'Ebenezer' Breathes New Life Into an Old Story
Here we go again. Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has been adapted more times than almost any other work. So what makes Ebenezer stand out? Not much. But it’s still fun. Horror movie director Ti West has a chance to make something more rooted in his usual genre, but he steps back to please a larger demographic. If a guy who makes gruesome horror movies were making A Christmas Carol, it wouldn’t make much sense that Hollywood would hire him to direct a movie aimed at children. But Ti West makes it work. There might not be much that’s different from other versions of Dickens’ classic tale, but it has enough charm to get by.
The picture begins with an old-school studio logo trying to emulate the feel of a classic picture. The movie breaks itself down into chapters like you’re reading a book. This structure doesn’t make much difference since the audience already knows how each chapter in this classic story is broken down. Still, a few minor changes make this movie stand out. For instance, the film opens with Ebenezer Scrooge (Johnny Depp) and Jacob Marley (Ian McKellen) crunching numbers while casually destroying lives. Christmas is a humbug to both of them. This introduction to Marley adds more context to his cruelty. The picture also gives some background to Scrooge’s sister that’s been oddly omitted from countless versions. Although this movie isn’t horror, it carries on slight horror elements.
The picture includes fake-out jump scares and ghosts that actually look ghoulish. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Andrea Riseborough) is a pale, bald corpse. Her vocalizations are light on air because she has none. Seeing her in real life would probably traumatize someone. For Ebenezer, she’s a scary inconvenience. The design of the Ghost of Christmas Present (Tramell Tillman) isn’t the typical jolly Santa Claus-like figure we usually see. This spirit literally crumbles as his skin rapidly roughens until he’s nothing but dust. The designs are meant to be frightening, but not too scary. At the end of the day, this movie is meant to appeal to all ages and run off of charm. Luckily, there’s plenty of it in this film.
Ebenezer handles its tone well. It's not too scary and not too childish. It’s just the right bowl of porridge to readapt a dead horse. The cast in the picture shines. Ian McKellen makes for a great tortured soul. Andrea Riseborough is chillingly accurate as a ghost. And Tramell Tillman really knows how to sell what decaying in real time would look like. His coughs are worse than those of someone who suffers from COPD. The cast shines throughout the movie, except for Johnny Depp.
He’s not bad, but he's a little too self-aware that he’s playing a role. Johnny scowls at the camera with an expression we know he puts on whenever the cameras roll. His British accent is way off too. Despite these grievances, Depp does carry a natural charisma that makes his role work. After years of character assassination from Amber Heard, it’s nice to see Johnny on the screen again.
Although Ty West has made a gothic-like setting for this Christmas Carol, it’s appropriately whimsical. Luckily, it’s not Disney whimsy where everyone is constantly winking at the camera. It also doesn’t throw Depp around like a rag doll, as the Robert Zemeckis version did with Jim Carrey. It knows how to not be too funny, taking itself seriously enough. One element that makes the film shine most is how Ty West embellishes omitted details.
We learn of Ebenezer’s lineage beyond the foster home. We learn how his strained relationship with his father formed him. The audience also understands why Ebenezer is so important to his nephew, Fred (Sam Claflin). Ebenezer is the final member of the Scrooge family. Even when Ebenezer is cruel, Fred shows that it's important to let go of grievances and embrace family before they’re gone, rather than pushing them away.
With Ti West’s keen eye for production design and an enjoyable (yet flawed) lead performance, this Christmas Carol is worth watching. It’s one of the better adaptations of Dickens’s novel in quite some time. The movie's theme is timeless because it’s so important. Christmas isn’t about presents. It’s about extending kindness to others, whether it's a struggling family or a homeless person seeking warm shelter from the harsh winter. Things Jesus would do. Don’t let the previews fool you. Ebenezer isn’t a Tim Burton ripoff starring Johnny Depp. It’s a faithful, gothic adaptation of a classic novel that breathes life into what seemed like a rotting corpse. You might know the story from beginning to end before you enter the theater, but there’s no denying that Ebenezer can still get you into the Christmas spirit.
