Ebenezer Review: Johnny Depp Neither Helps Nor Hurts This Passionless Retelling

Charles Dickens' 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol" is one of the greatest stories ever written. It's a tale that is both very much of its time as well as timeless, speaking to systemic issues of cold-hearted greed and inequality as well as the ability to change one's ways for the better. It's a malleable text that can be calibrated for all ages, just as it can be told with everything from a lighthearted touch to a more dour and sinister horror-centric one. 

This versatility has led it to become one of the most commonly adapted stories of all time. To put it mildly, we are not lacking for versions of Dickens' "Christmas Carol." That doesn't mean further adaptations shouldn't be made, but rather that the artists behind them should have a unique take on the material; like Shakespeare, it's well known enough to not have to play completely straight.

Yet playing it straight seems to be the entire ethos for "Ebenezer," the new adaptation from director Ti West and starring Johnny Depp as Scrooge. If a "Christmas Carol" adaptation isn't taking a big swerve with either a singing Will Ferrell or Muppets, for example, the general assumption is that some renowned actor will give their take on Scrooge, as luminaries like Alastair Sim, Albert Finney, and George C. Scott have done. That seems to be what West and company are assuming with Depp in the role, and it's likely why the rest of the film around him isn't taking too many big swings. Yet it leaves "Ebenezer" feeling a little too plain on the one hand, and potentially unsavory where Depp's personal status is considered. It's a movie that seems to exist on Depp's shoulders for better or worse, a choice that leaves it being technically competent but ultimately confused.

If you already know "A Christmas Carol," then "Ebenezer" will not hold many surprises for you. Ti West and screenwriter Nathaniel Halpern treat Charles Dickens' novella in much the same way the Royal Shakespeare Company might treat "Hamlet," which is to say that they retain the bulk of Dickens' dialogue and structure (the film is even separated into five staves, as in the novella) while coloring outside the lines ever so often. After an original opening sequence detailing the literal end of the partnership between Marley (Ian McKellen) and Ebenezer Scrooge (Johnny Depp), the film chronicles the usual beats of the tale, from establishing Scrooge's miserly, calloused attitude to the gradual thawing of his soul via his haunting by three Christmas ghosts.

Although Paramount Pictures' ghastly marketing campaign promised that "Ebenezer" would present a Scrooge we'd never seen before and go places other adaptations hadn't dared, the true extent of any changes or embellishments to the Dickens tale lies in the way that certain very small supporting characters who purport to either be in service of the needy or in need themselves are revealed to be greedy con artists. 

The choice does add a nice little layer of moral complexity to what is typically a straightforward story, yet West and company don't do all that much with it in the end. Given his extensive indie horror background, West does lend the proceedings a welcome macabre aesthetic. This is certainly the spookiest "Christmas Carol" since Robert Zemeckis' bizarre 2006 version. The three ghosts are especially ghastly and eerie, and the whole film has a Victorian London by way of '70s British films feel to it, like if Ronald Neame's "Scrooge" was mashed up with West's "The Innkeepers."

While much of "Ebenezer" is solid and skillfully crafted, it's all clearly in service of the character and the performer at its center. To say that Johnny Depp brings some baggage to the role is to make an understatement, for even setting aside the considerable issue of his offscreen life, his onscreen persona would be its own monolith to reckon with. Especially in this material, as it blatantly conjures up his past successes with director Tim Burton. 

What made the Depp/Burton duo special was how the director was able to draw out some truly bizarre character choices from the actor while making sure the film around him fit the outrageous, heightened tone of the performance. Here in "Ebenezer," Depp appears to be shooting more for respectable prestige than crowd-pleasing outrageousness. He's not trying to pull a Jack Sparrow, in other words, and instead is letting the prosthetic makeup do much of the transformation for him.

With the exception of a small moment here and there, Depp's Scrooge is largely solid yet unremarkable. Which begs the question: why bother in the first place? It seems like the entirety of "Ebenezer" was arranged to allow Depp to chew scenery and showboat around, which the actor perversely refuses to do. It's possible that Depp now considers such an approach something he's no longer interested in, and it's not like he hasn't given grounded performances before, like his turn as John Dillinger in "Public Enemies," for example. Depp's performance as Scrooge simply doesn't feel fully realized. It's fine on paper, and even has flashes of depth, yet it ultimately is more calibrated than inspired.

I have a deep affection for "A Christmas Carol," and generally find something to like in all of its many adaptations. In this way, "Ebenezer" is no different. Ti West, Nathaniel Halpern, Depp and the rest haven't twisted the story beyond recognition, nor have they sullied it. Yet in playing things so generally safe, "Ebenezer" becomes a muted film. 

West throws in a flourish here and there, like the great work with the three ghost characters or a moment where Scrooge is abducted through his bed that deliberately recalls Depp's cinematic debut in "A Nightmare on Elm Street." There's even an extended denouement to the tale which stands in contrast to most versions of "A Christmas Carol," where instead of rushing through Scrooge's change of heart, the film takes its time as the man makes his reparations.

Yet even that choice feels calculated in a meta sense to better present Johnny Depp, Movie Star, back to the public after his cancellation. After all, this story is famously one about a loathsome man who learns contrition and seeks to make amends, and while the film itself never breaks the fourth wall with this idea, it comes damn close. Even with that held back, it feels like "Ebenezer" is more a proving ground than impassioned adaptation, with West demonstrating he can do more than just indie horror, and Depp showing more of his restraint as a performer. What will happen to Depp the person is not for me to say, but he's going to have to work harder and take more risks than "Ebenezer" if he wants to give his screen career a second chance.

/Film Rating: 5.5 out of 10

"Ebenezer" opens in theaters on November 13, 2026.