Ebenezer is exactly what the trailers pitched to you. It felt like this movie could have premiered in the early 2010’s. The feel and vibe of the movie lived up to each scene of the trailer. In a way you don’t even need to watch the movie really. It doesn’t offer that much more than a few extra scenes but doesn’t dive too deep and doesn’t get too grim at all for Ebenezer. That matters because the trailer already gives you most of the movie, so there’s little reason to buy a ticket.
Ebenezer comes off more grumpy than a scrooge. I expected a bit more horribleness from him. Johnny Depp did the best he could portraying Ebenezer. I wouldn’t blame him at all. There’s Cratchit, who works for Ebenezer. Ebenezer bullies him around a little, but it’s basically a somewhat harsh boss and employee situation. He does allow him time off at Christmas so he’s not all the way bad. As for the ghosts, Christmas Past was actually the best out of the bunch, since she showed how his sister truly tried to protect Ebenezer. Christmas Present felt lackluster. He showed Tiny Tim and Cratchit’s family, but that’s basically it. Christmas Yet to Come was probably the worst of all, and the only thing that made sense was showing Cratchit’s family and how they’re living.
Overall this movie had a pacing issue. A movie that’s 2 hours long felt like it was 3 hours long. The interactions with each ghost lasted a few minutes too long. Marley is the first example. He comes back after dying at their business suddenly. He has chains tied around him and mentioned it was basically the chains of his mistakes or something similar. Even if the chains come from the source material, it didn’t land here, and maybe removing him would have been the best thing to do for the story. You already have the other Ghosts to haunt Ebenezer. The Ghosts of Christmas Present and Yet to Come stretched out too, for how little each one showed.
The biggest miss is the scare-him-straight part of the story. Four ghosts haunt Ebenezer, which sets up real stakes, but the hauntings were timid, so nothing ever paid it off. Harsher hauntings would have made his change feel earned. The same goes for Ebenezer himself. He starts the movie only grumpy and never truly horrible, so there was little for the ghosts to fix. Showing him being cruel would have made the turnaround hit harder. Christmas Yet to Come also missed its payoff. It showed his belongings being pawned off and his wealth stolen, which wouldn’t matter to him since he’s gone. Showing something he would actually care about would have made that visit land.
I don’t think the resolution earned itself at all. After such tame hauntings and an Ebenezer who was never that bad to begin with, the change at the end has nothing behind it. Ebenezer felt like a bloated version of the source material. The biggest issue for me was the pacing. The big question is would I recommend this for anyone? I would say if you love Johnny Depp then he’s the best that could be done with this script. If you loved the trailer then it basically is a longer form of the trailer. If you want to see something awesome then skip this movie altogether.
Ebenezer (2026) Cast and Details
Ebenezer (2026) is directed by Ti West and stars Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit and Sam Claflin as Fred. The cast also includes Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley, and Daisy Ridley as Clara. It runs 116 minutes and is rated PG-13. You can find the full cast and crew on Ebenezer’s IMDb page. If you want another fantasy pick, check out my WildWood review.
