Ebenezer

There’s something both reassuring and perverse about entrusting a Christmas classic to director Ti West. Beyond the seasonal decorations, A Christmas Carol has always been the story of a man driven by fear to examine his conscience. The film Ebeneze captures the full dramatic potential of this unease. Its appeal lies less in finding an unexpected destination for Charles Dickens’s miser than in restoring a sense of peril to the path toward redemption. Drawing on a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, the director brings a flair for the grotesque to a story that is often remembered more for its tenderness than for its anger. The result is an atmospheric adaptation—at times marked by theatrical exuberance—with enough emotional substance to give meaning to its elaborate supernatural plot. 

At the heart of the story, Johnny Depp throws himself wholeheartedly into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, an unpleasant but entertaining character. At first, his performance draws on familiar tropes: exaggerated eccentricity, comical indignation, and a physical transformation that threatens to become the main attraction. There are moments when the actor’s delight in highlighting the character’s grotesque nature becomes a bit too obvious in its quest for attention. Yet the performance grows more compelling as his defensive facades begin to crumble. Confronted with the life he has built for himself, this businessman gradually loses the certainty that makes his cruelty so easy. This vulnerability is significant, as it does not erase the unpleasant character presented at the beginning. We can recognize the wounded person hiding behind this behavior without necessarily being led to excuse all the choices he has made.

It is this distinction that gives this familiar journey through the past, present, and future its full dramatic power. Looking back on childhood and dashed hopes can become an easy shortcut in stories featuring complex men, as if a single explanation were enough to settle the question of responsibility once and for all. Here, the most convincing interpretation is that Ebenezer Scrooge allowed his instinct for self-preservation to crystallize into a guiding principle. He made himself inaccessible, then mistook this isolation for independence. The adaptation’s fidelity to the original story is therefore both a strength and a limitation: the structure remains satisfying, but viewers hoping for a radical reinterpretation will find surprises only in the tone and imagery. Its strongest argument for revisiting this theme is the attention it pays to the gap between understanding the suffering of others and taking concrete action to alleviate it.

The performances of the supporting cast lend this moral message a human dimension. Rupert Grint, as Bob Cratchit, provides an emotional counterbalance to the lead actor’s more flamboyant outbursts, while Ian McKellen brings authority to Jacob Marley, the former business partner whose return makes it impossible to ignore the consequences of selfishness. Tramell Tillman particularly stands out as the Ghost of Christmas Present, a character whose dramatic function goes beyond simply guiding the protagonist from one episode to the next. This encounter forces the miser to look outward, toward lives that go on without his interest or approval. The contrast is essential: while memories may lead to self-pity, the present demands that we pay attention to others. Without this shift, the story would risk becoming a costly exercise in the emotional rehabilitation of a wealthy man.

Visually, the film Ebeneze is steeped in the delights of a Victorian ghost story: shadows, sumptuous costumes, wintry streets, and interiors where comfort and confinement coexist in an unsettling way. Comparisons to Tim Burton are understandable, though the most pertinent question is what this Gothic style achieves. At its peak, this lavish staging highlights the gulf between material abundance and emotional deprivation. This horror story also has a revealing literary precedent. The destitute children associated with the Ghost of Christmas Present—Ignorance and Want—already appear in the 1843 novella; their unsettling presence is part of Charles Dickens’ social critique. Giving this encounter a more visceral and nightmarish expression reinforces an accusation that is already present. Ugliness is there to shatter the beauty of the season and prevent poverty from becoming just another picturesque detail. gutenberg.org

The challenge here is to maintain a balance between spectacular elements and a more understated drama. Director Ti West generally juggles comedy, unease, and emotion with confidence, even if the over-the-top staging sometimes gives the impression that the film is trying a little too hard to demonstrate just how much personality it can breathe into a familiar subject. Tyler Bates’s score helps maintain the connection between the supernatural spectacle and emotional vulnerability. Nevertheless, even consummate craftsmanship cannot entirely erase the sense of déjà vu inherent in yet another adaptation of this story. Some viewers will appreciate this ritual; others might have wished the screenplay took more risks. The film is most compelling when it relies on subtle emotional shifts rather than when it emphasizes its own extravagance.

What ultimately gives the film Ebenezer its power is undeniably the idea that redemption comes through commitment. Feeling guilty about one’s past actions is only the beginning; the hardest part is making oneself useful to someone today. Johnny Depp brings enough sensitivity to this transformation that the film isn’t reduced to a mere showcase of makeup and mannerisms, while director Ti West preserves that sense of unease that gives the final liberation its full meaning. It’s a successful and enjoyable return to a story that’s been told time and again, even if a few familiar acting quirks and certain narrative tropes prevent it from being the definitive new version. Its strongest idea is also the simplest: generosity cannot remain a private feeling. Despite all the ghosts demanding his attention, Ebenezer Scrooge’s true challenge is learning to live among the living.

Ebenezer
Directed by Ti West
Written by Nathaniel Halpern
Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Produced by Emma Watts
Starring  Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen
Cinematography : Checco Varese
Edited by Ti West, David Kashevaroff
Music by Tyler Bates
Production companies : Wattsco, IN.2 Film
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date : November 11, 2026 (France), November 13, 2026 (United States)
Running time : 116 minutes

Viewed on November 10, 2026, at the Gaumont Disney Village, Theater 10, Seat A18