Great Expectations

Since its story has been told so many times before, the new cinematic version of Great Expectations struggles to distinguish itself despite a number of competent attributes.

This straightforward adaptation of the venerable Dickens coming-of-age novel is a handsomely mounted period piece elevated by a first-rate British cast, yet it somehow feels more suited for the “Masterpiece Theatre” crowd than for the multiplex.

The familiar tale follows Pip (Jeremy Irvine), who grew up as an orphan raised by his mean-spirited older sister (Sally Hawkins) and a humble blacksmith (Jason Flemyng), with dreams of someday becoming a wealthy gentleman in high-society London. He is granted that opportunity thanks to Magwitch (Ralph Fiennes), an ex-con who becomes Pip’s benefactor in order to repay an act of kindness from Pip’s childhood.

Their lives cross paths years later after Pip’s relocation to the big city, with Pip also learning secrets about his connection to eccentric spinster Miss Havisham (Helena Bonham Carter) and to her adopted daughter, Estella (Holliday Grainger) to whom Pip takes a liking.

The setting is captured with evocative detail by veteran director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), from the bleak rural landscapes in Kent to the hustle and bustle of London in the early 19th century.

The film does little to improve upon the previous big-screen and stage adaptations to which it will inevitably be compared, especially the seminal 1946 film version directed by David Lean and starring John Mills as Pip.

It’s easy to see why actors are drawn to these rich characters, and the portrayals here are strong across the board, including Irvine (War Horse), who brings emotional depth to a complex role. His real-life younger brother, Toby, plays the younger version of his character who is so critical in the first act.

The screenplay by David Nicholls (One Day) is faithful to the source material, and captures its classic themes of redemption, ambition, family and socioeconomic class.

Ultimately, Great Expectations is an adequate but trivial adaptation that might have the side benefit of introducing a new generation of viewers to the Dickens novel. For many of them, its abridged reverence to the original might even allow them to cheat on their book reports.

Rated PG-13, 128 minutes.