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Excellent!

I loved the book by Dumas, and the movie was totally different. That's what made it so great. Often great books don't faithfully adapt to great movies. They're totally different forms of entertainment, and many book lovers need to realize this. I love reading, but generally to make a great book into a good movie, many liberties often need to be taken. (First Blood, Lord of The Rings, The Shining,...). It is possible to love a book and still enjoy a movie that is loosely based on said book. I give this one 7.5 out of 10!! -Tim

It's a good Saturday movie if you want to watch some guys sword fight a little bit and not have to think to much.

Well, there's one thing that's hard to go wrong with and that's a classic story. It's hard to fault the plot, when it's based on a renowned classic like Dumas' The Count Of Monte Cristo, even if it is a simple revenge tale. Unfortunately, none of the acting rises above the page.None of the leading men are quite manly. James Caviezel who plays Edmond Dantes and Guy Pearce, who plays Fernand Mondego both come across a little weak as swashbucklers. Caviezel tends to be a blank slate anyway, but I really liked Pearce in Memento, so I was a little disappointed to see his be such a weak character. You do dislike Fernand Mondego and want to see him meet his demise, but Pearce could have taken it much further and given Caviezel more distance to grow as a character. Richard Harris may have walked through this role, but he delivers the best performance of all the actors.Overall, it's a good Saturday movie if you want to watch some guys sword fight a little bit and not have to think to much.

Not the book but Captured themes

ok So the movie wasnt EXACTLY like the book but the flick capured alot of the themes and was done really well. it did wll portraying Edmond's changes even tho it was only from edmond to the count in the book he had many aliases (among them was a priest) and the whole redempion thing aswell. well it was a good movie and anyone who sees it should read the book to get the whole intrigue thing any way ENJOY the count every way you can its a great story no mater which way you tell it

This movie is so good.

This is a very good movie. Now I really want to read the book and compare notes. I hope that everyone will love it like I did.
I never left my seat.

Don't expect the story from the book

The book "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas is the ultimate revenge story, but this movie is hardly the ultimate revenge movie. However, it is still a great movie to go see (or to buy or rent when released to the video stores), and probably better if you have not read the book or at least expect the movie to only be based loosely on the book rather than telling the same story.

To those who have read the book, expect to see an Edmond Dantes who has lost his faith in God rather than the book's portrayal of a man who sees himself as the instrument of God's wrath.

With the book, I enjoyed the relationships between the Count and Albert de Morcerf, and between Maximillan Morrel and Valentine de Villefort and all the intricacies involved with them, these were omitted from the movie and detract from the perceived brilliance of the Count.

Again, a great movie, just don't go expecting the same intricacies of the book or you will be disappointed.

Pure entertainment!

Except for novels that I had to read for English 200 back in university (unless you count the time I read "The Brothers Karamazov" for fun - don't ask), most of my exposure to the literary classics came from the Classics Illustrated comics. I always enjoyed the fact that they took great stories, cut through the chaff, made them easily accessible, enjoyable and I could be done in less than a half an hour. Apparently directors read them too.Edmund Dantes is a simple man with simple desires, whose only goal in life is to save enough money so that he can wed his beautiful fiancee. Unfortunately, his belief in all that is good and trust in his friends are the very qualities that mark him as the perfect patsy. Convicted of nonexistent crimes, Edmund is sent to die in a hideous hellhole that masquerades as a prison. Bereft of hope, and having denounced god, there is only one thing that keeps Edmund alive -dreams of escape and revenge. I slipped into this film hoping that it would provide me with two hours of enjoyment - it greatly exceeded my expectations. The Count of Monte Cristo is a film with something for everyone: romance, betrayal, intrigue, humor, sword fights… It embodies the spirit seen in the Indiana Jones trilogy - present the viewer with pure entertainment, and don't insult them. James Cavaziel's past performances have been less than stellar. More importantly, they have failed to demonstrate his dramatic range. As Edmund, he is given the opportunity to create a character who undergoes stark changes, both physically and mentally: Edmund metamorphoses from a shockingly naïve, young man, to bitter, bedraggled wretch with a tenuous grasp on reality, and finally into a scheming Machiavellian rake. The transformation is both smooth and believable. Edmund's friend/foil is Fernand, played with aplomb by Guy Pearce. Pearce is so despicably roguish, that you almost admire his as you're loathing him. Richard Harris is wonderful as Faria, Edmund's grizzled sage advisor, confessor and trainer.
The rest of the supporting cast also accord themselves well.The film succeeds largely because it does not take itself seriously - even the most dramatic scenes are played with tongue planted in cheek and it is obvious that the cast were caught up in this spirit. In addition, the film is suitable for all ages - the violence is limited and largely bloodless, there is no coarse language and no nudity. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Um .. ok but?? READ THE BOOK FIRST.

