Film Review: EBENEZER (2026): Johnny Depp is a Solid Scrooge in a Unique Take on Dickens’ Classic Character

Ebenezer Review

Ebenezer (2026) Film Review, a film directed by Ti West, written by Nathaniel Halpern and Charles Dickens and starring Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Ian McKellen, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber,, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, Freddie Lee-Grey, Alfie Buck, Richard McCabe, Michael Culkin, Clare Higgins, Franc Ashman and Sara Galvin.

Filmmaker Ti West (X) is primarily a horror movie director, but Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is essentially a horror story, making West a perfect fit for the material. While it remains to be seen whether the new West film about Scrooge, Ebenezer, will be a box-office hit, it is definitely a moderate artistic success. West’s style lends itself to the tale of a man at a crossroads in his life when he is visited by three ghosts who show him the errors of his wicked ways.

These ghosts reflect on the poor choices of a greedy man who has given up a lot of personal happiness for financial gain. That’s a very scary concept, and West hammers home the points of Charles Dickens’ novella with great precision that will make this adaptation stand out significantly from all other filmed adaptations.

Johnny Depp is featured in the starring role of West’s picture as Ebenezer Scrooge. Depp is well-cast as the cranky old character here, and the actor has plenty of experience aging on-screen in the different roles he has played in his past. It’s no surprise that Depp is a master of facial expressions and expressing anger when Scrooge unleashes his negativity on those surrounding him in the early portion of the picture.

This film is actually well-cast straight across the board. Rupert Grint ably plays Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s faithful, loyal employee, who is told he must come to work on Christmas Day. This film opens with the terrific Ian McKellen’s Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s business partner, dying. Scrooge is the only one at his funeral, which begs the question of whether or not valuing friends over money is an overrated concept.

Ebenezer is darker than ever when it gets to the meat and potatoes of the Dickens tale – the ghosts. Andrea Riseborough is bright white and creepy as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who has very distinct eyes. West makes sure that those scenes with Christmas Past are as eerie as can be. Riseborough is at her most intense in this role, and it’s easy to get scared of her due in part to the sheer scope of the performance. It’s a classic turn by one of the best actresses working today.

Things get even heavier with the Ghost of Christmas Present as actor Tramell Tillman gives a terrifically over-the-top performance, complete with gruesome scenes of Christmas Present’s physical demise. Tillman gives the role a raw edge that certainly feels right at home in this movie. These disturbing scenes will definitely scare young ones, so be warned.

Ebenezer is peppered with big movie character performers such as Sam Claflin (Fred) and Daisy Ridley (Clara), who are perfectly fine, but the stars who play the young Scrooge and his girlfriend in the earlier stages of the movie give two of the best performances of the film. Arthur Conti is excellent as the passionate young Scrooge, who fell in love with Belle (Ellie Bamber). Those scenes surrounding the bond between the young Ebenezer and Belle are sweet as we see how the relationship fell apart because of Scrooge’s very poor decisions. When Depp’s Scrooge yells back at his younger self, it’s a powerful moment that continues on as he gets to see Belle crying at the end of their relationship.

Depp, himself, is a master of playing larger than life roles. He has always been great at such performances ever since he played in Edward Scissorhands. This is likely Depp’s best performance since 2015’s Black Mass. Scrooge comes to life before our eyes as the wicked and greedy man he settled into becoming. This film shows his character transformation in depth as Depp excels in making Ebenezer see all the things he did wrong in his life.

Rupert Grint and the Tiny Tim subplot sort of become the weakest elements of Ebenezer. There are some touching moments as one would expect, but the power of the emotions of the story are overpowered by the darker elements of the film. That may be a turn off for some fans of A Christmas Carol while Ti West fans will feel right at home.

Ebenezer is essentially Johnny Depp in top form. One could envision a softer version of the film with Depp playing Scrooge that could have been more accessible to modern audiences being introduced to the Dickens tale for the first time. Still, this version is more than welcome.

In the final moments of Ebenezer, there are a few touches that work really well in displaying the life lessons Scrooge learns over the course of the film. They won’t be revealed, but are certainly worth it. Divided into five parts, West’s film is a brave vision that definitely will be an eye opener for people used to the same old A Christmas Carol adaptations that have come out over the decades. If you wanted a fresh take on the material, West certainly delivers it here.

Rating: 7.5/10

Leave your thoughts on this Ebenezer review and the film below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons.

Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page.

Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, Bluesky, and Threads.