MOVIE REVIEW - Great Expectations (2012)

Title: Great Expectations

Director: Mike Newell

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Robbie Coltrane & Jessie Cave

Released: 2012

Rating: ★★★


I have been meaning to watch this film for ages!! I missed it in the cinema and completely forgot to watch it! I finally got the chance tonight and I thought I would share my opinion :)

So, Great Expectations; a lot of you probably already know this storyline, but for those of you who don't, here is a short blurb:

Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip (Cool name, huh?), is a poor orphan who is looked after by his sister and her husband, following the death of his parents. After an encounter with a escaped convict, a woman driven mad by love and the beautiful, but heartless Estella, Pip suddenly finds himself entangled in a great mystery; an unknown benefactor places a large fortune upon him, wishing for him to become a gentleman.

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First off, I would just like to state that I am a Great Expectations fanatic. I am a huge fan of the book and have seen many adaptations, so I am quite the critic when it comes to them! :P

Great Expectations is by far one of the best books ever written. The overall plot is extremely unique and original, and the characters are mesmerising. Great expectations is one of Dickens' most famous novels, and for this reason there has been countless adaptations of this movie.

Okay so I guess I'll start off with the positives.
The acting was, as expected, fantastic. They had a mostly all star cast, and I really thought all of the actors and actresses did an extremely good job and were very believable.

Mike Newell is also a very well known director, directing films such as Harry Potter, Mona Lisa Smile and Four Weddings and a Funeral. He again did a great job, and the setting and costumes of this film were also perfect and very true to the book.

Now, this may be me just being picky, but I really feel like the main let down in this movie was casting. I don't know if it is just me, but I really didn't think that most of the actors and actresses cast were suitable, excluding a few exceptions, which I will mention later.
First of all, Helena Bonham Carter in my opinion was not a great choice for Miss Havisham. I am a huge fan of Helena's work, and her acting was great, but I just don't think she was right for this role. Miss Havisham is a woman who has been driven mad by love, loss, pain and revenge. Helena played the role more like she had just come out of a mental asylum, which was quite entertaining, but not true to the book or the character.
I also have my ongoing battle with finding the perfect Estella. Holliday Grainger is certainly very beautiful, I again just wasn't feeling like she was right for the part. This may be because the true Estella in my eyes is Jean Simmons in the 1946 Great Expectations, which has got to be my favourite adaptation. In this film, the script also changed Estella's characteristics slightly, which I felt took the edge out of her character.

The two actors that I felt were absolutely perfect choices, were Jessie Cave as 'Biddy' and Olly Alexander 'Herbert Pocket'. Although they are slightly minor characters, they definitely stood out when I watched the movie!
Jessie Cave has come from 'Ron's annoying girlfriend' in the Harry Potter series, to a truly fantastic actress (and comedian!?)! She has a very bright future ahead of her!
I had actually never seen Olly on screen before, and was quite surprised to see that he had only been in a handful of films. I hope to see more of him in the future, his portrayal of Herbert was absolutely perfect!


Again, this review might be just me being picky, I know people who haven't read the book who have given this 5 stars, so maybe knowing too much about it has spoiled it for me. On its merits alone, this was a great movie! I do however, think that if you haven't read the book you would enjoy it a lot more, as you won't be as particular as I am!

Three stars.

Comment below your thoughts on this film if you have seen it, or the book if you have read it :)

Have a lovely week!


-Bee