I would say that the movie was good, but after reading the book does no justice to the Real Character of Edmond Dantes.

By all means watch the movie!The acting for one is BRILLIANT. IT is Good as I said .. but I could not help noticing that it missed the point of the many important Characters and historical points that Alexander Dumas in the book covered.

I only comment as I felt the book better and the movie seemed to bend and cut and paste people and events described in the book to make almost a mokery of the clear moral ground Dumas stood on in the area of Revenge and Providence.

Makes interesting food for thought. READ the Book first. Do the story Justice Hollywood and tell it how it is. :-)

GS.

Revenge, Justice Or Both?

I really appreciated this film on the second viewing. Afterwards, I thought, "Wow, that was really a satisfying, great film to watch." Satisfying, of course, to see the typical good guy-gets-revenge tale enacted out but also a film which provided some beautiful scenery and photography all the way through. Boy, I hope this comes out on Blu-Ray some day.

Acting-wise, the most fun to watch was Richard Harris as "Priest," the longtime prisoner who tutors young Jim Caviezel, the man (Edmond Dantes) unjustly imprisoned who exacts his revenge in the last hour of the movie. Harris had some of the best lines in the movie, several very profound statements. Ironic that he would be giving Caviezel - who two years later was playing Jesus in "The Passion Of The Christ" - sermons about believing in God! That's the acting profession; one film you play an atheist, the next you are Jesus!

For those who might think the first 30-40 minutes of this movie are a bit slow, stay with it as the action picks up once Caviezel escapes from the prison. Shortly afterward, he is aided by the other character I found most fun to watch, played by Luis Gusman, who still sounds like he's more at home in the streets of New York but, once again, you suspend belief and just go along for the ride.

Strange how our human nature makes revenge so sweet when forgiveness is the right thing to do, but Hollywood has always capitalized on this human failing, making enjoyable films like this. To be fair, it isn't just revenge, as this film points out, it's "justice" we all like to see. In here, the two words are interchanged, depending upon one's rationalizations.

An OK movie

SPOILER:The movie's dialogue was not the best, the action scenes were not thrilling enough, and the end ended way too fast. This movie built up way too much throughout the movie and ended within twenty-five minutes. Throughout the movie (at least in Chateau D'If), the priest tells Edmond not to get revenge for "vengeance is God's." Yet he does it anyways. Then at the end he says something like "Ok, now that I've have my revenge, NOW I'll start using the money for good." That just doesn't make sense to me. He did the very thing that Priest told him not to, but then all the sudden he can just use the money for good and all if forgiven and all handy dandy? I don't think it's that easy. Another thing that was somewhat strange was Albert. How could he possibly suddenly find out who his father is and be alright with it? He didn't even say anything! You'd think he'd be torn between the father he's known forever and the real father whom he's only known for a couple of days or weeks. Sure he may have been shocked and speechless at first, but he should get a little upset over Mondego getting killed at the end. The parts with Richard Harris were the best, and they were funny and interesting. The parts when Edmond was getting revenge on the one guy in the steam bath and his "You didn't think I'd make it that easy, would you?" was really cool. He's so dark. I know I'm making this movie sound bad, but there were some things that were pretty cool. So, overall it was an OK movie.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Very entertaining movie. I've watched it a number of times and always enjoy. I got this copy for my granddaughter who is seventeen. We watched it together. There's not all that many movies out there that you can watch with your granddaughter. Try this one.

