What do the reviews say about Ebenezer? Johnny Depp’s new Scrooge film divides critics

Ebeneezer reviews roundup

Johnny Depp’s latest film, Ebenezer, has received a mixed response from film critics, with reviewers praising its atmospheric visuals, supernatural horror elements and supporting performances while questioning whether the actor’s interpretation of Charles Dickens’s famous miser works.

Directed by Ti West, the new adaptation of A Christmas Carol sees Depp take on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a darker retelling of the classic Christmas story.

Featuring an impressive supporting cast including Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley, the film puts a horror-inspired spin on Dickens’s familiar tale of redemption.

However, the reviews suggest that not everyone has been convinced by Depp’s performance. While some critics have found plenty to enjoy in the film’s gothic atmosphere and traditional storytelling, others believe its leading man prevents it from reaching its full potential.

Here is what The Independent, Empire, The Guardian, Variety and The New York Times have said about Ebenezer.

The Independent – Johnny Depp’s performance is the biggest problem

Writing for The Independent, film critic Louis Chilton gives Ebenezer a largely unfavourable assessment, arguing that Depp’s portrayal of Scrooge prevents an otherwise well-made adaptation from reaching its potential.

Chilton describes the actor’s performance as overly theatrical and cartoonish, suggesting that his familiar mannerisms occasionally undermine the emotional weight of the story.

The review is more complimentary about director Ti West’s handling of the supernatural elements. Andrea Riseborough’s unsettling appearance as the Ghost of Christmas Past and the disturbing imagery surrounding the Ghost of Christmas Future are singled out as particularly effective.

Tramell Tillman also receives praise for his performance as the Ghost of Christmas Present.

However, Chilton believes Depp’s interpretation lacks the depth required to make Scrooge a truly memorable character. He also questions the film’s wider redemption narrative, given the public discussion surrounding Depp’s own Hollywood comeback.

Overall, The Independent considers Ebenezer a reasonably well-made film let down by its central performance.

Read the full review: The Independent – Ebenezer review.

Empire – Johnny Depp fits the role, but the film struggles to deliver a Christmas miracle

Empire’s Helen O’Hara takes a more balanced view of Ebenezer, awarding the film three out of five stars.

O’Hara acknowledges that Depp is well suited to the role of Scrooge, particularly when he embraces the character’s theatrical appearance and miserable personality.

The review also highlights the gothic atmosphere created by Ti West, with the film’s supernatural sequences providing some of its most entertaining moments.

Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley are praised for bringing warmth to their respective characters, Scrooge’s nephew Fred and his wife.

However, Empire finds that the film struggles with its pacing. Despite some beautifully staged scares and emotional family moments, the story becomes rather slow and ponderous before rushing towards a finale that does not quite deliver the emotional satisfaction expected from a Christmas redemption story.

The overall verdict is that the gothic horror approach is enjoyable, but the film’s atmosphere and performances cannot entirely compensate for its shortcomings.

Read the full review: Empire – Ebenezer review.

The Guardian – Johnny Depp makes a convincing Scrooge before his transformation

Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw is considerably more positive about the film, describing it as an unexpectedly watchable adaptation of Dickens’s classic.

Bradshaw praises the screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern and West’s direction for remaining faithful to the original story while introducing a handful of interesting changes.

One of the most notable additions is an opening sequence featuring Jacob Marley, played by Ian McKellen, while he is still alive and working alongside Scrooge.

The reviewer also highlights the film’s darker interpretation of familiar characters and events, including some particularly unsettling supernatural sequences.

Depp’s performance receives a favourable assessment, with Bradshaw finding him convincing as the bad-tempered, petulant Scrooge. However, he believes the actor is more effective before the character’s transformation than during the final scenes, where some of the emotional depth is missing.

Bradshaw ultimately considers Ebenezer a perfectly respectable new version of the Dickens story, even if it does not radically reinvent the material.

Read the full review: The Guardian – Ebenezer review.

Variety – Impressive atmosphere, but little emotional magic

Variety’s Guy Lodge takes a more measured approach, highlighting the film’s technical achievements and atmospheric presentation while questioning whether it has enough emotional substance to stand alongside the strongest adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

The review particularly praises the production design by Eve Stewart and cinematography by Checco Varese, which help create a suitably bleak and unsettling version of Victorian London.

West’s attention to visual detail is also recognised, with the film maintaining a cold, gothic atmosphere even when the familiar Christmas celebrations begin to emerge.

However, Lodge suggests that the story remains relatively predictable. Given how frequently Dickens’s novella has been adapted, the film struggles to offer anything particularly surprising.

The review also questions whether Scrooge’s transformation provides the emotional impact audiences might expect, suggesting that the character may retain some of his cruelty even after his apparent change of heart.

Ultimately, Variety finds plenty to admire in the film’s craftsmanship, but believes its atmosphere and technical qualities are more successful than its emotional storytelling.

Read the full review: Variety – Ebenezer review.

The New York Times – A competent but uninspiring comeback vehicle

Brandon Yu’s review for The New York Times is another relatively lukewarm assessment of Ebenezer.

Yu considers the film’s significance as a potential Hollywood comeback vehicle for Depp, suggesting that the actor’s return to a major studio production is almost as interesting as the film itself.

However, when judged purely as an adaptation of Dickens’s story, the reviewer finds little that is particularly imaginative or distinctive.

Depp’s performance is described as an attempt to revisit the eccentric screen persona that made him famous. At his best, the portrayal is competent, but the film does not consistently provide the memorable interpretation that might have justified another major adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

The review also notes that the impressive supporting cast, including Ian McKellen, Tramell Tillman and Daisy Ridley, is not given enough room to make a significant impression.

Yu’s overall assessment is that Ebenezer is straightforward and largely inoffensive, but lacks the imagination needed to stand out among the many previous versions of the Dickens classic.

Read the full review: The New York Times – Ebenezer review.

What is the overall verdict on Ebenezer?

Looking across the five publications, the general response to Ebenezer is mixed.

There is considerable agreement that Ti West has created an atmospheric supernatural adaptation, with the gothic visuals, production design and performances from the supporting cast providing some of the film’s strongest moments.

However, Johnny Depp’s interpretation of Scrooge is one of the biggest dividing points among critics.

While The Guardian finds him effective as the miser, Empire acknowledges that he fits the character, and Variety and The New York Times are more interested in the film’s technical qualities than its emotional impact, The Independent is particularly critical of his exaggerated performance.

The film also faces questions about originality. Although West introduces some horror-inspired touches, the familiar storyline means that audiences looking for a radically different take on Dickens may be disappointed.

For fans of traditional Christmas ghost stories, there are still plenty of elements to enjoy. However, the reviews suggest that Ebenezer may struggle to achieve the lasting status of earlier adaptations such as The Muppet Christmas Carol and the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim.

The verdict? Ebenezer has plenty of atmosphere and some impressive supporting performances, but critics are divided over whether Johnny Depp’s Scrooge delivers the Christmas magic needed to make this latest adaptation truly memorable.

Ebeneezer is out now.

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