Illumination is a film company best known for the insufferable, annoying, pill-shaped creatures known as Minions. Movies that have come out of Illumination include Despicable Me (and two sequels), The Minion Movie, and The Secret Life of Pets … so it’s a no-brainer that they haven’t won any film awards recently. These movies are designed to attract kids in the elementary school age range, an age group that is barely tolerated by the rest of the population. In a way, movies produced by Illumination are the pre-teens of the film industry.

It must have been a Christmas miracle, then, that Illumination’s latest movie, The Grinch, was actually enjoyable to watch. Most remakes of classic stories turn out pretty badly. They often try to outdo the original by adding more jokes, complicated plots, subplots, new characters, … you name it, they’ve got it. Although The Grinch does contain a few cringe-worthy jokes, Illumination’s refusal to deviate too much from the original plot line makes the movie even better. The Grinch is still grinchy (from childhood trauma), Cindy Lou is adorable as ever, and Whoville is still full of Christmas spirit.

The Grinch does outdo the old one in one way, however: it’s much more relatable. In The Grinch, Cindy Lou’s father is never seen, so the audience is left to conclude that her dad is out of the picture. Her mom is left to take care of Cindy Lou and her two brothers, in addition to working all night and all day. It’s a lifestyle that many families live. Cindy Lou’s family is not rich, but they love each other and understand better than anyone that you don’t need stuff to be happy. As for the Grinch himself, the transformation from a heartless creature to an angel isn’t the abrupt flip seen in the older adaptations. Instead, the audience is treated to glimpses of the Grinch’s softer side as the movie progresses, showing that the Grinch does have a heart, however small it may be.

If you’re looking for a Christmas movie to watch, The Grinch wouldn’t be a bad choice. If you’re not a Christmas movie watcher, watch The Grinch for Benedict Cumberbatch. In addition to acting in Sherlock, Doctor Strange, and The Imitation Game, he’s quite good at pretending to be the Grinch. His voice is, anyway.

3 out of 4 stars