Review of Great Expectations (1998) by Joshua P — 11 Feb 2011

I've seen countless adaptations of Dickens novel, but modern takes really are a soft spot for me. Not all of them are as good as they should be, this is not the case with Cuaron's version of the famous novel.

He does magnificent things with the novel, and for brief moments you can even forgot you're watching an adaptation of a novel that was written several centuries ago. This is probably primarily due to the performances.

Ethan Hawke, Chris Cooper and the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow fit their characters perfectly, and Robert De Niro leaves a chill on the audience in his brief and separated scenes. The writing although strong has it's flaws, but nothing that will ruin the experience.

I'm really very impressed.