it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Going back over the years it seems that every generation gets a new version of Great Expectations . We can't seem to get enough of telling of Charles Dickens's coming of age novel. In this version the brothers Toby and James Irvine playing different ages of Philip Pirrup, shortened to Pip our protagonist hero.Pip's an orphan kid brought up by his sister Sally Flemyng and her husband blacksmith Joe Gargery played by Jason Flemyng and a random act of kindness feeding escaped convict Magwitch played by Ralph Fiennes brings him unseen benefits. A change in lifestyle as he now lives like a gentleman. He can also aspire to court the haughty Estella played by Holiday Grainger. As her very strange guardian Miss Havisham has brought her up, she's to reek vengeance on the male of the species.. Helena Bonham-Carter and that's been a great part for character actresses. Left at the altar by the man she loved, Miss Havisham is the last word in warped. I wonder who in real life Charles Dickens took as his model for her.As it goes young Pip has been believing certain things in his life and based his life on false assumptions. In the end he's happy, but he's got quite a reality check in store for him.Another ten to twenty years there will be another version of Great Expectations. We don't seem to tire of the tale.

Apart from Jason Flemyng, who's doing a marvelous job, as always, and Ewen Bremner, who is descent as Wemmick, mostly terrible casting choices and poor portray of the characters. Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham? Please...Not to mention the poor, rushed script, which lacks crucial parts of the story (such as the odd man in the pub who gave Pip the two pound notes), It feels like Newell is trying too hard to make of the film to be too many things it's not, and was never meant to be (such as a love story). This movie was like Pip's great expectations - it came with high hopes, but unfolded into nothing.

It seems like every year we get a new film based on the classic take by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. There are so many versions, it is pointless to make another one. Apparently people disagreed though as we have another update, this time starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes. I adored the 1998 version even though it was critically panned. I cannot say the same about this movie. The performances were excellent and it has a majestic scope, but the narrative is just a little uneven for my taste.By now, we should all know the plot to the film. But in case this was someone's first big-screen adventure into the story, Mike Newell's film is about a boy named Pip who is given a chance at a gentleman's life in London thanks to a mysterious benefactor.As said before, the film does have excellent performances namely by our two British veterans in Carter and Fiennes. Carter makes an excellent Miss Havisham and she is delightfully weird, just like in most Tim Burton movies. Fiennes also gives all he got as the convict Pip meets in the beginning. Jeremy Irvine, known for his role in War Horse, does a solid job and same goes for Holliday Granger as Estella, Pip's romantic interest. I also thought Jason Flemying was excellent as Joe, and the scenes between Joe and Pip were quite powerful.Overall, the latest Great Expectations remake tries it very best to succeed thanks to the lavish production design and it excellent performances, but it fails to live up to previous films. It is certainly not bad, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table. That being said, it still is good to watch. They do a good job in recreating nineteenth century London and the countryside. It shows how different life was compared to today. Not a bad film, but not a great one either. Perhaps no more adaptations in the near future, studios. I rate this film 7/10.

Clocking in over 2 hours, the movie does feel like it's too long. And since it is a period piece, you get the old "repression" and not being able to get what you want thing. But the movie does have a spin of course and that spin is Ralph Fiennes character. Of course there have been quite a few versions of the book (that I haven't read I'll admit right here), I can't compare it to them (or the book obviously).Fiennes lends the movie some well needed gravitas and while it might have been a different movie with other actors in it (see "Did you know section" here on IMDb), it still is worth watching for anyone who likes his period pieces a lot. Drama and thrill combined with a little twist here and there always works. Jason Flemyng and other characters get less time than you wish they had and the movie ends like you'd expect it to ... though it is rather difficult to feel exactly what our protagonist is going through all the time, it still works most of the time.