The Count of Monte Cristo

This is one of the best films I have seen. It's in great shape, I don't remember, but it may have been new. It works perfectly, and I am so lucky to own it.

If it Ain't Broke.........

Alexandre Dumas was a fantastic author. The novel he wrote of The Count of Monte Cristo is gripping and fantastic. I have read this book several times and it is exciting each time. The movie unexpectedly changes the book's intent from the point of the Count arriving in Paris. The changes are not necessary to meet time constraints and change the entire persona of the count. Yet another example of Hollywood screwing up great literature.


Films can be made that adhere to the intent of great literature while making needed changes -- the Lord of the Rings movies are all great examples of this.

a revelation through the performance of the leading actors

I saw this movie after watching the 1974 version, starring Richard Chamberlain. I have to say that maybe the novel's plot was better respected by that version. But yet, this new one has been extremely enjoyable because it contained a lot of good acting. And to my surprise, I found Jim Caviezel to be a better Monte Cristo than Chamberlain, in fact the best I've seen until now. And that not because Chamberlain wasn't true to the character's spirit, but because Caviezel looks a lot more like Dumas' Monte Cristo. Just as strong, calm and resolved as one would expect him to be. And a lot more man like.Dagmara made the first Mercedes true to the novel's description of her, of a surprising and exquisite beauty. Harris gave a very true and dramatic interpretation of Faria.The change of the plot in the end was unexpected, but rewarding to me, since that kind of ending fitted my childhood dreams. I knew the book by heart when I was ten, and fell in love with Monte Cristo after seing the Chamberlain movie. This new version starring Caviezel makes me want to read the book again, since now I have a perfect image of how the character is like, provided by his acting. It is a great story to watch, but one who wants to know how the original plot is really like should also read the book.

Sweet revenge breeds bitter hatred

To make it simple, this is a story of betrayal and revenge. Caviezel does a wonderful job of portraying the carefree, innocent victim at the beginning and the movie, transitioning (through a long prison stay) to a bitter, revengeful man.The movie holds fairly true to the classic story. The director wisely leaves out special effects and distractions and lets the good acting and gripping story make the movie a joy.It's also nice to see such a film that doesn't have to pack the film with coarse language and graphic violence. There are some fights, but they are done in a very classy manner, neglecting any gratuitous gore.It's not a quickly moving movie, so sit down and decide to get involved in it, but it is well worth your time.8 of 10

What's better than a hot guy getting revenge?

When I first saw this movie, I was surfing the limited channels on our television a week or so ahead of the time they would actually come on so that I could catch any that sounded promising. This was one of those. The description sounded good and a few of the actors' names sounded familiar, although I had never seen any of their movies to date.


So, last night when my sister and I had nothing to do, we decided to switch it on. And let me tell you. It was worth it. Though a little confusing at times, I found this movie highly enjoyable. It also made sense, which was good. There seemed to be a reason for everything.


And, okay I'll just say it. One of the main reasons this is such a good movie is because Jim Caviezel was the main character. Like I said, I had never seen any of his movies (and I still haven't exept for this one, of course) so, I was somewhat surprised to see how hot he was. I mean, yes, it did take some time for me to see the full extent of it, but when I did, I couldn't stop talking and thinking about it.


You would think that it was utterly impossible for a man to look hot in all the stages of his life, miserable as it was at times. I mean, he looked hot in every single scene. Especially as the Count.


Basically this is a movie about revenge. Edmund Dontes is in love with this girl named Mercedees, but can't marry her because he is too poor to buy a ring. He is charged with high treason for delivering a letter for someone, and is sent to prison at a horrible place where he stays for 13 years. Meanwhile Mercedees and his best friend, who actually helped frame him, get married. Edmund escapes and finds all this treasure and gets really rich. He then decides to get revenge on everyone who wronged him.

This is a pretty good movie. I wouldn't give it five stars though. Probably about 4.5 or something. But Jim Caviezel helps a bunch. He is a really good actor. I guess you won't know 'til you watch it.

