Johnny Depp’s return to a major Hollywood studio production has attracted considerable attention, but his latest film, Ebenezer, is receiving a divided response from critics. Directed by Ti West, the Gothic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol gives the familiar redemption story a darker visual treatment, combining Victorian-era settings with elements of supernatural horror. While the film has found appreciation for its unsettling atmosphere, production design and supporting performances, its central portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge, storytelling and ability to give the classic tale a fresh identity have proved more divisive.
The film also carries significance beyond its adaptation of Dickens. Ebenezer marks Johnny Depp’s first major Hollywood studio film since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. According to a report by Variety, Paramount spent a reported $38 million on production, with marketing costs estimated at around $50 million. Depp was reportedly paid $5 million upfront, with additional box-office bonuses included in his deal. Paramount did not comment on the reported budget figures. The scale of the reported investment makes the film an important theatrical test for the actor’s return to studio filmmaking. However, the critical response suggests that the film’s reception will depend on more than the attention surrounding Depp’s comeback.
Much of the critical divide begins with Depp’s interpretation of Scrooge. His heavily made-up, hunched and sharp-tempered portrayal gives the miser an unmistakably theatrical presence. Some critics find the performance entertaining, particularly in the earlier scenes, where Depp’s comic timing and petulant delivery capture Scrooge’s bitterness and contempt for those around him. The exaggerated mannerisms also establish a character who appears thoroughly consumed by greed and resentment.
Other critics, however, feel that the performance relies too heavily on familiar Depp mannerisms and exaggerated expressions, making Scrooge appear more like a caricature than a fully realised character. This becomes a greater concern as the story progresses. Even among the more favourable responses, there is a sense that Depp is considerably more convincing as the cruel, unredeemed Scrooge than as the transformed man who emerges at the end. The emotional weight of that change is central to Dickens’ story, but the transition from bitterness to generosity does not land with equal force for every viewer. As a result, the film’s most important character journey has become one of the main points of disagreement in the reviews.
Where Ebenezer receives more consistent appreciation is in its visual world. Ti West, known for his work on The House of the Devil and the X trilogy, brings a recognisable horror sensibility to Victorian London. Rather than presenting the familiar Christmas setting as warm and inviting, the film gives its streets, interiors and supernatural encounters a grim, decaying quality. This approach creates an unusually eerie atmosphere, allowing the adaptation to occupy a space between a traditional period drama and a Gothic horror film.
Production designer Eve Stewart creates a world of crooked buildings, dark timber and weathered interiors, while cinematographer Checco Varese reinforces the atmosphere through shadow-heavy imagery. The visual treatment gives the film a distinct identity and helps establish the sense of unease that surrounds Scrooge’s encounters with the supernatural. The practical creature effects and ghost designs have also attracted appreciation. The Ghost of Christmas Past, portrayed by Andrea Riseborough, emerges as one of the film’s most striking visual creations, adding to the unsettling quality of the supernatural sequences.
The supporting cast provides several of the film’s more memorable moments. Tramell Tillman brings an imposing, quietly menacing presence to the Ghost of Christmas Present, and his performance has been singled out as a particular strength. Ian McKellen makes an impression as Jacob Marley, whose appearance sets the supernatural journey into motion. Sam Claflin brings warmth to the role of Scrooge’s nephew Fred, providing a contrast to the central character’s cold outlook. Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, while Ellie Bamber appears as Belle, the woman from Scrooge’s past.
These performances add texture to the story and help give the supporting characters a presence beyond their roles in Scrooge’s journey. However, the screenplay does not give every character enough room to leave a lasting impression. The supporting cast may strengthen individual scenes, but their contributions do not always translate into a more compelling overall narrative.
The larger question surrounding Ebenezer is whether its Gothic treatment offers enough beyond its appearance to justify another adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Nathaniel Halpern’s screenplay largely follows the familiar structure, retaining the visits from the three spirits and Scrooge’s journey towards redemption. The film introduces additions, including an expanded opening involving Jacob Marley and further details about Scrooge’s relationship with Belle. Some critics appreciate these changes, particularly the opportunity they offer to explore the characters’ histories and provide additional context for Scrooge’s behaviour.
Others find the changes too limited to make the retelling feel substantially different. The familiar narrative remains the foundation of the film, and its alterations do not consistently offer a new perspective on the material. The attempts at humour have also drawn criticism, with some reviews pointing to tonal shifts that interrupt the story rather than deepen its characters. The handling of the emotional finale has similarly divided opinion. For a story whose enduring appeal rests on the possibility of personal transformation, the film’s conclusion needs to make Scrooge’s change feel earned. The mixed response suggests that its visual ambition does not always translate into the emotional impact expected from Dickens’ tale.
Taken together, the reviews paint a picture of a film whose craft is often more compelling than its storytelling. West gives Dickens’ world a distinct visual identity, supported by Stewart’s production design, Varese’s cinematography and the film’s practical effects. The supporting cast also supplies moments of real character, with Tillman’s Ghost of Christmas Present and Riseborough’s Ghost of Christmas Past standing out in particular. However, the familiar narrative, uneven tonal shifts and divided response to Depp’s central performance prevent the film from reaching the emotional heights its source material demands.
For Depp, Ebenezer represents a return to a major Hollywood studio release after several years away from that space. The attention surrounding his casting has inevitably shaped the conversation around the film, but the reviews suggest that the performance itself remains open to debate. His portrayal gives Scrooge a distinctive physical presence and moments of dark humour, yet the character’s eventual transformation has not persuaded every critic.
Ultimately, Ebenezer appears to be a visually distinctive but narratively uneven interpretation of a familiar literary work. Its Gothic Christmas setting and technical craft offer reasons to engage with the film, while its central performance and emotional resolution remain points of contention. The result is a mixed critical reception for Depp’s studio return: a striking transformation on screen, but one that does not consistently deliver the convincing journey from bitterness to redemption that has kept Dickens’ story relevant for generations.
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Film Details: Ebenezer
- Release Date: November 13, 2026
- Director: Ti West
- Screenplay: Nathaniel Halpern
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, Tramell Tillman and Ian McKellen
- Based on: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Language: English
- Genre: Gothic Fantasy, Drama, Dark Comedy, Supernatural Thriller
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Production Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Rating: PG-13
