As most are likely aware, The Count of Monte Cristo is an extremely long novel from the mid-1800s written by Alexandre Dumas. The basic story is that a man named Edmond Dantes is essentially framed for treason by the Chief Magistrate J.F. Villefort (played by James Frain) and betrayed by his best friend Fernand Mondego (played by Guy Pearce) who is in love with Edmond's fiance Mercedes (played by Dagmara Domińczyk). Edmond ends up imprisoned on the island Château d'If, where he meets another prisoner Abbé Faria (played by the great Richard Harris) who is digging an escape tunnel. He enlists Edmond's help in digging the tunnel and becomes a teacher to Edmond. When Faria is critically injured he gives Edmond a map to a treasure. Edmond ends up escaping and, along with a pirate named Jacopo (played by Luis Guzman) seeks to take revenge on those who imprisoned him. The movie also stars a very young Henry Cavill, in his second film role.
Of course, making a movie from a classic novel is always tricky, but because the book is so long, a lot had to be cut out to make the run time of the movie. Most of what was cut came from the middle of the book from the period of Dante's imprisonment. The focus of the movie is really his revenge against Mondego. The pacing of the movie was actually very good, and if more from the book would have been put in, the movie probably would have slowed down too much. So, the screenplay ended up being a very good adaptation, and the acting all around was excellent.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is very good. There are some great location shots of Malta, where the vast majority of the movie was shot, that really look great in HD. The extras include a thirty-five-minute making-of documentary that is split into fourth parts. There are about twenty-three minutes of deleted scenes, a feature on the climactic fight at the end of the movie, a feature on the sound design of the scene where Edmond escapes from the prison, and a commentary track on the movie with the director. So, a good amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.
Overall, the movie is very good. As I said before, a lot had to be cut from the book in adapting it to a two-hour movie. So, people who are die-hard fans of the book may not like the fact that so much was cut out, but as someone who has read the book, I did not find there was anything that was cut that I really missed from the movie. There are also some who may not want to watch the movie because of the political views of the lead actor, Jim Caviezel, who has turned out to be a right-wing Q nutjob. While I do not agree with anything he has said over the past handful of years, he is hardly the only one that made this movie work and was not the only one who gave a great performance. So, if you can compartmentalize any feelings you have about the person and just watch the movie, it is worth it.
Of course, making a movie from a classic novel is always tricky, but because the book is so long, a lot had to be cut out to make the run time of the movie. Most of what was cut came from the middle of the book from the period of Dante's imprisonment. The focus of the movie is really his revenge against Mondego. The pacing of the movie was actually very good, and if more from the book would have been put in, the movie probably would have slowed down too much. So, the screenplay ended up being a very good adaptation, and the acting all around was excellent.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality is very good. There are some great location shots of Malta, where the vast majority of the movie was shot, that really look great in HD. The extras include a thirty-five-minute making-of documentary that is split into fourth parts. There are about twenty-three minutes of deleted scenes, a feature on the climactic fight at the end of the movie, a feature on the sound design of the scene where Edmond escapes from the prison, and a commentary track on the movie with the director. So, a good amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.
Overall, the movie is very good. As I said before, a lot had to be cut from the book in adapting it to a two-hour movie. So, people who are die-hard fans of the book may not like the fact that so much was cut out, but as someone who has read the book, I did not find there was anything that was cut that I really missed from the movie. There are also some who may not want to watch the movie because of the political views of the lead actor, Jim Caviezel, who has turned out to be a right-wing Q nutjob. While I do not agree with anything he has said over the past handful of years, he is hardly the only one that made this movie work and was not the only one who gave a great performance. So, if you can compartmentalize any feelings you have about the person and just watch the movie, it is worth it.
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