Having just finished the epic picaresque adventure that is Nicholas Nickleby, I was anticipating several of the filmed versions; this one does not disappoint, if for nothing else the career-capping fiendish performance by Christopher Plummer as the dark Uncle Ralph, whose living space is filled with birds pinned to the wall and stuffed cranes and skulls.Plummer's Uncle Ralph has been arrested in his emotional development and takes his frustration out on angelic Nicolas, his nephew. Nicholas, played with absolutely charm and believability by Charlie Hunnam, grows up as his adventures take him from Wackford Squeer's prison-like school for abandoned children to the dazzlingly colorful theatrical troupe run my Mr. And Mrs. Crummles--Nathan Lane, perfectly mated with Barry Humphreys in Victorian drag; Director McGrath and crew accurately reflect Dicken's contrasts of the dark sooty city of London and the halcyon greenery of the country, and while dozens of the novel's characters have been sacrificed to time, the true tenor and spirit of the novel, which includes Nicolas, the girl he loves and the faithful sadly twisted Smike, remains intact.This is a lovely adaptation of a long and complex book and the commitment of the cast and crew is wholly evident, producing a Dickens gem that captures the essence of the great novel in just over two hours.

How this version could have received a score of 7.2 is almost beyond imagination - except that nowadays the young people have such crap to watch generally that they are perhaps incapable of judging properly! So they vote with their eyes for Charlie Hunnam and are impressed by the list of well-known actors who generally do a good job... and who all should hang their heads in shame for being part of this enterprise. Christopher Plummer is wooden, Jamie Bell is wasted in this as his character is barely developed, Mr Hunnam is woefully miscast as he doesn't have an ounce of credibility in any of his scenes. The only ones who come out of this without damage to their reputations are Tom Courtney, who plays his role believably at least, and the duo of Nathan Lane and Barrie Humphries (basically recreating his Dame Edna Everage personage)... these two succeed where everyone else fails because they are never to be taken seriously anyway, but are simply characters in the theatre of the absurd, and so fit in perfectly with the rest of this terribly terribly feeble attempt at bringing Dickens' characters to life.If you want to watch an excellent version of this story, watch the 2001 film with James D'Arcy in the title role. Everything that is wrong with the 2002 film will become evident in watching this far superior version!

If you remove the wooden and god awful Charlie Hunnam, AND Barry Humphries in drag,then this is not a bad stab at NN. However you can't and so this chocolate box attempt is ruled out for me. Much better watch/buy the Royal Shakespeare Company version,it's well paced out over a long journey and captures Dickens novel exactly. It's obviously aimed at those viewers that need the plot simplifying,prettifying and generally sanitising. There are plenty of equal/better versions out there. You just have to take your pick,mine is as above the RSC version. Dickens novels are not (as some directors think) easy to film,this one just falls short for various reasons.

This adaptation of the novel proves to be both original and entertaining. Without losing any of the uniquely Dickensian spirit of the novel, this film version manages to create a new take on a Dickens classic. By having Vincent Crummles,a relatively minor character in the original, take center stage and become the narrator/presenter of the opening and closing scenes of the film, the director offers his own slant on Dickens's love of theatre and theatricallity. To that end, the choice to cast Dame Edna as Crummles's wife is a brilliant one.The other casting choices are also excellent. I found Jamie Bell's performance as Smike moving and accurate. What a far cry from "Billy Eliot", although his performance in that awful movie was the film's only saving grace.This is a lesson in how to adapt a classic novel. Brilliant, fun and moving. I highly recommend it and not only to die hard Dickens fans.