JANE EYRE does Charlotte Brontë's novel justice -- no mean feat considering how many adaptations have come before. It's scrupulously conceived for the screen by a director (Cary Fukunaga) with a steady hand who has infused so much feeling and power into such a murky, craggy, swoony landscape. And it's brought to life by actors who don't simply interpret but actually dwell in their characters. Simply put, the movie leaves an indelible impression. Wasikowska is incredible; her Jane is a young lady determined not to let the cruelties thrown her way still her vibrant soul. From carriage to walk to stare, Jane is firmly rooted, ruffled only when the promise of happiness turns shaky.

Wasikowska shares loads of chemistry with Fassbender, whose Rochester is as vital in the present day as he was in the 19th century -- never mind the period dress and formal language. Dame Judi Dench and the rest of the cast are equally strong. Fukunaga favors a gothic approach, and it serves the story well. Complicated love, after all, can be forbidding. Despite a long-ish run time and some small literary liberties, ultimately Jane Eyre feels like it's unspooling as it should and is a happy reminder that, yes, they do sometimes (if rarely) make them like they used to.