Roman Polanski's version of the Dickens classic does not stand out in any way except visually, and not in an altogether positive way. The choice of which plot elements of the story would appear was kept to a minimum and included only the already famous "essential" scenes of the story. Although he did give slightly more depth to each scene, Polanski added nothing of his own directorial style, which made for a very uninteresting movie. We already know everything, so why are we watching? The film's colors are much too warm and inviting for the bleak and depressing environment of a traditional Dickens interpretation, as in the Lean adaptation. The acting, while acceptable, was hidden beneath layers of heavy make-up and exaggerated caricatures that made any emotional involvement with the characters impossible. The plot seems to progress by adding more and more characters instead of fleshing out and maturing old ones, and it becomes less and less about Oliver Twist the character and more about him as an object to own and use. And Barney Clark's Oliver just didn't garner much sympathy from me, I don't know what it was.
There were some positive attributes to the movie. The set design, costuming, and make-up was absolutely amazing. It was an exemplary achievement and a breathtaking spectacle to behold. Also, the music was really good, epic with just the right touch of melodrama. There were three excellent mini-scenes that really stood out and gave the movie a bit more visual flair than the otherwise boring and mundane shot/counter-shot staple. The pacing was precise, with nothing lingered on too profoundly. And while this review is mostly negative, nothing about the movie was appallingly bad. It just didn't live up to expectations, and nothing about it really warranted a remake. But I would say see it if you have no idea who Oliver Twist is! Which is nobody reading my reviews, I hope.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0380599/