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Reviews
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
excellent follow-up
not particularly faithful to the book (but what film ever is) BJD2 is still a great film, with stuff to make you laugh, and stuff to make you cry all rolled into one. The added bonus of the second BJD is of course, the increased screen time of Colin Firth. The close ups of Mark Darcy's face are enough to sell the film on their own. He looks happy/sad/confused/amused/pained all at once, result; a hilarious mix of ridiculousness and good looks all for the price of one.
certain bits have been missed out, which is a shame, as they would have been really funny, and other things have been changed, such as the character of Rebecca. It does lessen the overall affect of the story, but still, as a stand alone film, i'd rate it 10/10.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
OK, unless you've read the book, in which case its pitiful!
if you like a bit of swash and buckle and you've not read the book by Victor Hugo, you'll probably like this film. I've seen it twice now, and by the second time, i realized that the story had been totally changed to appeal to American audiences that wanted to see a few sword fights and not much more. in other words, the film has been totally dumbed-down; the second half of the film being nothing like Hugo's novel in any way at all.
in its defense, it was better the second time round. But that doesn't excuse the terrible writers and acting (who cast these people?!!)if you've read the book, watch the film, and you'll see what i mean about bad writers.
I realize that its a long book, and when they make a film adaptation, its going to have to be changed a bit, but frankly, they've written a whole new book! (and if you've got the DVD and watch the special features, you'll see that the writer even has the audacity to claim that he did a good job, and that his alterations made a positive contribution to the film. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!)
Fernand's Australian accent is inexcusable, and the only apparent characterisation undertaken by the character, Mercedes, is her continually pathetic whisper for a voice. I'm sorry, but either she can't act, or she was very poorly directed; either way, another one of the films many flaws.
on a slightly more positive note, Richard Harris is excellent as the abbe (his character much the same as it is as Dumbledore in Harry Potter). Though to be fair, he's the only top quality actor in it. Monte Cristo himself looks great, and i have a feeling that had the script followed the book more closely, he would have been able to put in a very faithful performance.
and it goes without saying, you can't review this film without asking, 'what the hell is with the hot air balloon?' its frankly unforgivable. i was almost physically sick with the cringe worthiness of it, but, well, Americans like to do things big...
overall, its an OK film, a tad sickening in parts, but still... But then, if you've read the book and are looking for a good film adaptation, you might want to steer clear; that is unless, you like a good laugh.