Better late than never
Added 11/13/2009
The Messenger is currently airing on cable TV, and I will confess to being so amused and intrigued by the chunks of Luc Besson's big bellyflop that I was seeing in Cinemax's edited and cropped version that I went out and bought the DVD in order to give this film a proper second look. A decade ago, following the fantastic one-two punch of Leon and The Fifth Element, Besson suddenly seemed like the greatest popular moviemaker in the world. So, back then, I went to see The Messenger with sky-high expectations that were only bound to be disappointed. At the time, the movie seemed not only a pointless retelling of a story that has been filmed countless times but, worse yet, a mere star vehicle for Besson's then-girlfriend Milla Jovovich.
Ten years later, during which Besson, sadly, has been unable to recapture his earlier promise, but during which Jovovich has actually proven her chops as an actress sans Besson, The Messenger really does deserve to be reconsidered. It turns out to be a smartly-mounted, crisply-edited medieval war movie, more entertaining than Braveheart and others in this genre, and its light, humourous style actually seems prescient in terms of some of the less reverent historical epics that have been produced since. John Malkovich, who, back then, just seemed old and miscast as the Dauphin of France, now somehow seems spot on, a most knowing parody of his own egotistical image, and Jovovich, despite her technical limitations, is full of energy and fire and, as always, looks fantastic. There are even amusing echoes of Besson's more seminal work, with the story bearing striking similarities to that of The Fifth Element (beautiful girl suffused with a higher power saves medieval France instead of the world) and Tcheky Karyo providing a bemused sort of Leon to Jovovich's Mathilda on steroids. Besson's Joan of Arc may not be a candidate for cinematic canonisation, but it's a terrific movie that never deserved to be burned at the stake.
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Still Looking for the Genuine Joan but entertaining nevertheless
Added 10/7/2009
As a movie, certainly entertaining, but don't look for anything historical here since it must have been a Joan from an alternate universe being depicted. For example, in this movie Joan has deep angst about her sword she may have found in a field.
While in fact this Sword:
"- --In place of the sword offered to her she described in detail the location and appearance of a sword in the Chapel of St Catherine de Fierbois. It was found deeply buried exactly where she had described and the blade was so covered in rust it would have been impossible for her to describe it without having seen it before. The rust readily fell off when the blade was wiped. -- "
Perhaps this film is a conspiracy of the irreverent, irreligious and atheistic working to "deconstruct" Joan; to convince a modern, uninformed audience she was a raving schizoid lunatic leading the superstitiously ignorant to lucky victory; with a flaming end. Or not.
Aside from that, I found it entirely entertaining filled with arrow sticking battle scenes and screaming mayhem. Once I brainwashed myself into believing that actress Milla Jovovich was portraying a personality from the bizzaro world instead of a real-life historically significant figure, I actually enjoyed the film.
I give it 5 stars minus 3:
1 For Milla Jovovich
1 For the incredible exciting siege sequence
-1 for being magnificently historically inaccurate
-1 For conning me to believe this was a movie about Joan of Arc
-1 For being so unfaithful to her hard to believe true story making up stuff when it's so easy to Google it out the Real Deal otherwise (hmm, insult my intelligence comes to mind...)
Buy it for the two stars though, the siege IS really good...
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Fun...But not historical.
Added 9/23/2009
While the movie proves entertainment if you are looking for a historical movie this isn't it. Joan's talks to G-d and the saints make her seem as if she had a psychological problem, and seveal scenes make her look demonic. While i wouldn't watch this for historical value it is definalitly entertaining.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Pure excellence
Added 8/16/2009
Truely one of the best Biographical films ever made, ever witnessed on screen. Not very often does an interesting historical charecter show up in cinema, some actors get immersed in the charecters so well, so fine... you just have to believe that you are taken back right there at that very time. 'The Messenger' is one of those films that carry you all the way with it and take you back to its time, the time where a once little girl who turned out to be a rebellious young woman taking charge of the French army. The lead role is played brilliantly by Mila Jovovich, you simply run out of words when it comes to her performence. The pain, the madness, the temper, the true nature of Joan so beautifuly shown by the young actress. The film as a whole leaves you quite sattisfied, the performence, the acting, the directing, timing and a reasonable score. Look forward to some really good performence. It was good to see Pascal Greggory in a very brief role. A fine piece of cinema indeed.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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"JOAN OF ARC" THE MINISERIES IS WAY BETTER
Added 5/5/2009
I agree with most reviews of "The Messenger: the Story of Joan of Arc." While Mila Jovich, or however you spell her last name, is an AWESOME actress, (she was in "Return to the Blue Lagoon" and all three "Resident Evil" movies) I'm sure that this portrayal of Joan is very inaccurate. In this movie she is portrayed as a screaming, annoying and lunatic b****!! What the hell was the director thinking? He or she clearly did NOT do thier homework. I have seen the 1999 miniseries of "Joan of Arc" starring the beuatiful young Hollywood actress Leele Sobieski, (Deep Impact, The Glass House.) Sobieski portrays Joan as an innocent but brave nineteen-year-old who fought for the freedom of France, and who sought to have the French King crowned. Although some argue that the miniseries is not entierly accurate, (but than again what movie now-a-days is?) still the "Joan of Arc" film depicts the herione the way the world remembers her. The miniseries is truely powerful, gripping and dramatic. It's sad that the big budget version of Joan in "The Messenger" is so twisted beyond any historical accuracy. In this film you don't even get the impression that Joan really was holy to the point of hearing the voices of saints calling out to her; rather Joan is simply crazy and dillusional beyond anyone's comprehension. It seems as if the director and producers intentionally portrayed Joan as a mad woman with a disperate need for making herself known to the world. But yet, as the director of the miniseries "Joan of Arc" stated during his research, even in books and in that movie Joan was portrayed as a sweet, loving and giving character who's strong faith in God led her to her ultimate demise; for SHE choose to go into the flame, rather than she was forced to burn at the stake. And I believe that "Joan of Arc" is as accurate as any film could possibly get about the "the flower of France."
