The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) Review

I am usually uncompromising when it comes to enjoying a cinematic adaptation of a highly regarded classic novel such as ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. It almost seems foolish to attempt to translate the sprawling, magical epic that Alexandre Dumas so effortlessly it seems, transcribed from his pen in the 1840’s. But I concede with admiration that this film, which was released to great acclaim and became the second highest grossing film in France in 2024, at least did it partial justice. I think if one has not read the novel, it can come across as a well-made and taut tale of classic revenge, mixed with swashbuckling action and eye-melting plot twists. However, having read the brick size tome I can safely say it is clear to me that you cannot simply adapt this monolithic tale and squash its contents down to a 3 hour film.

The grandiose and epic imagery of the novel lend well to the screen- the quaint port town in Marseille, the  remarkable Chateau D’If prison and the grand palaces of Paris. There is no restraint in Dumas’s pen, this was a serialized work and in those days you were paid by the word. This method of payment, certainly influenced his writing style to become more focused on action and drama, rather than a lengthy psychological account of character. Although that certainly didn’t prevent Dostoevsky in the same period. But Dumas’s epic picks up so many threads and side characters, this film cannot completely convey the sense of revenge and self-proclaimed justice inherent in the Count’s meticulous masterplan. What carries over however, is the sense of guilt and perhaps remorse Dantes/ The Count conveys even after so many years of crafting his bulletproof scheme.

Many plot threads are suppressed in favour of a more streamlined and easily digestible platter suited for a screen representation. We are swatted around different time periods every ten minutes, plot points which Dumas would spend hundreds of pages on are treated as mere footnotes. This is not a criticism of the directors or screenwriters, this is a necessary cull of story. I just wonder whether this could have been given a two-parter treatment in the vein of the Dune films. But perhaps, if we were given more time to breathe and spend with the characters, outlandish dramatic sequences wouldn’t have paid off as well. We may have already grown tired of although fantastic performances, an inherent tendency to lean into pantomime. However, once the crux of the story, set in Napoleonic gloomy Paris gets under way, we are swept into dramatic turns like no other.

Pierre Niney possesses the right amount of suave and gloom in his features to correctly adopt the Count’s/ Edmond Dantes demeanour. I particularly enjoyed his transformation into Lord Halifax, the pompous enemy of the Count. At one point, there is an action sequence, centre-pieced in the trailer, the Count effortlessly dealing with some Parisian hoods. I was worried it could become a Marvel-fied action flick. My fears were evaded however,  as more focus was aptly dealt to the array of wigs and prosthetics that allowed the Count to shapeshift on a dime. Other standout performances include Anamaria Vartolomei as the coquettish but fierce Haydee, whose background was appropriately updated from being the Count’s Greek slave in the novel, to his goddaughter. Patrick Mille, Laurent Lafitte and Bastien Bouillon, the trio of villains that betrayed Dantes adopt the suitable smarm for their roles. I cannot fault the feat of translating an epic work like this to the screen, it contains the elements for a 3 hour rollicking action-packed affair. But I would highly recommend to a newcomer that they devour and savour the excellent narrative perfection of Dumas’s epic tome before admiring the tightly altered but still emotionally punching screen adaptation.