Great Expectations (2013)

Disappointment for a huge fan!

Best movie ever!

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Disappointing -- seems far removed both in characterization and sweeping plot of the famous novel. As other posters have commented, it seems rushed through, overlooking the importance and even charm (e.g. "Wemmick's Castle") of the novel. Dark to watch, too. For me, no version of GE comes close to the 1940s version where Jean Simmons was enchanting and Miss Havisham was everything that Dickens intended.Ms. Bonham Carter was, well, Ms. Bonham Carter. Bentley Drummle's character was hardly bothered with. Mr. Pip, however, was a fine Pip, and Fiennes was outstanding as Magwitch (hardly recognizable at the start). The adult Estella was nothing outstanding. Boilerplate.Worth a look, if only for comparison purposes.

Just a year after BBC television made an adaptation of Great Expectations which was hampered by bland and limp lead actors playing Pip and Estella. We had a BBC Films version made a year later.Ralph Fiennes plays the role of Magwitch here although Ray Winstone for the TV adaptation was better casting. Winstone looks like a man who was born to play Magwitch.The film is well photographed and has some wonderfully lit scenes. Director Mike Newell knows he needs people to forget the David Lean version made in black and white.The trouble is that there have been so many adaptations of the Charles Dickens novel that it has become a well trodden story. There was nothing new here or an interesting take in this adaptation.The leads were better, Helena Bonham Carter actually looks a likely choice to play Miss Havisham but brings little else that what was expected of her.The film is cinematic enough for a low budget film. I think overall an average retelling of the tale rather than an inspired one.

I love the writings of Charles Dickens and this is one of my favourite stories. I expected a riveting performance but was just plain disappointed. There were lots of great talent, Helena Bonham Carter, David Wallliams, Scottish fellow and Ralph Fiennes among others; some lovely photography but for some reason this just didn't work. I had also watched the version that included David Suchet, Ray Winstone and Gillian Anderson, an unlikely cast and yet it really worked and I was in raptures. Maybe it was because this version was a condensed cinematic version and some of the original story had to be discarded but I had the sense that an intimidating cast list and terrific photography would carry the day but it really didn't. I like all of the actors in this but I really felt that they were utterly miscast. You know, Robbie Coltrane would have been a far better Bumblechook. Helena Bonham Carter just should not have been employed. Too bad- I so wanted this to be good.

As someone who loves Charles Dickens and the work of director Mike Newell, I have been eagerly anticipating this film since its release in England last fall. I was fortunate enough to attend its Arizona premiere at the Scottsdale International Film Festival on October 7th, and I have to say that all my anticipation was well justified. It is more than just a good film or a faithful adaptation of one of the 19th century's greatest novels; it is a masterpiece. I can't understand why so many reviews, both critics and the public alike, are so negative. It is a good watch whether you've read the novel or not. Literary purists will enjoy it for the fact that it stays so close to the book, and casual film buffs will appreciate that the twisting Dickensian plot is made comprehensible enough so that they can follow along as well. Having watched other adaptations including the much-lauded 1946 Lean film version, which was, incidentally, the last time this story made it to the silver screen, others pale in comparison. There is not a thing about it that I would change or want any different. It is probably the best film I've seen all year.Hats off to screenwriter David Nicholls, who manages to successfully translate a 450+ page novel into the perfect 2-hour film. He kept it to just the right length--long enough to avoid feeling butchered, but short enough so that things weren't dragged out longer than necessary. The pacing was good, and I never felt like something had been "cut out", a rare feeling in a production like this. The preservation of Dickens' own dialogue and his occasional touches of humor lends an authenticity rarely felt in adaptations of his work (ref. BBC's disastrous 3-hour miniseries).The visual look is lush of the film is lush and gorgeous, with evocative landscapes of the Kentish coast and Gothic interiors looking equally appropriate. The choice of costumes and hairstyles is intriguing, a stylized mash- up of 19th century with a pseudo-theatrical flair, particularly those of Estella's, which was the only element that seems out of place in the story's time period, but overall it works in this film.What I found to be the most pleasant surprise was how well acted this film was. So many actors seem to fall into the trap of allowing over-the-top theatricality and quirkiness overpower the human side of their performance and all but ignore the fact that Dickens intended his characters to come off as real people, but that trap has been cleverly avoided. The entire cast is ideally suited to their respective parts and give real, moving performances. Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger as the older Pip and Estella gave better performances than I expected from the trailer, and look out for Toby Irvine, Jeremy's real-life younger brother, as Young Pip--he's a scene-stealer! Helena Bonham Carter simply is Miss Havisham, and plays her as she should be played, slightly dotty, but with a reason for her madness. Robbie Coltrane is excellent as the less-than-trustworthy Jaggers, and Jason Flemyng as Joe is literally an exact replica of the character as I imagined while reading the novel. The real standout, though, is Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch. His beautiful eyes carry the character to perfection, and along with a believable but intelligible North Country accent, it's hard to imagine anyone but him in the role.To sum up, Mike Newell's "Great Expectations" is unquestionably one of the best Dickens adaptations ever made, certainly the best of feature-length, and I recommend it to anyone.