Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Swashbuckler
Review: What constitutes a good film viewing experience, to me, is being caught up in the story of believeable characters -- like the screen is a window into another world, and the viewer is a spectator of what goes on there. Good fiction has the same characteristic to me. This film provided such an experiece. No, it does not follow the plot of the Dumas novel, but, rather, it takes the basic story and works it into a different one, neither better nor worse than the original, but as a movie, it is probably better than any of its predecessors. The script is tightly written and the story flows smoothly with no dead spots. The quality of the acting is uniformly good, with special kudos to Jim Caviezel, as the Count, and Guy Pearce as the really bad Mondego. The only minor off-putting part, to me, was the Count's party, where he introduces himself to Paris society. His entrance in a balloon is hokey, but this is my only reservation. I predict the "The Count" will be like other films that did so-so at the box office but were hugely successful when released on tape or DVD ("Tombstone" and "U-571" are just two examples). The video is grand and the sound quality matches it. If you are looking for a good adventure film with good characters and plot, and good, well done action scenes, give "The Count" a try. I'll bet you like it.
Rating: 
Summary: "count" me out!
Review: as many reviewers have pointed out, this movie is nothing like the book, borrowing only the title, a few of the characters and the same general plot. however, i think that anyone that has actually read the unabridged version of the book knows how difficult it would be to tell the whole story faithfully in a two hour movie. so, my review is based solely on the movie itself, not as a comparison to the book.
having said that, i was hugely disappointed. james caviezel turned in another fine performance, but guy pearce, once a favorite actor of mine (due to "l.a. confidential" and "memento") was just plain silly whenever he tried to be threatening. but the main problem with this film was it's low budget look and feel to it. the directing, writing, camera work all seemed to be done by (bad) amateurs. even the sound was poor, as if they ran out and bought their recording equipment from radio shack a few hours before filming began (you will maybe only notice this if you have a decent home theater system). as for the extras, i couldn't get to them. why would i care to learn about the coreography of some of the worst sword fights ever filmed?
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly fresh and superb adventure film
Review: In this time of fire and explosion oriented blockbuster movies it is indeed refreshing to find a remake of a classic novel of the quality of The Count of Monte Cristo currently available. I happened to nonchalantly choose this film at the DVD outlet as a source of viewing background for an evening of desk work. WRONG! This superbly made film of the Dumas' novel is excellent and gripping on every level. The quality of the film, shot in Ireland and Malta, is visually stunning, the story remains true to the original, and the cast is outstanding. James Caviezel makes a star turn in the title role, aided by the always excellent Guy Pearce, the veteran Richard Harris, the here venomous James Frain, a fine and very different role for Luis Guzman, and the elegantly beautiful Dagmara Domincyzk. The movie is beautifully paced, the long prison scenes allow Caviezel and Harris to create tremendous rapport, and the age old theme of REVENGE has rarely been played out so well. This is a beautiful period piece, finely photographed and scored and edited and directed. For a taste of just how exciting the old tales can be visually, treat yourself to an evening with The Count!
Rating: 
Summary: The Count of Monte Cristo
Review: Having never read the book, I can't comment on the film's accuracy. However, judged on its own, This latest incarnation of Alexander Dumas' classic tale of revenge is a solid, if flawed, slice of entertainment. Set in the early part of the 19th century, it boasts strong production design by Mark Geraghty to recreate Marseilles and Paris and is well photographed by Andrew Dunn. Director Kevin Reynolds (he of the infamous Waterworld) moves the film along at a good pace. And kudos to Reynolds for not falling back on the cheap gimmickry of so many contemporary adaptations of classic literature. Indeed, Reynolds plots out the film with workmanlike competence, allowing the actors to work without interference. There is no flash or pomp and circumstance to this film. It exists solely on the merits of its tale. Unfortunatley, there are problems that do distract from the overall quality: Guy Pearce has been woefully miscast as the venomous snob Fernand and comes across as silly, Caviezel carries himself well, but he lacks the steel to really convince us of his character's rage, Puerto Rican Luis Guzman has no business being here, and Dagmara Dominczyk couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. But nevertheless, The Count of Monte Cristo is a sumptuous feast for the eyes and works on its own terms as period escapist entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: A Finer Historical Drama You Won't Find
Review: Historical dramas are peculiar animals. While their "age-old" story might be relevant today, these movies usually are not successful at the box office unless they are star driven (think Leonardo DiCaprio), have a unique twist to their story (think "Shakespeare in Love") or are remakes with enough years between their previous versions or they are presented in an upgraded format (color versus black-and-white) as to spark an interest in the updated version.When done correctly, the historical drama is timeless. In this instance, forget about looking for a forgotten telephone pole in the picture, it is not there. Additionally, the use of no "star," per se, allows us, the viewer, to concentrate on the story and its plot twists that, in this instance, involve greed, love, and betrayal. Jim Caviezel, as Dantes/the Count, Guy Pearce as his deceitful companion, and Dagmara Dominczyk, as Mercedes, are tremendous in the star roles. Richard Harris, as a fellow prisoner who aids Dantes in developing his knowledge and skills, is a real gem. The audio commentary by director Kevin Reynolds is one of the better commentaries one can find on a DVD. I've rated this DVD "5" stars, which seems a little high. A "3" star feature is one I'd recommend to others who like movies that I do; a "4 is one I'd recommend to others without hesitation; and a "5" is one that I'd be able to watch time and time again, seeing something new with each viewing. I hope you will, too.
