The Contending’s Clarence Moye weighs in with his Ebenezer review focusing on the brilliant visuals director Ti West brings to the film.
The question on everyone’s mind when they see the trailer for Ti West’s upcoming A Christmas Carol reboot, Ebenezer, is: “Do we really need another Christmas Carol?” Different generations have their favorite take on Charles Dickens’ classic story. Purists swear by Alastair Sim’s Scrooge. Others (including my wife) love George C. Scott’s take. Then there’s Bill Murray’s Scrooged. Patrick Stewart’s TV-based take has its fans. And many will live and die by Michael Caine’s work in A Muppet Christmas Carol.
Whatever the version, the stories are roughly the same. Walking into Ebenezer, you know what you’re getting. Ebenezer Scrooge receives visits from four ghosts intent on correcting his miserly ways and restoring his sense of Christmas and, in effect, his love for humanity. We most definitely did not need another take on A Christmas Carol thanks to so many beautifully rendered versions that came before. Dickens’ original story was designed to be a people-pleaser because, allegedly, he needed the money. I’m sure he had no idea it would become his most beloved work.
But as superfluous as it may be, Ebenezer isn’t without its merits, and if you’re in the mood for a new take, then you’re in for a very strong addition to the canon of Christmas cinema.
Typically a horror director, West brings an intense, gorgeously gothic visual sense to the material. He fills the streets of London with appropriate visual despair, heavily leveraging London fog to center Scrooge in a terrifying world. Many scenes are darkly lit with traditional gas lighting, which casts a haunting array of shadows amongst the intricate sets. He also gives us four ghosts that, while handing out their life-changing sermons, are truly terrifying. Sir Ian McKellen is allowed to go deeper into Jacob Marley than many before him, and he savors every second of limited screen time he has. Andrea Riseborough’s Ghost of Christmas Past is absolutely brilliantly conceived — a stark white ghoul with foggy / smokey eyes speaking in strained whispers. Tramell Tillman gives a boisterous Ghost of Christmas Present that’s a bit more restrained than what we’ve come to expect. He wants to bring Scrooge to the light, but he’s world-weary and emotionally (and physically) deteriorating. It’s a fascinating take. And the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come provides surprises that I’ll leave you to discover.
Each ghost is presented as intricately as the gorgeous locales in which they’re set. Visually, Ebenezer emerges as one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen all year. I’ve never seen a visual take on the story quite like it.
Then, of course, there’s Johnny Depp’s very strong performance as Ebenezer Scrooge. He loses himself in the character, not exactly going gonzo with the take (as you may have surmised from the trailer) but instead doubling down on the emotion of the material. By the time Scrooge has his change of heart, Depp’s taken us on a journey. It feels earned and authentic. His take on Scrooge, for my money, ranks amongst the very best in modern Scroogery.
Ultimately, no, we likely didn’t need another take on the Scrooge story, but I’m very happy to have seen Ebenezer. The story may be the same, but there are enough slight differences coupled with West’s brilliantly evocative visual style to warrant its existence. My only quibble lies in a restructuring or fiddling with traditionally major events in the film’s ending. It’s the danger in revisiting something so familiar — events or scenes omitted could leave the audience feeling stiffed.
Nonetheless, only a Scrooge would be unable to find anything to enjoy in this Ebenezer.
Ebenezer opens Friday in theaters nationwide.
