Great Expectations (2012)
(2012)Faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens' mightiest novel, with Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch. Directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral).... More
Young orphan Pip (Jeremy Irvine, War Horse) is given a chance to rise from his humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London's class-obsessed world as a gentleman, Pip uses his newfound position to pursue the beautiful Estella (Holliday Grainger, Jane Eyre); a spoilt heiress he's loved since childhood. Yet the truth behind his great fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear...
Director Newell told Empire Magazine: "It has a different tone [to previous adaptations]. It's partly a thriller, but it's partly about treachery and letting people down that you shouldn’t let down."Hide
-
Directed by Mike Newell
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Flemyng, Holliday Grainger, Jeremy Irvine, Ewen Bremner, Sally Hawkins, David Walliams, Ralph Ineson
Written by David Nicholls (based on the novel by Charles Dickens)
Flicks Review
BY James Croot Flicks Writer
Surprisingly just the second proper adaptation of the Dickens classic and staple of university Stage 1 English, this lavishly costumed, supremely cast period drama hits all the themes, twists and turns without ever really providing anything memorable.... More
Bonham Carter is suitably vampiric as the decaying Miss Havisham, Fiennes tones down the Voldermort scares just a notch to bring to life Magwitch and Jason Flemyng is excellent as the simple blacksmith and father figure Joe. However, having been outacted and outclassed by the horse in his last role, Irvine is actually outshone by his younger brother Toby here, while the excellently monikered Grainger struggles to overcome Estella’s fundamental one-dimensionalism.
The Peoples' Reviews
Your rating & review
Rate / Review this movieRate and/or review
Great Expectations (2012)
The Press Reviews
38%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Schoolteacher-friendly interpretation... makes no real case for going down this much-travelled road once more. Full Review
An attractive and robust screen adaptation of the classic 1861 Dickens parable... Full Review
Vivid characterizations from Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter are the highlights. Full Review
It's all very Tim Burton - but eccentric Victoriana is a fitting spin on a familiar tale. Full Review
Its glossy looks, first-rate playing and famous pedigree will be cat-nip to book-groupies. Full Review
Newell retains the core elements of the story and key characters as well as the authentic elements of the period, but still manages to make the film a fresh experience. Full Review
A passable adaptation that does little to burnish the estimable screen legacy of a Dickens classic. Full Review
Care to comment?