Rejoice, Depp fans! Heeeeeeere’s Johnny! Back on screen as the title character in Ebenezer, a role he dives into and embraces totally.
But first… two questions for discussion. Around the dinner table maybe. Do we really need another retelling of A Christmas Carol? Also, since the film gives the screenwriter a full frame credit at the start of the movie, shouldn’t there have been some mention up front of Charles Dickens?
Depp’s Scrooge looks menacing and his vocal work runs the gamut from deep old man growl/grunt to high pitch sounds in times of panic. There’s horror and humor and Johnny handles both adeptly. A-Depp-t-ly, that is. Depp is in almost all of the scenes but the film’s supporting cast offers additional flavoring.
His business partner Jacob Marley (Ian McKellen) dies at the office but makes a ghostly return later to kick off Scrooge’s night of dreams, just before the three Christmas ghosts come onto the scene. Always a treat to see the 87-year-old McKellen on screen!
Of the three ghosts, Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present is the highlight. The makeup crew does an excellent of aging him during his brief time with Scrooge. The talented Andrea Riseborough is however wasted as the Ghost of Christmas Past; her performance is a rote reading.
Rupert Grint who was Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies plays Bob Cratchit and (spoiler alert!) his son Tim (Freddie Lee-Grey) gets to utter the line “God bless us, everyone” not just once but twice.
Scrooge’s nephew Fred (Sam Claflin) tries his best to get his uncle into the Christmas spirit. His wife Clara (Daisy Ridley) adds a timely comedic yelp in one of the film’s latter scenes.
Ellie Bamber is Belle, the beautiful young woman Scrooge casts aside to devote his life to his miserly ways. Oh, the regrets soon begin to pile up for this bitter old man!
As for whether we need a new version of A Christmas Carol, the answer is yes. First, it’s a Depp-starrer and even if you’ve experienced Depp fatigue from the Pirates movies and others, he is one of our better actors. He still has tons of fans. And shouldn’t each generation get its own Scrooge? Though some parts of the film may feel perfunctory, and the tale has been told many times before, this new version with different actors is fun and enjoyable.
Regarding Dickens, he does get a mention at the end of the end credits for having written the novella A Christmas Carol from which the film was adapted.
The script for this film is by Nathaniel Halpern. Ti West directed.
Ebenezer is rated PG-13. There are a few jump scares and a few scenes that may spook younger kids.