More than adequate rendition of the book. Excellent and entertaining.

I read the book and found it excellent as well. The movie was largely faithful to the book, at least in the areas that counted most. The book portrays in a graphic way what happens when imperfect man takes it upon himself the role of avenger for wrongs, real or perceived. Sometimes the innocent suffer needlessly, which brings great remorse. In the movie there was none of that; Hollywood "artistic license" allowed the "fairytale ending" with everyone (except the bad guys) living happily ever after. In the movie there were no innocent victims of Dante's wrath and revenge.Overall, I recommend both the book and the movie without reservation.

Awesome movie!

This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! They took a great story and adapted it into an exciting adventure for everyone who sees it. I especially loved Jim Caviezel in this movie! He has been one of my favorite actors since I saw Frequency, and he really kicks butt in this movie as the Count of Monte Cristo. He is one exquisite man, and you can definitely appreciate that in this movie. I almost had a heart attack when I saw him walking around with no shirt on! :)

I love this film!!

It's kind of strange, my wife and I just recently rented Rob Roy. I remember hearing that it was quite good when it was released in the 90's.
And although I can't say it was a bad film, I can't really say it was all that satisfying. It had it's moments but it is not one that will linger with any real distinction in my mind. Usually films in that time frame intrigue me and it was a little disappointing to see such an average film with a pretty good cast. On the other end of the rainbow, you have this film. Now even though this is not exactly the same time frame, it is that "type of film". You know, old England, old France, old whatever. It is pre-1900's. I put all kinds of films into this category. Anything from Braveheart to Man In The Iron Mask to Quills all falls neatly into this type of category. Just like you would say anything from Nosferatu to Nightmare On Elm Street is horror, anything pre-1900 is in this "type of film" category.The Count of Monte Cristo is in one word, AMAZING. There are two reasons I wanted to see this film. One is the trailer had me completely intrigued and the second is because I really enjoyed the book and the film version of "Sleepers". That was the Robert Deniro, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman and Barry Levinson film where several youths are sent to a boys prison for an innocent enough mistake that cost someone their life. In the film the boys are tormented by Kevin Bacon and his entourage of prison guards and one of the things that keeps them going is the book, The Count of Monte Cristo. When one of the boys is first given the book, he looks at the authors name and says, " by Alexander Dumb Ass?" and his friend replies, "that's Doomaa, read it, it's about a guy that escapes from prison and takes revenge on the ones that hurt him." That is not the line verbatim, but you get the point. Ever since seeing this film I have wanted to read the book.
Never getting the opportunity to do so, when the film was advertised, I was, needless to say, excited.The Count of Monte Cristo is the ultimate tale of revenge. It is a story that has stood the test of time because it is probably everyone's fantasy to right the unjust wrongs that have been comitted against them. And oh what fun it is to imagine yourself finding a buried treasure and then making yourself a king or a count? To have everything usurped from you only to take it all back twenty fold is not only intriguing, it is absolutely diabolical and gives you a sense of power. Perhaps that is why the story transcends generations and time frames. Because it is a story and a concept that we can all relate to, perhaps not out of experience but because we have all dreamed about it. A simple man makes a decent living, is thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit and then escapes and finds some hidden treasure and becomes the richest man in the world and extracts revenge. How can that not sound intriguing?This present version of Monte Cristo is masterfully made. Kevin Reynolds, of Waterworld and Robin Hood fame, was given the director's chair and he doesn't disappoint. There is enough action in here for all of us looking the for next great swashbuckling adventure and there is also a trace of romance and even some humour. Jim Caviezel plays Edmund Dantes and Guy Pearce plays Fernand Mondego.
Together, these two shine. I wasn't a big fan of Caviezel's work thus far.
I thought he was alright in Thin Red Line and Angel Eyes but his work in Pay It Forward as the homeless junkie really turned me off of him. In Frequency he was quite good but that was the only film I could really recommend him in. But I think that has all changed now that he has made this film. He is perfect as the average peasant that works to achieve his goals and eventually as the man who has learned from the fountain of knowledge and takes his revenge. Guy Peace, on the other hand is not even recognizable in his role as the insanely jealous best friend. When you look at his last film, Memento and then see him here, you won't even realize this is the same actor. He comes across as a jealous, scheming, whining son of a wealthy man that has been given everything to him on a silver platter. One of the best lines in the film describing his acerbic disposition in life is when Mercedes ( the love interest in the film ) tells Fernando that when he was a little boy, he was upset when he got a pony and Edmund got a whistle because that whistle made Edmund happier that when Fernando had his pony. He is perpetually unhappy and I'm not really sure what could give him any sort of concord. He reminds me a little of the Tombstone character Johnny Ringo.
Doc Holliday once described him a man who wanted revenge for being born.
Perhaps Ringo and Fernand are distant cousins.A sure sign that you are enjoying a film is when you laugh at what is not even funny. You are enjoying yourself to the point that you are anticipating with such joy at what is about to happen. You know that sometime in the film Edmund is going to escape the prison that he is in and that he is going to find Richard Harris' treasure and extract revenge on the monsters that put him in prison. But all the while you can't keep that goofy grin on your face. There wasn't one moment in this film when I wasn't having a great time. And that is not easy to do. I think at times it is simple to become a cynic when you see as many movies as we all do. I perhaps see a little more than the next person, so when so many films begin to tread down that familiar path that it usually does, the perpetual groans become standard occurences. But this film kept me laughing, entertained and anxious to see the outcome. I love this film. This is on par with some of the greats like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back, Predator, Lethal Weapon and a few others that never stops the action. There is nothing to dislike about it and there is every reason to recommend it.2001 was one of the weaker years that I can recall for the film industry.
There were very few pictures that I really honestly enjoyed. There were so many films that will take the infamous ephemeral dive. Five years from now, ask anyone what the best picture of 2001 was and not many people will recall with reverance what films came out in 2001. But here we are in the second month of 2002 and I have already seen two films that blew me away. Mothman Prophecies and The Count of Monte Cristo are two films that I am proud to recommend to many of my friends. I am sure I have made Mothman an extra couple thousand dollars because of my recommending it. I hope I can do the same for The Count. These are two films that people should not miss. But seeing as this is a review for The Count, let's just end it by saying, I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!9.5 out of 10 Just see this movie.

