The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) (2024)

Runtime: 178 minutes; that’s right, just under three hours

Directed by: Matthieu Delaporte/Alexandre de La Pateelliere

Starring: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anais Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte

From: Several different European companies

A movie seen because of messageboard discussion… of the other recent big European adaptation of a famous Alexandre Dumas novel. Someone praised both halves of 2023’s The Three Musketeers-something not tackled by me yet-particularly Eva Green’s performance, then of course discussion swung to Green’s usual appearance in schlock so people were glad she was in something worthwhile. This was enough impetus for me to check this out.

I am kicking myself for not giving this movie a shot when it played in Orlando late in 2024; it’d be better if throughout 2026, I try to give more foreign pictures my attention when they come to my area. I’d much rather this be my first exposure to Anamaria Vartolomei than Mickey 17, a.k.a. the movie where she randomly appeared for 20 minutes in the second act so you’d think she would be an integral part of the plot but then vanished until the final scene… to be frank, I do realize why most people love Mickey 17, but it was just a mess and totally tone-deaf. In any event…

I’ve never read the novel (nor seen any other film adaptations, including the famous one from ’02) but knew the basics. In early 19th century France after the reign of Napoleon, poor Edmond Dantes gets screwed by enemies so he’s locked away for years. He escapes and cosplays as The Count of Monte Cristo. I won’t reveal much more of the plot but the story at least as told in this film is a handsomely mounted production which is an exciting adventure where it’s easy to root for the heroes (yet there’s some doubt and conflict concerning revenge blinding him) and sneer at the A-hole villains. I definitely enjoyed the Count’s idea for revenge… it’s far more than delicious than just killing those that wronged him.

Over the years I’ve carped over many modern Hollywood releases and perhaps was even too kind to some of them. I’ve grown tired over how drab and drained of color they are, how they needlessly interject “humor”, how it’s too safe, how they’re too risk-adverse, how they don’t kill characters, how they try for “four quadrant filmmaking” in a failed attempt to appeal to everyone, etc. Cristo thankfully isn’t that nor does it contain any of the modern movie-making sins I also gripe about. Instead, this felt like the sort of classic epic that Hollywood used to make. This is the sort of serious, well-made engrossing tales I wish they’d make now instead of comic book nonsense or braindead pictures micromanaged to death.

The Count of Monte Cristo looked great, actually showed colorful images, had a lovely score, was well-filmed, and had quality performances from a cast I mostly was unfamiliar with. For those that are enthralled by such stories (regardless if you have read the novel) I give the highest recommendation to this motion picture.