gummitch-2

Quite surprisingly, this is my favourite movie of 2024, so far. Three hours, French with English subtitles, classic story. However, what this film masterfully achieves is a true epic form.

Lately I have felt that even most blockbusters feel very small, underwhelming. You just cannot film Dumas like an intimate chamber drama. And, believe me, this film is big, very big, the opposite of minimalistic.

Ravishing views, often filmed with drones, stunning costumes, loud sweeping lush score with a full orchestra. Thank you, I needed that. And the acting, just wow.

Pierre Niney in my opinion gives THE performance of the year. Yes, it's a lot of acting and very physical, he's in most of the 178 minutes of runtime and he steals every second of it. His Edmond Dantès is one and many, playing characters and creating crazy personas, all with their voice and physicality. He's a cross between a theatre director and Batman and a total evil genius.

Monsieur Niney is just 35 and I feel he could do just anything, like his Count of Monte Cristo: "only God knows what he is capable of".

Watch it on the largest available screen.

I've always wondered why the prequel to the successful Flintstones movie ended up as straight to video stuff. The plot itself was utterly dumb, and the "SFX" quite laughable. I would have thrown the VHS out of the window, were it not for the girl who played Wilma (I think she was pretty good), and most of all Alan Cumming. OK, Mr Cumming is definitely the best thing in this wreck of a movie: he steals the scene playing the Great Gazoo...and he completely revives the last part of the movie playing Mick Jagged (a kind of cross between Austin Powers and Mick Jagger). He was the only reason I didn't fall asleep.