The thing is, you have to ask yourself, how many times can you be told the exact same story and be entertained? It seems like one more time isn't a complete waste of time.
Great Expectations sticks very rigidly to the original Charles Dickens story, so if you are familiar with the novel then the film isn't anything radically different. It starts with a young Pip (Toby Irvine) who helps an escaped prisoner, Magwitch (Ralph Fiennes). Magwitch is soon caught and sent back to the prisoner ship from which he escaped. Pip is then sought out by Mr Jaggers (Robbie Coltrane) as the local Miss Havisham (Helena Bonham Carter) wants a new playmate for her adopted daughter, young Estella (Helena Barlow). Pip grows up loving Estella and dreams of becoming a true gentleman. His prayers are answered when he grows up, and Pip (now played by Jeremy Irvine) receives and inheritance from an unknown benefactor. He moves to London to live his dream of being a gentleman. However, something is missing from his life, and that is his love for Estella (now played by Holliday Grainger) who has been brought up by Miss Havisham to be cold-hearted and to hate all men, as Havisham herself was jilted at the alter. As Pip starts to find out who his mysterious benefactor is, his life of luxury starts to unravel around him.
Now, I will admit straight away that I haven't seen any of the other versions of Great Expectations, except the 1946 classic version directed by David Lean. I guess you could argue then that I haven't been desensitised to the story by Charles Dickens because I've seen it so many times. However, the charm with this retelling of the story isn't with the story itself, but the way in which it is told.
The first thing that stands out by a mile is the direction by Mike Newell and the cinematography by John Mathieson. The Kentish countryside is beautifully shot through the thick mists and creaking ironwork at Joe's (Jason Flemying) blacksmith shop. The tension was just oozing from the screen when Pip was having to go behind Joe and Mrs. Joe's backs (Sally Hawkins) to try and feed Magwitch. While the London sets didn't hit anywhere near the beauty and tense Kentish countryside, it certainly felt authentic and claustrophobic as Pip is pushed and shoved when he finds his way to his new lodgings.
Then there's Miss Havisham, arguably the film's biggest attraction beyond the budding relatioship between Pip and Estella. Helena Bonham Carter seems like the perfect person to bring the jilted and bitter character to the screen, because let's face it, she's pretty good at playing unhinged characters. And Bonham Carter doesn't disappoint as she grabs the role with both hands and really gives it everything. She's creepy as she tells the young children to come close to her, so she can tell them a secret, only to cover them in her rotten vail to bring them in even closer. She then turns it to childlike shock and innocence when the fire catches her decaying wedding dress and she is engulfed in flames.
However, while Bonham Carter is excellent within the role, it is Pip and Estella and their love/hate for each other that keeps the film rolling. While others may disagree, I thought that Grainger's portrayal as the twisted and manipulated Estella was almost spot-on. The inner turmoil she faces when confronted with her own feelings for Pip when she has been promised to another man by Miss Havisham is heart-wrenching. The only thing that let's the side down is Irvine's portrayal of Pip, as he seems a bit wooden and emotionless in comparison. While he does a standard job, it just doesn't seem enough in comparison to Grainger.
So, if you are a fan of the traditional Dickens' tale, then this version of Great Expectations is pretty solid in what you should be expecting. The cinematography is pretty top-notch in comparison to how some other previous versions look and most of the acting is spot on. The only thing that arguably lets it down is that the third act becomes a little confusing as it tries to cram in every single one of Dickens' plot twists and turns from the original novel.
**** / *****
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