A Christmas Carol is probably Charles Dicken’s most famous novel in which he excoriated Victorian attitudes towards poverty. The central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is so revoltingly libertarian and cruel that his surname instantly became the go-to adjective for anyone mean and miserly. The story is a Christmas classic because of its gothic sensibilities, its sinister ghosts, and the way the ultimate grinch learns a valuable lesson about the real value of kindness and affection.
There have of course been so many stage, movie, and TV adaptations of the story and now we have Ebenezer, the film that is reportedly Johnny Depp’s chance at a comeback.
So what kind of movie is it? It sticks reasonably faithfully to the original story and manages to invoke the wintry bleakness we all imagine Victorian London was like. Even sitting in a cosy seat in a warm theatre I felt a chill as the snow fell on narrow, dimly lit streets. The office of Scrooge and Marley was equally dark, cold and melancholy. Other locations such as the home of Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, were full of light and had raging fires and people laughing and talking. This was the absolute antithesis of the world inhabited by Ebenezer. Yet as loving and empathetic as Fred and his wife Clara were, they still lived in a city where the extremes of wealth and poverty were everywhere. Scrooge’s journey into the past provided an excellent explanation of what led to the creation of the cruel man he became. It was all dramatically told but with humour and empathy rather than melodrama.
Depp himself was incredibly good as Ebenezer. He perfectly captured the nastiness and the disdain he held for his fellow men and women. Yet this was a very nuanced performance which at times showed the deep hurt and fear that created the stony edifice he showed the world. As he sees his younger self, and hears what those who should be closest to him think of him, the shift in his manner and emotions is masterful.
The rest of the cast were also very good. Ian McKellen created an deliciously evil incarnation of Jacob Marley both alive and dead. Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, and Robert Strange as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come respectively, were stunningly macabre and amusing.
Ebenezer is a very good film that honours Dicken’s classic tale and is the perfect watch this Christmas season.
EBENEZER
Duration: 116 Minutes
Starring: Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Ti West
In New Zealand cinemas 13 November 2026