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The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Historically accurate, and stimulating...
Review: As a student of history, I loved this movie... It explored depths of Joan's character that most books don't explore. It's amazing how many "history" books to this date still write about Joan of Arc in a "Christ-Like" light, because she claims to have had divine conversation with the almighty. This is the first time I have seen anybody delve into Joan's character as a possible schizo / mentally ill person -- and I love how she begins to figure out that she is a nut case as her world comes crumbling down. Of course, if you are a romantic and choose to believe in the myth of Joan of Arc, then it leaves you enough tidbits to keep carrying on that vision -- Dustin Hoffman is excellent as the Devil.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Review: Well as a student of History, this movie is to say the least, pittiful. The acting is so bad some of the fighting sequences are laughable. The young women who plays Joan, should go back to acting school, she only seems to have two levels crazy, and crazy screaming. The only good thing about the film were the sets and costumes.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good Effort
Review: I like the work of Luc Besson very much. This is a very typical Besson movie. The background and costumes are very accurate, they make one feel as if the crew was there filming real events. Mila Jovovich is wonderful as the title charachter, she obviously got into playing the charachter. On the whole, it is a very entertaining movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SNAZZY
Review: I LIKED THIS MOVIE. ONLY A FEW PEOPLE LIKED IT. I THINK THIS WAS A TYPICAL BESSON FILM:YOU LIKE IT OR YOU HATE IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT TAKE ON THE WHOLE JOAN OF ARC THING. I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY COOL TO SEE THIS SITUATION AS SOMETHING OF NOT DIVINE INTERVENTION. I WOULD DEFINETLY RECOMEND THIS MOVIE.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: People who read this please watch the NBC version.
Review: The Messenger the director Luc Besson should take a few pointers from Mel Gibson on how to make a war movie.This movie stinks it's pathetic and a waste of time Mila is a beautiful woman but she can't act her way out of a paper bag in this movie and it shows the infamous woman who heard voices from the heavens saying to lead the french into battle at orleans.Mila plays her like some stark raving madwoman gone insane and you clearly see it when she goes into battle as she screams constantly and it gets tiresome.Lee Slobeski did perfect playing Joan in the NBC miniseries which is far better then the this rediculous movie.If you must see this rent it don't buy it it's a waste of money and Mila go back to acting school where you belong.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: POWERFUL!
Review: I'm not getting into any psychological or philosophical dissertations here. It was Luc Besson's project and that's fine with me. This film is such a tour de force I had to see it twice on the big screen and again on dvd. So Luc took creative liberties and stretched the story? Then that's HIS interpretation. The direction and cinematography is still magnificent, and the supporting cast is in fine form. Milla as Joan was perfect. Brave and heroic, but also fragile and scared. Passionate yet innocent. Profound but misunderstood.

Check this one out, turn up the volume and get ready to be catapulted back in time.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: As Joan goes, so goes the movie...
Review: Milla Jovovich is a very beautiful woman. I've enjoyed her performances in the past when she played beautiful but rather zany, one dimensional characters (ie. "The Fifth Element"). Unfortunately, in "The Messenger" she is asked to play a very complex, multi-dimensional character: Joan of Arc. Milla is simply is not up to the task.

Yes, Milla certainly shows the "insane" side of Joan. And there are many, many shots of Joan acting nuts. But where are the other sides of Joan? Where, for instance, is the messenger from God that the title promises? No divine presence here. Just Joan acting goofy.

And as Joan goes, so goes the movie. Yes, you will see some good battle scenes, and Dustin Hoffman is quite good in his role. Unfortunately, by the time Hoffman arrives, this picture is already dead in the water. Once Joan is captured there is no suspense, no mystery left. We simply sit there yawning and waiting for the bonfire to be lit.

However, there is one piece of good news for movie-goers to take with them from a viewing of "The Messenger." Obviously the ultimate Joan of Arc movie has not yet been made. Maybe we'll have better luck next time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: History in action...
Review: If looked from a historical point of view, the movie has little to offer. But if you want to see some Middle Ages action flick, it's almost as good as it can get thanks to incredible battle scenes. As one reviewer noted before, it's on par with those seen in Braveheart. Movie is a bit too long and sometimes I though they should have skipped some parts, esspecially after Joan was taken prisoner. Overall, a decent action movie on a historical theme that is fun to watch. But if the history is what you are looking for, my best advise is to look somewhere else.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not a bad effort
Review: Defintately a good attempt at a movie, with some staggering results, and some not so adequate ones. Milla Jovovich does an ok job as Joan, nothing really moving. The movie mostly concentrates on the battles and very little on story. I don't really know the story well, but what little there was held a small bit of interest. The battles scenes are done extremely well, much reminding me of 'Braveheart'. I love John Malkovich but he didn't have much material to work with. The key was Dustin Hoffman. His screen time in the two and half hour movie is at the most fifteen minutes, and he totally steals every scene he is in. The purpose of his character is great, and he handles it so well. All in all an enjoyable movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The worst movie I've ever seen.
Review: This is easily the worst movie I've ever seen. I can't believe I paid to see it in a theater. This was even worse than when I paid $25 (I was in Japan) to see Twister. I was surprised to find out that this was a Luc Besson film, because La Femme Nikita was good and The Professional had a lot of soul, too. I think by the time he made the 5th Element, Besson had totally lost his mind and good taste. This movie stunk in a very big way from start to finish. And it was long, it seemed an eternity. There's a few talented actors in the movie (Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich) but they pretty much stink in it too. Every aspect of the film was bad, but probably the worst was the acting of the young woman who plays Joan. Not only unbelievable, but annoying and unlikeable. Also, the unnecessary violence really left me feeling dirty when the movie was finished. I hope nobody buys or rents this video, not to punish Besson, but simply because nobody should have to sit through this. But of course they will because of the big names in it.


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