Armand maybe it is not the best adaptation. but it has the flavor of novel. Douglas Booth is , maybe, a too modern Pip, more interesting as Romeo or Lancelot but almost strange for this role. the good part - Gillian Anderson who is the inspired choice for Lady Havisham and a huge surprise for many viewers. a series who is more than seductive or beautiful. it is not exactly an adaptation but useful support for remember parts from book. that is its basic virtue - a film like a travel. not just extraordinary but special. not only for atmosphere but for a kind of flavor who is not only part of a great cast or script innovations. a film for remember. that could be the definition. beautiful and correct.

Charisse Brown I am amazed at the negative reviews about this series and how completely false they are. If nothing else, do not let those turn you away; watch it for yourself. For one thing, every time a book is turned into a film, little things must be changed. It is just the way it is in order to keep the audience interested and to fit an entire book into a few hour film. So to expect a word for word portrayal of the book is absurd and only amateurs should expect that. The filming and coloring of this series was excellent. The colors felt dark and dreary and complicated, just like much of the book. Everything I envision when I read Great Expectations was how this series felt. Especially Satis House. It is dark and molding and rotten and disgusting. The cast was perfect. Gillian Anderson played an outstanding Miss Havisham. She literally felt like the shell of a being. Completely lost and void of all feeling and life. Everyone said she was too young, but I thought she looked aged and distraught and perfect for her role. Estella was also a great cast. She is definitely not the prettiest actress in the world, however, she nailed her part. Cold and unfeeling, as she was trained to be. Yet toward the end, there isn't a lot said, but you can feel her change in her feelings towards Pip. Her realization that he was right all along and she is capable of loving him. And Pip was perfect in every way. Young Pip was excellent. And Douglas Booth was outstanding as an adult Pip. His transformation from "the boy from the forge" to a gentleman was well noticed. He looked and felt the part. You felt every emotion. I am excited to see where his future career in film takes him, because I thought he was excellent. He is going to play Romeo in the next adaption of Romeo and Juliet and I am quite thrilled for that! As for everyone else, I thought they cast was spot on. It was true to the story, with obvious little changes. If you are going to be a stickler about every little thing and expect every detail of the original book to be in the film, than yes, of course you'll be disappointed. That is a ridiculous notion and you should never watch any adaption of the book to film. But if you can appreciate art in every form, you will love this version. I will definitely be buying it on DVD and watching it over and over.

phd_travel Please don't watch this terribly miscast BBC version of the beloved tale. Just wait for the Ralph Fiennes version coming out soon. Or re watch the John Mills and Jean Simmons version which is near perfect.Lots has been said about Gillian Anderson being too young and pretty to be Ms Havisham but she is actually alright quite ghostly and spooky. The problem is Vanessa Kirby as Estella she is just way too plain - like some ugly step sister of Cinderella. Even Ms Havisham is prettier than Estella!. Terrible miscasting. You could throw a stone and find a prettier English girl on any street in London. Really spoils the series.Douglas Booth is too pretty and polished for Pip instead of being wide eyed and rough around the edges. He doesn't display enough emotion at the right parts. It's like the Beauty and the Beast with Estella the beast! Even the 2 kids as young Pip and Estella aren't cute.There is a lack of romantic sweep and drama in this version. Also there are some crucial things they didn't show eg Pip trying to save Ms Havisham. Watching this version will ruin your image of the story. Just skip it.

davegp I've only watched halfway through the first episodes but as far as I can tell I'm yet to hear a single line from the original text. Dickens isn't Dickens without his perfect prose. I understand the need to condense the dialogue but surely they could've done better than this. Take this example from the first chapter of the original:"Now lookee here!" said the man. "Where's your mother?" "There, sir!" said I. He started, made a short run, and stopped and looked over his shoulder. "There, sir!" I timidly explained. "Also Georgiana. That's my mother." "Oh!" said he, coming back. "And is that your father alonger your mother?" "Yes, sir," said I; "him too; late of this parish."This has been vandalized into:"Where's your parents?" "Dead and Buried"I rest my case.From the little I saw Ray Winstone was impressive.