Rating: 
Summary: Imperfect, but compelling and kinetic
Review: Visually dazzling and hypnotically exciting, the Messenger is a movie that never fails to entertain. Staying true to Besson's flamboyant film style, the movie begins so well, that it grabs you and doesn't let go. Its too badit doesn't completely hold out to the end, but Jovovich's wild-eyed performance more than makes up for that fault. Historic film making at its finest.
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Summary: best epic since braveheart
Review: great battles action from start to finish
Rating: 
Summary: INVESTS EVERYTHING BUT STILL COMES UP SHORT
Review: Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc. No. I don't think so. She tries, she really does. She invests her all into this role, and sometimes she does very well. But does she inspire legions of men to defend her and to defend France? Does she convey the kind of passion and compassion that could inspire so many men to believe in her? I think Jovovich errs too much in that she plays the role a little too far down the "insanity" line. This is a debate for some... was Joan of Arc a holy, saintly woman who really heard voices or was she simply insane? Who will ever know for sure? In this portrayal though Jovovich overacts and instead of conveying the passion of someone for whom her religion is sacred she conveys insanity. The story of Joan of Arc has been done better and more convincingly, and this film, while visually stunning, does not compare to earlier versions. Nice try.
Rating: 
Summary: Miscast
Review: This movie was 100% perfect, except Faye Dunaway should have caked some make-up on and played Joan of Arc herself. She has limitless talents and would have brought the movie what is was missing--a truly spiritual heroine. I'm telling you, Faye Dunaway was born to play this part. One can only hope of a re-make, and soon!
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Summary: A riveting, spellbinding tale of Joan of Arc.
Review: This movie completely and totally blew me away in every sense of both words. Not much can be known about the true Joan of Arc, but it is known that she supposedly found a sword in a field and used the cause of God to attack the British and try and save her fellow French. And, just so people know, where do you think the "F" word got its start?? It was back in the middle ages, and thus the evil English like to use it a few times. But, I'd hardly say its overused. I counted no more than half a dozen uses of the word, myself, and there is little other swearing in the movie. Other than that, this movie got 'R' for its very violent and thematically tense content. This is not a movie for the weak or stomach or heart. It's take on the reasons for Joan's crusade is displayed perfectly and while this movie doesn't offer any solid view of its own on how her life really happened, it gives us a good idea of what it was like. All in all, this movie may be better than even Braveheart. The acting is superb, the music by Eric Serra is outstanding (the song that plays as Joan was getting burned at the stake ALWAYS sends chills up and down my spine). All in all, if you like medieval movies about famous war figures, don't miss out on The Messenger. It's a dramatic and very realistic portrayal of one of the key icons of medieval history that deserves more respect and attention than its gotten.
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Summary: Only movie I gave up on!
Review: Having been interested in the story of Joan Of Arc since grade school,I thought I'd give this DVD a try.Good thing I rented it.. I thought the acting,etc, was okay,but the movie totally lost me when,shortly before a siege is to take place,the French ask the English to surrender. Their reply is for the French to quote"Go F**K Yourselves!",Shortly after the siege takes place,there is an endless round of "F" words.I'm sorry.I'm no scholar,but I don't think that,in 1420,that F word was even invented much less used in such a casual manner.. If you make a movie based on history,then keep it in a historical context.(Same problem I had with some of "Titanic"'s language). I do not recommend this movie to anyone.
