Review: ‘Ebenezer’ reminds us why we keep coming back to ‘A Christmas Carol’ nearly 200 years later

How many times do we need to watch Ebenezer Scrooge get visited by three ghosts before we finally decide we’ve seen enough?

Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol” in 1843, and in the nearly 200 years since, we’ve seen just about every possible version of the story.

We’ve had serious adaptations, animated versions, stage productions, television specials and modern retellings. We’ve seen Scrooge played by some of the finest actors in the world, a duck, and Michael Caine surrounded by Muppets.

And somehow, we’re still not done.

The latest adaptation, “Ebenezer,” stars Johnny Depp as the miserable old miser and comes from director Ti West, a filmmaker best known for horror movies like “X” and “Pearl.”

When I first heard about it, I wasn’t particularly excited.

Don’t get me wrong. I love “A Christmas Carol.” But like I asked earlier, how many times can we watch the same man learn the same lesson from the same ghosts?

Well, after watching “Ebenezer,” I have an answer.

At least one more time.

And it got me thinking about something. Why does this story continue to resonate with us after all these years?

A familiar story with a different feeling

If you’ve somehow made it this far in life without knowing the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, I’m not sure whether to be impressed or concerned.

Regardless, here’s the short version.

Scrooge is a wealthy, miserable old man who has spent most of his life caring more about money than people. On Christmas Eve, he’s visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him that his selfish ways are leading him toward a pretty unpleasant eternity.

Three more spirits arrive to show Scrooge his past, present and future, and by Christmas morning, he has an entirely different outlook on life.

You know the story.

What makes “Ebenezer” interesting is that West doesn’t really change it.

Instead, he reminds us of something we may have forgotten.

“A Christmas Carol” is a ghost story.

In fact, Dickens literally subtitled his novella “A Ghost Story of Christmas.”

West takes that seriously.

His version is darker, creepier, and occasionally downright frightening. The spirits aren’t simply friendly guides taking Scrooge on a magical Christmas adventure. There are moments when they feel genuinely threatening.

And I loved that.

But what impressed me most was that West never lets the horror overshadow the heart of the story.

The scares make Scrooge’s journey feel more consequential, and when the warmth and hope arrive, they feel earned.

This isn’t necessarily the version I’d put on for little kids while they’re decorating Christmas cookies. But for older audiences, it’s a fascinating way to experience a story we’ve all heard countless times.

Johnny Depp makes us care about a man we already know

The other reason this version works is Johnny Depp.

Whatever your thoughts about Depp, the man can act, and Scrooge gives him an opportunity to remind us of that.

He brings his usual eccentricities to the character, but there’s something more going on here.

We see Scrooge’s bitterness, his loneliness, and the regrets that have shaped him. We understand why he became the man he is, even if we don’t particularly like that man.

And somehow, Depp makes us care.

He made me laugh. He made me feel sorry for Scrooge. And yes, he even got me a little emotional.

Which is kind of crazy when you think about it because I knew exactly what was going to happen.

I knew which ghosts were coming. I knew what they were going to show him. I knew Scrooge would eventually wake up on Christmas morning with a new appreciation for life.

There wasn’t a single moment when I wondered how this was all going to turn out.

And yet, I was invested.

That’s when I started wondering why.

Why do we keep coming back?

Think about the Christmas movies you watch every year.

We know George Bailey is going to discover what life would have been like without him. We know Ralphie is going to get his Red Ryder BB gun. We know Kevin McCallister is going to outsmart Harry and Marv, even though they’re morons.

We know every joke, every emotional moment, and every big reveal, but we watch them anyway.

I don’t think we return to these movies because we’re hoping for a surprise. I think we return because we remember how they made us feel.

Maybe we remember watching them with our parents when we were kids. Maybe they’ve become part of our own family traditions. Or maybe there’s simply something comforting about spending a couple of hours with characters we’ve known for most of our lives.

But I think “A Christmas Carol” has something else going for it.

The story changes as we do.

When you’re a kid, it’s a fun Christmas story about ghosts, a grumpy old man, and a little boy named Tiny Tim.

As you get older, you start noticing other things.

You understand Scrooge’s regrets a little better. You recognize the opportunities he missed, the relationships he neglected, and the years he can’t get back.

I’m not suggesting we’re all secretly Ebenezer Scrooge, but we’ve all had those moments in traffic.

But the older I get, the more I appreciate that this isn’t simply a story about a terrible man learning to be nice.

It’s about someone realizing he still has time to become the person he should have been all along.

And I think that message becomes more meaningful with age.

A story worth telling again

I’m not going to suggest “Ebenezer” is now the definitive version of “A Christmas Carol.”

For some people, nothing will ever top “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” and I respect that. Michael Caine playing Scrooge with complete sincerity while surrounded by singing puppets is a pretty remarkable accomplishment.

Others will prefer the traditional versions, and some may find West’s horror approach a little too dark for their Christmas traditions.

But I really enjoyed this one.

West found a way to make a familiar story feel different without losing what makes it special. And Depp gives us a Scrooge who feels human enough that his transformation still means something.

More importantly, the movie reminded me why Dickens’ story has survived for nearly two centuries.

It’s not because we need to know what happens next. It’s because there’s something wonderful about watching a man who has spent so much of his life making the wrong choices discover that he still has a chance to make the right ones.

We all have regrets. We all have moments we’d like to revisit and decisions we’d like to change. Most of us probably wouldn’t enjoy having three ghosts show up in the middle of the night to remind us of those things.

But the idea that tomorrow can be different from yesterday?

That’s something I think we can all appreciate.

So, do we really need another version of “A Christmas Carol”?

Probably not.

But nearly 200 years later, I’m glad we’re still telling it.