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Sounds familiar, no doubt, but not just because it's a famous title: this too was washed back to April in the choppy wake of Cameron's ship-sinking epic. Here's what we had to say about Great Expectations back in Issue 14. "This isn't your typical, cosy period drama. The title may suggest 18th-century London, little match girls and chim-chimeny sweeps, but Fox's Great Expectations is set firmly in the modern day. Florida swamps, skyscrapers, aeroplanes... Think Dickens but with Romeo & Juliet-style modernism...
"Unfortunately, this contemporary version is more 'elaboration' than it is 'adaptation'. Director Cuarón (A Little Princess) establishes some intriguing ideas, but the film never rises above a puffed-up soap opera/shampoo ad hybrid. All in all, a silly tale, very loosely based on the Charles Dickens classic. Despite the reputable cast and admirable visuals, Great Expectations is drowned in American schmaltz. Impossible to take seriously."
