‘A Tale of Two Cities’ Review: Kit Harington Has Done Far, Far Better Things Than This Bland MGM+ Dickens Adaptation
The Hollywood Reporter's review of MGM+ and BBC One's new four-part adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" delivers a lukewarm verdict, calling it neither the best nor worst version of the classic, but the "meh-est" one yet. Critic assessment matters because the novel has never had a definitive screen adaptation, giving this version a rare opportunity that showrunner Daniel West's take largely squanders through bland staging and a lack of emotional depth.
The series stars Mirren Mack as Lucie Manette, François Civil as Charles Darnay and Kit Harington as Sydney Carton, with both men falling for Lucie despite what the reviewer describes as wholly absent chemistry between all three leads. The production is criticised for its uninspired sets, described as near-identical warehouse-style stages, and for narrative choices, such as giving Lucie an odd surgical subplot, that add little to the story. The review notes this is the first major English-language adaptation since a 1989 Masterpiece Theatre version, and situates it among recent Dickens adaptations seen as straying from the author's spirit.
- New MGM+/BBC adaptation of "A Tale of Two Cities" reviewed as bland and forgettable.
- Kit Harington leads cast lacking chemistry as Sydney Carton.
- First major TV version since 1989; sets and story called uninspired.
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The new adaptation is led by showrunner Daniel West and stars Mirren Mack as Lucie, François Civil as Darnay and Kit Harington, best known for "Game of Thrones", as Carton. It is notable as the first major English-language screen version since a 1989 television production, making it a rare and closely watched attempt to bring the classic story to a new audience.
This matters because television critics and Dickens enthusiasts have long debated whether the novel can be successfully adapted for the screen, and each new attempt is measured against that unresolved question. The series therefore arrives with expectations both about how faithfully it handles Dickens' themes and how it compares with earlier efforts to tell the same story.