Blu-Ray Review: Great Expectations

Great Expectations

From the director of Four Weddings and a Funeral comes this fresh, “absorbing” (Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times) cinematic realization of Charles Dickens’ beloved novel starring Oscar® Nominees Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes*. After an orphaned, blacksmith’s apprentice inherits a fortune from an anonymous benefactor, he moves to London – and towards a promising future. But the machinations of a bitter heiress (Bonham Carter) seem to put the beautiful young woman (Holliday Grainger) he loves forever out of his reach. This “satisfying” (David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer) drama featuring vibrant cinematography and lush costumes also stars Jeremy Irvine, Jason Flemyng and Robbie Coltrane.

Special Features

	●	Great Expectations - Premiere Piece
	●	Great Expectations Trailer

My Thoughts

 Most people already know the plot of Great Expectations because it's based off a classic novel most of us read in high school or college. In a nutshell, Pip is the orphan apprentice of a blacksmith who inherits a fortune. He falls in love but other forces try to keep them apart. This film was an excellent book to movie adaption. One of the major upsides is they use the dialogue from the novel and Dicken's humor and messages remain intact.

I am a huge fan of Helena Bonham Carter, which was the main reason I decided to watch his film. She was, of course, wicked and stunning as always, but all the actors gave noteworthy performances as well. Jeremy Irvine and Holliday Grainger bring the spark of romance to the screen even through their trails. Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch was outstanding and Jason Flemyng as the blacksmith that raises Pip was sympathetic. Overall, it was perfectly cast, even though many of the actors are lessor known.

I thought this was a great adaption of a classic novel and kept within a reasonable length of two hours. It stayed pretty true to the novel. In all fairness, though I have read the book, I haven't watched any of the other movie versions, so I'm not making comparisons but reviewing this film on its own merits alone. With the stunning scenery and costumes and the outstanding acting, I felt this movie was a well-earned five-stars.