Great Expectations (2012)

Number Rolled: 29

Movie Name/Year: Great Expectations (2012)

Tagline: Prepare for a life of great expectations.

Genre: Drama

Length: 128 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: BBC Films, Unison Films, Lipsync Productions, Main Street Films, Number 9 Films, iDeal Partners Film Fund

Producer: Laurie Borg, Cliff Curtis, Jana Edelblum, David Faigenblum, Peter Hampden, C.C. Hang, Ed Hart, Zygi Kamasa, Harrison Kordestani, Christine Langan, Charlotte Larsen, Caroline Levy, Norman Merry, Emanuel Michael, Arti Modi, Mike Newell, Thorsten Schumacher, Stephen Woolley, Alexis Bishop

Director: Mike Newell

Writer: David Nicholls, Charles Dickens

Actors: Toby Irvine, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Sally Hawkins, William Ellis, David Walliams, Bernice Stegers, Helena Bonham Carter, Bebe Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Jeremy Irvine, Jessie Cave, Ewen Bremner, Olly Alexander, Daniel Weyman, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Helena Barlow, Tamzin Outhwaite, Holliday Grainger

Blurb from Netflix: Fate -- with a little help from a mysterious unnamed benefactor -- whisks a young orphan Pip from poverty to a life of unexpected wealth.

Selina’s Point of View:

I have never read Great Expectations. It’s one of those great classics that everyone read in high school or college, but I never really ever came across it. Even though it’s my mom’s favorite (I think… at least, I’m pretty sure). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t live under a rock. I’ve heard of it and I know it’s written by Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield), but that’s all I knew going into this.

I wasn’t all too interested in this film when we rolled. It’s a period drama which isn’t my favorite and it’s long. For some reason, the sound was also kind of crappy.

So, I was grumpy.

However, I wound up really liking the film.

I understood immediately why the story is a classic. It’s an absolutely enthralling tale of romance and mystery. There are some classics that I just don’t understand the appeal of, but this one I got.

Add to the plot some fantastic actors, such as Jeremy Irvine (Life Bites, The World Made Straight, Stonewall), Helena Bonham Carter (Cinderella, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Les Miserables), Holliday Grainger (The Borgias, Anna Karenina, Jane Eyre) and Ralph Fiennes (Spectre, A Bigger Splash, The Invisible Woman), and you have a really spectacular film. I could have sat through more of it.

I’d recommend this film to anyone with a love for the classics or period dramas. Mystery lovers might also enjoy it.

Cat’s Point of View:

Great Expectations is one of the classics that I remember fondly from school. As unbiased as I try to be, I am already pre-disposed to like a film based on the book – as long as they stay true to the core of the story and the characters.

You could say I have great expectations. (I know, I couldn’t help it.)

I wasn’t disappointed with this movie. It was quite a relief, really, after the last few let-downs I’ve had. This film was executed with finesse and excellent casting choices, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The settings were realistic and full of the grit and grime of the time period. The costumes were exquisite in detail.

Mike Newell (Pushing Tin, Mona Lisa Smile, Prince of Persia: The Sands of time) breathed new life into the tale without having to give the whole thing a facelift. I am thankful that the film stayed ‘humble’ and focused on the story, rather than giving it the Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys II, 13 Hours) treatment by packing in more cinematic bells and whistles.

Of course, I had a bit of an internal giggle that Miss Havisham was played by Helena Bonham Carter (Terminator Salvation, The King's Speech, Suffragette). Eccentric women in period pieces seems to be her wheelhouse and she makes it look effortless. Holliday Grainger (Stanley Park, Bel Ami, The Riot Club) was able to capture the depth of Estella through the flashes of her we see within the film.

Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, Now is Good, The Railway Man) was a good choice for Pip. He’s an up-and-comer and I really want to see how he grows. He grasped the essence of the country boy’s transformation very well. While his last name of Irvine seems to be a stage name, his little brother has adopted the same in following his footsteps. The younger version of Pip in the film was played by Toby Irvine, and is his only film credit at this time.

There’s more ‘6 degrees’ going on with this movie beyond Hagrid and Bellatrix LeStrange sharing the screen. Robbie Coltrane (The Brothers Bloom, Brave, Effie Gray) was an excellent Jaggers. He encapsulated the shady lawyer with questionable morals in a way that I forgot I’d seen him in other things until after the spell of the movie was broken. What’s the connection, you ask? He happened to play Mr. Hyde in Van Helsing (2004).

Another actor whom has donned the persona of Jekyll & Hyde is Jason Flemyng (Rock Star, Stardust, Ironclad) in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). His performance as Joe Gargery impressed me.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Ralph Fiennes (Land of the Blind, In Bruges, Skyfall) as Magwitch. He’s no stranger to the Classics, having played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1992). He often plays villain roles, though it’s refreshing to see him change it up a bit with a protagonist.

All in all, I loved the movie and while it didn’t offer anything flashy to the already-told tale, it was a notable rendition with substance and heart.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 64%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 49%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 3/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer: