In Ti West’s Ebenezer, Johnny Depp gamely embraces the Gothic theatrics, but there’s little beneath the macabre surface to make this retelling feel remotely fresh. That is to say, this whole endeavour is, well, needless. I mean, if you’ve somehow never seen or heard the classic tale before, this would serve as a perfectly capable introduction. But that’s really all it is: a surface-level retelling that brings very little new to the table. Thankfully, there are a few things to raise your spirits - namely West’s eye for the ghoulish. No stranger to ghost stories or horror offerings, the director makes these otherworldly encounters deliciously haunting at times. There are some genuinely striking visuals (Depp getting sucked into his bed for one), along with a few jump scares thrown into the unsettling mix. Unfortunately, all that dreary imagery and those drawn-out supernatural visits eventually make the film feel rather sleepy, bordering on (gasp) boring. Luckily, Depp is fully committed to the bit. He’s practically in every scene and never loses sight of his mission. It’s another one of his slightly goofy, larger-than-life character embodiments, but he makes it work, bringing enough expressive personality to keep things entertaining. And, of course, any Christmas Carol adaptation hinges on that ending, and whether we actually buy into the whole “I’m a changed man” routine. And, yeah, you’ll buy into it here – if only just. Alas, Ebenezer is a perfectly fine adaptation with some genuinely great visuals and a committed lead performance - but it’s ultimately an unnecessary one. Not quite a bah-humbug time at the movies, but not necessarily a Merry one either.