey. Every year as well, we always have at least one version of Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Christmas Carol". Talking about the transformation over night of Ebenezer Scrooge from nasty to nice, the tale is one of the most well known around.In 1988 however, we had an alternative to life. A spoof of Dickens' novel saw the light of day. Poking fun at the story and fitting it into the Blackadder family, we were given a Christmas present to remember.In Victorian London, one of the nicest men around was Ebenezer Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson). A kind businessman who constantly gave money and food away to the poor, Blackadder and his associate Baldrick (Tony Robinson) were short of money, but happy none the less. On Christmas Eve however, Blackadder was visited by the Spirit of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) and things were about to change.This retelling of the classic tale but in a sort of reverse is brilliant because it allowed us to see new sketches for the Elizabethan and Georgian Blackadders. Bringing back all the old characters, Melchett (Stephen Fry), Queen Elizabeth (Miranda Richardson), Nursie (Patsy Byrne) and Prince George (Hugh Laurie), this episode also granted us a view into the future with the two ways the Blackadder family might evolve.Not without flaws, this episode did contain the incredibly annoying character of Millicent (Nicola Bryant), but written that way, it's difficult to really fault the character. Likewise the three fat orphans and their master Beadle (Denis Lill). Ultimately though, whether these characters are irritating or not, it is so good to see the old ones return, as well as a spirited performance (get it?) by Robbie Coltrane as the Ghost of Christmas, that all the negative characters are forgiven.All in all, "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" is brilliant. Funny throughout, it reminds us of why we love the series and it continues to entertain after multiple viewings. Well worth getting a copy of.

'Black Adder's Christmas Carol' is kind of the reversed version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Where in that story a bad man becomes good, here a good man becomes bad because being good has not brought him any fortune. That man of course is Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson).When the spirit of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) comes to visit the good hearted Blackadder he shows him his ancestors. They were wicked men, but fortunate as well. When he looks into the future and sees that he will become a loser if he stays good, he decides to become bad instead.Rowan Atkinson is funny as always, Tony Robinson as Baldrick has the best moments together with Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth and Miriam Margolyes as Queen Victoria. A great thing for fans, enjoyable for people who are not.