The Count of Monte Cristo

This was a very enjoyable movie, if altered from the original version to have a more Hollywood-ized ending. On first viewing I was a little upset to see that [spoiler] Dantes gets everything he wants: his foes ruined, reunited with his love, rich and living happily ever after. [/spoiler] The point of Dumas original story was that vengeance can consume you and motivate you (ex: Dantes escaping Chateau d'If) but even if you succeed and get your vengeance, it doesn't bring the happiness you think it will and eventually leaves you feeling empty. In the original story (and I recommend you see the Richard Chamberlain movie version from the 1970's if you're interested) [spoiler] Dantes gets his vengeance, keeps his wealth, but doesn't get the girl and now has to figure out what to do with his life. [/spoiler] Having said that, the duel in the field with the zooming camera at waist-high level in THIS movie was pretty awesome!