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Better late than never
Added 11/13/2009
The Messenger is currently airing on cable TV, and I will confess to being so amused and intrigued by the chunks of Luc Besson's big bellyflop that I was seeing in Cinemax's edited and cropped version that I went out and bought the DVD in order to give this film a proper second look. A decade ago, following the fantastic one-two punch of Leon and The Fifth Element, Besson suddenly seemed like the greatest popular moviemaker in the world. So, back then, I went to see The Messenger with sky-high expectations that were only bound to be disappointed. At the time, the movie seemed not only a pointless retelling of a story that has been filmed countless times but, worse yet, a mere star vehicle for Besson's then-girlfriend Milla Jovovich.
Ten years later, during which Besson, sadly, has been unable to recapture his earlier promise, but during which Jovovich has actually proven her chops as an actress sans Besson, The Messenger really does deserve to be reconsidered. It turns out to be a smartly-mounted, crisply-edited medieval war movie, more entertaining than Braveheart and others in this genre, and its light, humourous style actually seems prescient in terms of some of the less reverent historical epics that have been produced since. John Malkovich, who, back then, just seemed old and miscast as the Dauphin of France, now somehow seems spot on, a most knowing parody of his own egotistical image, and Jovovich, despite her technical limitations, is full of energy and fire and, as always, looks fantastic. There are even amusing echoes of Besson's more seminal work, with the story bearing striking similarities to that of The Fifth Element (beautiful girl suffused with a higher power saves medieval France instead of the world) and Tcheky Karyo providing a bemused sort of Leon to Jovovich's Mathilda on steroids. Besson's Joan of Arc may not be a candidate for cinematic canonisation, but it's a terrific movie that never deserved to be burned at the stake.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Still Looking for the Genuine Joan but entertaining nevertheless
Added 10/7/2009
As a movie, certainly entertaining, but don't look for anything historical here since it must have been a Joan from an alternate universe being depicted. For example, in this movie Joan has deep angst about her sword she may have found in a field.
While in fact this Sword:
"- --In place of the sword offered to her she described in detail the location and appearance of a sword in the Chapel of St Catherine de Fierbois. It was found deeply buried exactly where she had described and the blade was so covered in rust it would have been impossible for her to describe it without having seen it before. The rust readily fell off when the blade was wiped. -- "
Perhaps this film is a conspiracy of the irreverent, irreligious and atheistic working to "deconstruct" Joan; to convince a modern, uninformed audience she was a raving schizoid lunatic leading the superstitiously ignorant to lucky victory; with a flaming end. Or not.
Aside from that, I found it entirely entertaining filled with arrow sticking battle scenes and screaming mayhem. Once I brainwashed myself into believing that actress Milla Jovovich was portraying a personality from the bizzaro world instead of a real-life historically significant figure, I actually enjoyed the film.
I give it 5 stars minus 3:
1 For Milla Jovovich
1 For the incredible exciting siege sequence
-1 for being magnificently historically inaccurate
-1 For conning me to believe this was a movie about Joan of Arc
-1 For being so unfaithful to her hard to believe true story making up stuff when it's so easy to Google it out the Real Deal otherwise (hmm, insult my intelligence comes to mind...)
Buy it for the two stars though, the siege IS really good...
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Fun...But not historical.
Added 9/23/2009
While the movie proves entertainment if you are looking for a historical movie this isn't it. Joan's talks to G-d and the saints make her seem as if she had a psychological problem, and seveal scenes make her look demonic. While i wouldn't watch this for historical value it is definalitly entertaining.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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