‘Ebenezer’ Review – Johnny Depp Sinks The Latest Adaptation of Dickens’ Classic Holiday Tale

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been adapted to the big screen tens of times, with 16 direct adaptations and many more derivative interpretations of the story being brought to life since 1901’s Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost. This Christmas season brings another adaptation, this time directed by Ti West and a screenplay from Nathaniel Halpern. The film stars Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Andrea Riseborough, and Johnny Depp as the titular Scrooge in his major film return after his exit from the Fantastic Beasts franchise nearly a decade ago.

Paramount’s tagline for the film has been “The name you know, the story you don’t,” implying this would be a unique take on the story. If only this were true. West’s adaptation takes the tired old tale and wears it even more into the ground, bringing virtually nothing new to the table. The story is beat for beat the same as most other adaptations, which in itself isn’t a bad thing, just the complete opposite of what was promised.

Despite the average take on the source material, the film is gorgeous to look at. Production designer Eve Stewart and costume designer Catherine George craft an immersive world for the story to take place, shunning the modern trend towards realism and embracing a highly stylized look. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Riseborough) and Present (Tillman) are particular standouts in look alone, with striking design that pops off the screen. This level of craft, combined with West’s horror sensibilities, brings an extra layer of spookiness to the story and displays London as grimy and unpolished. Cinematographer Checco Varese’s precise framing and flowing camera movements help shape the film in interesting ways as well.

Most of the performances in the film are, frankly, pretty flat, just going through the motions. Grint offers nothing as Bob Cratchit, while Ridley and Claflin have a few seconds of charm during their brief stints in the film. Almost everyone sucks the air out of the otherwise alive environment created by West and the technical departments. The most intriguing turn of the bunch, though, is Tillman’s Ghost of Christmas Present, a burly, slow-walking man with cracks in his skin and a massive coat hiding something mysterious underneath. His performance is larger than life and brings out the first bit of empathy from Scrooge. Every step he takes is booming, and he commands the screen unlike anyone else in the film.

What sinks the film is Depp’s over-the-top performance. The way he delivers dialogue is borderline incomprehensible at times, and it seems like he left the last of his charm in the courtroom. There are a few scenes where Depp seems so desperate to get a laugh, and it really clashes with the more serious tone the rest of the film has already set. His antics are directly opposed to the whole vibe West and crew seem to be going for, and it takes away from some moments that could have been more powerful.

There’s a lot of promise in this film, and West is a more than capable, sometimes even great, director. Even a few stiff performances could be looked upon with a grain of salt in the world this film builds, but Depp is such a distraction as the lead. It’s difficult to believe the redemptive and earnest themes this story so often brings. They ring hollow this time around.

Ebenezer has some to recommend on the crafts front, but so much of the rest of the movie is not only subpar, but downright off-putting that it’s hard to appreciate any beauty that might be found within it. At its best, it’s a great film to look at, and that’s about it. The film can’t decide what tone it wants to shoot for, and that ultimately is its downfall.