Do we like them?

Do we like The Grinch?

A character from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957)

Our score: 5 out of 10. A petty, grumpy thief with a plan to wreck everyone's holiday. He's also funnier and more human than most villains, so we're torn: we'd back him only on a good day.

The Grinch lives in a cave high above Whoville with his dog Max. The Whos down below love Christmas and celebrate it loudly, and he has put up with it for years. He is sour, solitary and fed up with the noise, so he decides to stop Christmas from coming.

His plan is to dress up as Santa, turn Max into a reindeer and sneak into every house on Christmas Eve. He takes all the presents, trees, food and decorations. The scheme is cruel, but he carries it out with such gleeful mischief that he's hard to hate. Our score reflects that mix: he does real wrongdoing, but with more spite than menace.

Christmas comes anyway, because the Whos never needed the gifts to celebrate. The Grinch hears them singing and realises he has been wrong. His heart grows, he returns everything he took, and the Whos welcome him to their feast. He earns his redemption, but only after he has done the damage.