Johnny Depp stars in new A Christmas Carol film

Film follows classic narrative beats

The movie sticks to accepted narrative beats and familiar episodes from the original novella. Screenwriter Nathaniel Halpern and director Ti West created a faithful adaptation of the masterpiece about a miser saved on Christmas Eve. The film features three ghosts representing yuletides past, present and future appearing to change the character's fate.

Depp returns after long absence

Johnny Depp returns to studio cinema after eight years on an A-list blacklist following his international arthouse work. He plays a flamboyantly transformative pantomime-style part that he previously did for directors Tim Burton and Gore Verbinski. The production uses peaky old-age prosthetics and a hunched demeanor to portray the legendary miser before redemption arrives.

Reviewers note commercial gamble

Variety notes the film's commercial prospects rest on casting Depp in the title role. The Guardian describes the project as decent enough for lovers of Dickens and fans of subtext. Paramount may have exaggerated matters regarding the origin story framing to justify the revisionist approach.