Blu-ray Review – The Count of Monte Cristo

There's been no shortage of "The Count of Monte Cristo" adaptations across all forms of media. The 1854 adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas offers a lengthy and intricate revenge story to dramatize, making it irresistible to storytellers, and many have tried to construct excitement with the material, which was notably adapted in a 1975 television movie starring Richard Chamberlain, and a 2002 feature with Jim Caviezel. A plan of vengeance returns in the new "The Count of Monte Cristo," and directors Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere take the filmmaking challenge very seriously. The helmers intend to go epic with the offering, overseeing a nicely produced, three-hour-long take on the return of Edmond Dantes and the many scores he plans to settle after being imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit. The French production hopes to bring a little more action and psychological gamesmanship to the screen, and while the run time is a bit much, the effort is polished and strongly performed, finding a few peaks of suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com