My appreciation of this film is growing.

I was offered tickets to an advanced screening of The Count and could not pass them up. The trailor definitely looked interesting and having never read the book, I thought that I would enjoy the story more, not knowing how it ended.I was not disappointed when I left the theatre but I didn't feel completely fulfilled. I'm a sucker for a movie that has a protagonist plan everything perfectly, kind of like Mission Impossible where the bad guys never realize that the good guy is two steps ahead - The Count of Monte Cristo's Dantes planned everything to near perfection. I had no complaints about the acting (Guy Pearce was wonderful - I hated him more and more as the film progressed - a sign of a good villianous actor) nor did I find the pace too slow (although slow at times, my attention was never lost). It just felt that something was still missing.It has been a week since I saw the screening and I think my appreciation of the film is starting to grow. I originally thought that it deserved a 7/10 but the more that I think about it, the more I want to upgrade that to an 8/10.I do recommend watching this film in theatres and not waiting for the video. Some of the landscapes and settings are better apreciated on the big screen, as well as the claustrophobic feeling felt whilst Dantes was in the tunnel.

Revenge Fantasy Fulfilled..

..and that's gotta be why it was enjoyable. *SPOILERS*


I haven't read the book, or I'm sure I'd be giving it fewer stars, but for what it was, I was pulled into it and happy the fantasy ended happily. Let's face it, you want him to get his revenge, get the girl and live happily ever after. Who doesn't hope for that? Also, the lead actor Jim Caviezel, who plays the loyal then betrayed Edmond Dantes is a sypathetic and likable character that you have no choice but to route for. It's as if he's getting revenge for you! Not to mention the scenery was beautiful. Beleivable or great art, this may not be, but it was an entertaining enough movie.