Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A poor sailor is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit only to break free and seek revenge on those who conspired against him.
Review: Based on the infamous book by Alexander Dumas (Look, it says dumbass! Thanks Heywood!), there are many changes made for this rendition; I know there are a lot of adaptations of this novel over the past 100 years. For some, changes about Albert actually being the son of Edmond, for example, are like sacrilege, but I prefer this version best of all. I never read the book so that's probably why it doesn't bother me so much, but I suppose given how large some of the changes are, it may explain why this film did not do as well as it could have; for the most part I view this film as a standalone interpretation of the book. Edmond's crime is kind of lame, but given the time period and locale I suppose it was pretty bad. From there we see the epic betrayal of all those close to Edmond as he ends up in prison for roughly fifteen years. Here, he is trained by a priest in many aspects such as fighting, philosophy, economics, etc. This is a really fun part of the movie which is immediately followed by the escape and discovery of a massive treasure (the priest gives him a map). We then witness Edmond transform into the Count of Monte Cristo and slowly exact his revenge upon all the parties involved in his imprisonment. I do like the changes to the order of revenge and the ways in which his gets justice. Again, I can see how the likes of Fernand's death being changed can take away the degree of relish the Count had in some people's downfalls, but the flow of action was better suited this way. The ending is highly satisfying as Edmond gets the girl, gets a son, gets his revenge, and lives with a fortune. I definitely need to give some major credit to Jim Caviezel for turning out a magnificent performance as the Count. Everything is great: the music is awesome, the pacing is excellent, the characters, acting, and dialogue are all top notch, and I just love it. Definitely give this film a view if you love a good revenge tale or solid action. Fans of the book may find this a hit or miss, but this one is definitely worth watching.
Notable Moment: As with most of my favorite movies, there's always so many great scenes, but I suppose the best is when we first see Edmond emerge as the Count of Monte Cristo.
Final Rating: 9.5/10
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