Review of Great Expectations (2012) by Karen B — 14 Oct 2012

Solid film, that is obviously quite affectionate for the original source material, but maybe a bit too much for those who are not acquainted with it. Beautifully shot, and wonderfully acted (Jeremy Irvine does play his country upbringing a bit too modestly, and is, in my opinion, not really the right choice for this character), but the movie moves at an odd pace.

The passage of time for the characters is not that well established, in terms of both age (Helena Bonham Carter's Havisham never looked any older or younger between transitions), and experience. By experience, I am referring to that of Pip.

Things do happen, but I never quite felt that the character truly grasped them or even thought about the consequences. Events move on far too quick for him, and I never felt that I got enough depth from quite a few of the important scenes.

It definitely has its moments, and its heart is in the right place, but ultimately, it doesn't work that well on a dramatic and emotional level as much as you would want it to. Ralph Fiennes easily steals the show, even more-so than Helena Bonham Carter, and deserves a lot of recognition.

Jeremy Irvine was a little too bland at times, but did not turn out a bad performance overall; he just didn't seem to be too convincing as the country mouse of the story as soon as he went to London.