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Summary: Medieval warfare at it's worst
Review: The story of Joan of Arc is familiar to most, and I appreciated this movie for putting a spin on it. Dustin Hoffman plays her 'spiritual guide' in a way that makes one wonder if Joan was truly a tool of God. An interesting footnote was that she was made a saint almost 500 years after she was burned. The dauphin was played admirably as a young bumbling king. Almost all the French Kings of history were buffoons save a few.But what makes this movie stand out is the terribly violent battle scenes. In an age before gunpowder, the imagination used for weapons was truly astonishing. The 'bowling balls' that were dropped and shot out of the castle was something I had never heard of before. The 'gatling gun' arrow machine was also gruesome. The decapitation device that swung as soldiers reached the casle roof was another example of the horrific violence of being in the military in those days. If you're not particularly interested in Joan of Arc, check out this flick for the battles , they'll leave you floored.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING
Review: As being part French myself I take my history very seriously. So when I first saw The Messenger, I was completly amazed. The movie left me in a speechless. The writing was remarkable and the actors played the parts very well! It is hard to play an historical figure and not offend anyone while playing the part well, and Milla Jovovich pulled it off in flying colors. She played Jehanne so well it is hard to think of Jehanne as anyone eles but Milla! John Malkovich was remarkable and Faye Dunaway is amazing. I really feel in love with Dustin Hoffman's proformance, but it was not long enough in my opinion. The movie was portrayed well and throughly. But the only reason I gave it four stars was cuz the didn't really tell if Jehanne was pyschotic or a saint, maybe she was both. But us French thank her for setting us free, and I thank Luc Besson for making such a touching movie
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Summary: An Outstanding Portrayal of Joan of Arc
Review: What kind of teenaged tomboy would be able to lead grown men into battle against tremendous odds in 15th Century France? Watch this film to find out -- Milla Jovovich delivers an absolutely splendid performance of the unlikely person whose story would smolder for 500 years before she was canonized a saint. Perhaps this isn't a very glamourous role for the multitalented (actor, model, musician, to name a few) Milla, but it is without a doubt one of her best. And without a doubt, the free spirit of Joan of Arc in Milla Jovovich that brings this film to life. Definitely worth seeing again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible, terrible movie.
Review: There honestly isn't much I can say in favor of The Messenger. The acting is terrible, the technical elements are a mess, and the movie leaves to many critical elements unexplained. Worse still, the movie claims to be 'The Story Of Joan Of Arc,' but utterly ignores the historical evidence on Joan. Unlike so many other bad movies, the horrendous technical elements make this movie almost unwatchable. Le Hire looked like a refugee from Mad Max. Some of the buildings look like they were designed by amateurs. The church, for instance, near Orleans was actually shorter than Joan on horseback while the castles sported bizarre chutes designed to drop cannonballs onto invaders. Even minor details, such as the ever-changing color of Jovovich's hair show nothing short of sloppy continuity and bad design. Bad acting only complicates the situation. Milla Jovovich, inexplicably, maintains the same expression throughout the entire movie - up to and including during Joan's burning. Ms. Jovovich has said that were Joan alive today she would be sitting in an internet cafe sipping coffee. Unfortunately, such utter misunderstanding carries over into her performance. Her performance manages to portray Joan as a delusional maniac with zombie-like expressiveness. Le Hire was portrayed as a caricature of a barbarian and lacked any real sense of definition. The only decent acting jobs were by Tommy Lee Jones and Dustin Hoffman. Jones put forward a solid, if somewhat lacking and one-dimensional, performance as Charles. While I don't agree with his interpretation of the character, I can appreciate the skill that went into creating the role. Hoffman was simply superb. However good Hoffman's portrayal was, it brings up one of the serious problems in the movie. His role is never explained, let alone supported historically. He shows up in Joan's cell, questions her actions (it should be noted here that the directing here was really distracting, particularly the frequent cuts from the cell to the brightly-lit exteriors and back), and somehow turns in a very good performance. He brings a lot of class to an underdeloped, pointless role. It should be noted that this is the only high point in the movie. My biggest complaint with The Messenger is that it claims to be 'The Story Of Joan Of Arc' and bears little to no resemblence to the historical record. Despite theories to the contrary, Joan was no fanatic - this charge was never even made by her enemies - and that is what the movie insists on portraying her as. Similarly, the entire motivation for Joan's actions, the death and rape of her mother, is pure fabrication. Isabelle Romee, Joan's mother, actually survived Joan by almost 20 years and was instrumental in getting her daughter's condemnation lifted. Artistic license is one thing, but if you want to tell 'The Story Of Joan Of Arc,' actually *tell* the story rather than resorting to utter fiction. The lesson here is to avoid movies made simply to showcase the director's girlfriend. That's why The Messenger was made and it further illustrates the lack of respect the director and cast (Hoffman and Jones excepted) had for the material. Its false claims to tell a historical story are dangerous and irresponsible, while bad elements and design make for an unpleasant experience.
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