Ebeneezer

Going more ghostly in this 2026 adaptation of the classic Dickens story, Ebeneezer, directed by Ti West, is a confounding and largely soulless endeavour. 

Johnny Depp plays the titular character, and before you ask, no, he isn’t as good as Michael Caine was in the Muppets version. 

In this 2026 outing, the story is structured respectfully of the tale, giving the audience a chaptered account of each ghost (past, present and future) bookended with the guy being a knob in the opening section and a generous apologist in the latter. The poster and tagline suggested this was some kind of deeper understanding of the character, or an origin story, forgetting that the section with the ghost of Christmas past IS the origin story. The main thing that has been changed is a macabre tone, leaning heavily into the horror elements of A Christmas Carol. 

Sadly, this renders the bulk of the film a miserable experience, with joyless scenes meant to scare the audience but mainly boring them. The presence of a crow every now and again seems to be trying to signpost an Edgar Allen Poe genetic makeup, failing miserably. Depp is trying his best to bring some originality to the central character, only to end up lacking chemistry with any of his onscreen compadres and staggering his way through a glut of dull nightmares.

With a 12a certificate, it begs the question: who is Ebeneezer aiming at? The oldies who are fans of classic literature are likely to be put off by the boring horror theatrics, and the younguns are going to wonder why the hell they are watching this. Everyone in between is likely to be itching to stop the film and put on ANY other version of this timeless tale. 

Plaudits to Sam Claflin, who puts in a decent turn as the nephew, and to Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, who absolutely steals every scene he is in. It is also worth noting a particularly moving sequence involving Silent Night that was a much-needed respite from the hellish landscape we get stuck in. 

The film needed to be funnier (Dickens is funny!) and balanced. What should have been a celebration of Depp back in a mainstream major movie became a long slog to the grave with no hope of redemption. 

God save us, everyone.