Rating:
Summary: Alltime movie!
Review: This movie one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life.It's an origanal,old action movie and it's funny,well it's not so funny but it has it's moment's.It has a great plot,it's one of those love action movies only not a lot of drama scenes.I guess you could call it one of those new British acton drama's like the new movie From Hell or something like that.It get's slow at parts and it's kinda hard to follow but is still a great movie.If you like movie's like this see it.This movie is AWSOME!
Rating:
Summary: New Movie Old Adventure
Review: Have you ever found yourself thinking,"They just don't make movie's like they used to." If so, The Count of Monte Cristo will become a hit in your household!
When I was young I remember watching Eril Flynn Movies with my Father and being totally transfixed to the television! The fight scenes would take my breath away, no special effects needed. Now in a world of movies like The Matrix, and Blade, it seems every action movie that comes out has to have UNBELIEVABLE special effects to be a hit. That is not the case with The Count of Monte Cristo, it's an old action story told in a realistic way.
Alexandre Dumas's works have never failed to inspire filmmakers to make his stories into movies. The success of The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask have proven that, The Count of Monte Cristo is no exception.
This epic tale of heroism begins with two boyhood friends coming home from sea, Edmond has been promoted and can finally afford to marry his true love. Unfortunatly his friend also loves the same woman, and has Edmond put away in prison on false charges of treason to keep him from his lady love.
Years later, Edmond escapes from his prison, with a little help from a friend he met inside, and quite a bit of money, revenge fresh in his mind.
I will not give away the ending to this great story, but I will say it makes a great movie and I highly recommend everyone watch it.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie, but something is just missing...
Review: I read through the reviews and was struck by how many people gave this 5 stars. I'd missed this at the theaters because when I go to the movies, it's as part of my job working with mentally ill people and we go as a group, so what they want to see, I see. No one ever wanted to see this, so I finally picked it up on DVD the day it was released. After all the 5-star ratings, I was a little let down. James Caviezel and Guy Pearce are both good (but not great) in Kevin Reynolds' best film in a long time. Perhaps because I've read the book so many times I was expecting more. Or perhaps because previous attempts to bring this to movies (or television) were so bad, I expected this version to soar above all previous efforts. OK, it IS the best version I've seen of the movie and it's true to the book, and it's nice and long -- and I love long movies! But I was surprised that I just didn't think this was one of the best movies of the year -- based on all the positive reviews. It's a good movie, a good solid 4 star movie, but certainly not a classic 5-star movie. Perhaps because I watched this the same day I saw the Ben Affleck/Samuel Jackson (5-star) DVD "Changing Lanes," I felt this wasn't as edgy and tight as that movie was. I don't know, but I just felt that Caviezel's performance was a bit flat in places, that the movie's pacing was a bit too slow, and that the plot twists that make the novel so enjoyable were so predictable in the movie version. And for anyone who doesn't know Bonaparte, the reason for his exile to Elba, and the events surrounding it, the start of the movie and the reason for Caviezel's imprisonment just won't quite make sense. Don't get me wrong. I recommend this movie. Rent it, buy it, whatever. But in my humble opinion, this could have been tighter, more filled with suspense, and in general, just BETTER. See it for sure, but don't expect "best picture" quality in this slightly-above-average movie.
Rating: 
Summary: They didn't read the novel before they wrote this BOMB!!!
Review: Probably the worst re-telling of a great novel I have ever seen. Only scant resemblence to the Dumas book appears in this movie. the screenplay is contrived and the action uneven at best. It's too bad because the actors do a nice job with their roles. This may be an unfair criticism because I couldn't bear to watch this thing to the end. The version with Gerard Depardieu is no more satisfying or faithful to the original source. For the new generation of moviegoers, try to see the made for TV movie with Richard Chamberlain as Dantes. You'll enjoy Alexandre Dumas much more than Alexandre Dumb...
Rating:
Summary: 1.85:1 anamorphic
Review: Just bought this DVD today and it is most certainly widescreen. This is an excellent film and the DVD transfer is very good. The extras on the disc are plentiful as well....
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