Humbug! A phrase we’ve heard across media since Charles Dickens first published A Christmas Carol in 1843. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge is a classic tale that is popular across generations. Everyone has their favorite version of the story, whether it’s a play, a movie, a TV episode, or whatever else. Paramount Pictures and Ti West have set out to retell the story, this time in live-action with Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge.
If you’ve read or seen an adaptation of A Christmas Carol before, this doesn’t change all that much fundamentally. There’s an extra bit added to the beginning of the movie showing before Jacob Marley passes away and the absolute disdain that Scrooge has for people who are underprivileged. Then the movie gets into the story that we all know and love. Scrooge is visited by Marley’s ghost warning him of what’s to come. Then the three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visit him throughout the night. Of the ghosts, the most impactful from an emotional standpoint was easily the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Trammell Tillman). You see everything that Scrooge has sown in his life.
We visit Bob Cratchit (played by Rupert Grint) and his family struggling on Christmas Eve, including Tiny Tim. We also see Fred (played by Sam Claflin), Scrooge’s nephew and his only living relative and connection to his sister. Tillman’s performance starts off as gruff and gets more somber as the night goes on. Being the Ghost of Christmas Present, he’s only here for the present, which makes it all the more poignant.
Emotional And Slightly Amusing With Depp’s Performance
The Ghost of Christmas Past’s segment is also quite emotional, showing off what it took to bring Scrooge to the current place he’s at. His love life with a woman named Belle (played by Ellie Bamber) is actually quite hard-hitting and makes you think about your own life and what you’ve given up for work. The sections with Belle are quite good and really set up the rest of the movie with that emotional wound for Scrooge.
Some of the surrounding performances feel a bit wasted. For a movie that’s an hour and fifty-six minutes long, the side characters don’t get nearly as much to work with. Daisy Ridley in particular feels like her talents are wasted here on what amounts to a bit part. Ian McKellen is also only in the film for a short while. He doesn’t get enough to work with either way as Jacob Marley to make a real impact.
As for Johnny Depp’s performance here, he’s damn good as Scrooge. It takes a bit for the movie to get going, especially with his performance, but it isn’t just him doing a Jack Sparrow impersonation with a British accent. He embodies Scrooge and brings in all the emotional elements that are needed here. There are even some lighter moments, particularly when Scrooge is first meeting the different ghosts that break up some of the heavier portions.
Ti West does put in some of his style here, like a gothic look and feel, and the title cards, but overall, this doesn’t quite feel like one of his movies. It might be because it is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original story, so there’s no real room to get that style in, but that was a disappointing aspect of the whole thing, considering he’s one of the most stylistic directors today.
Nothing New, But Should Be Good For Anyone Watching A Christmas Carol For The First Time
What was the old saying from NBC about their TV lineup? Is it always new to somebody? That’s really how this adaptation feels. There’s enough here to make a functional movie that is a faithful adaptation of the source material. But for people who have seen this story a million times, there’s not really much added to the proceedings. Johnny Depp’s performance is good, but doesn’t add enough to be worth a strong recommendation.
There’s something to be said for people who need to see this story, and any adaptation is a good thing, but through it all, this isn’t all that memorable. That’s really the big thing I took away from Ebenezer. It comes and goes, and shows that the original A Christmas Carol story is still as relatable as ever, but this adaptation isn’t special.
So, for fans of Johnny Depp and his acting, they’ll love it. You get plenty of his trademark style and performance. For people who don’t like Depp, this won’t be for you. Ti West doesn’t get enough to show off his style, which is the most disappointing thing.
Arguably, the best thing about Ebenezer is Trammell Tillman’s performance. I will say that, for the film being about as grey and cold as possible in the first portion, when the color finally comes out in the third act, it looks great.
So yeah, Ebenezer ends up as something between a good adaptation and a disappointing film for stylistic reasons. If you’ve never seen A Christmas Carol, you might enjoy this; otherwise, check your expectations.
Ebenezer releases in theaters on November 13th, 2026.
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