Johnny Depp stars in new Ebenezer, a Christmas Carol adaptation

The Guardian has published a review of Ebenezer, a new film version of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The reviewer described the movie as an unexpectedly watchable retelling of the classic story. Johnny Depp plays the miser Ebenezer Scrooge in the film.

The screenplay was written by Nathaniel Halpern, and the film was directed by Ti West. According to the review, the pair produced a faithful adaptation that the critic called a tradaptation. The story follows Scrooge, a cruel old man who is offered a chance at salvation on Christmas Eve after three ghosts appear to him, one from past, present and future Christmases.

Familiar story with fresh touches

According to the review, the film keeps most of the expected scenes from Dickens’s book, but it adds a few changes. The most noticeable is a new opening sequence. In it, Jacob Marley, played by Ian McKellen, is still alive and trades jokes with Scrooge in the style of a comedy double act.

The reviewer said director West uses horror-film techniques in that opening. The scene closes with the eerie whistle of a kettle coming to the boil. The critic also suggested the sequence may have been inspired by the puppet characters in The Muppet Christmas Carol, although that remains the reviewer’s guess.

Other changes stand out as well. In this version, Scrooge accuses the charity collectors of keeping the donations for themselves. A character named Mr Fezziwig meets a terrible end, which the film presents as the reason Scrooge became bitter toward the undeserving poor. Scrooge’s lost love, Belle, is now a novelist, an idea the film borrows from romance author Michelle Griep.

Cast and performances

Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman and Robert Strange play the three ghosts. Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s pinch-faced clerk. Sam Claflin plays Fred, Scrooge’s cheerful nephew and the son of his sister Fanny, whom Scrooge once adored.

The reviewer said Depp is rather good as Scrooge. His bad-tempered, petulant performance works well, and the critic suggested his comic timing and British accent may owe something to Paul Whitehouse, his former comedy partner from The Fast Show. The review said Depp is less convincing once Scrooge is redeemed, because some of the sorrowful emotion is missing from the final scenes.

Critical verdict and why it matters

The review said the film avoids large revisionist changes that could have failed. It did question a church scene and the solemn use of Silent Night over a montage of Christmas celebrations. The critic added that Dickens himself might not have agreed with those choices and might have preferred something more secular.

Overall, the reviewer called Ebenezer a decent new version of a long-loved story. For audiences who know the original, the film offers a familiar tale with a number of new details rather than a major reinvention.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• The Guardian: Ebenezer review – Johnny Depp’s Scrooge tries to exorcise ghosts of business past

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