Great Expectations: A Roller Coaster of Dickens and Modern Twists

Alright, mates, let’s talk about “Great Expectations.” Now, I’m no stranger to Dickens—it’s practically mandatory reading here in Sweden, you know, something your grandmother might pester you about on a rainy Midsummer. But this version, directed by *wait for it* Alfonso Cuarón, makes you sit up straighter in your IKEA chair, if you know what I mean.

So, Ethan Hawke plays Pip, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s our Estella. Let me tell you, Hawke is the kind of actor who could read the tax code and make it feel like Shakespeare. The movie’s got that glossy ‘90s flair, and man, it’s like stepping back into the era of Walkmans and those funky troll dolls in my sister’s room. Seriously, I think my heart did a lil’ dance when Robert De Niro popped on-screen as the convict. That’s the magic of seeing De Niro, innit? An actors’ actors.

The cinematography is like a visual smorgasbord, lush and vibrant. The green walls, the florida heat, everything seemed to vibrate—it’s madness, in a good way. I could almost smell the tropical air! Was it realistic? Maybe not, but isn’t that what cinema’s about?

What got me, though, was how it made me think of personal stuff. Growing up in a small Swedish village, I remember this unspoken pressure to become “something.” Pip’s dreams of becoming a gentleman felt like me trying to impress the old folks in our hamlet, wearing my fanciest rubber boots to Sunday lunch. Man, Pip’s struggle is universal, I reckon. A real human condition thing.

Sure, the modern adaptation bits felt a bit jarring, but isn’t that life? A jumble of old and new. Kinda like Stockholm’s skyline: bizarre yet somehow fitting? So, grab a fika, kick back, and give it a whirl. You might find a bit of yourself in it, or at least enjoy De Niro being well, De Niro. 👌

Check the trailer below