31st Movie Adaptation of the Same Revenge Story, Now as Action: Is It Good?
The 10th most adapted novel of all time just can’t get any rest, can it?
Some stories are just too good and classic for moviemakers to give up on them. Funnily enough, the absolute majority of them was written in the 19th century, but that’s beside the point.
Recently, we covered the Top 10 most adapted novels in history, and the tenth position already had 31 silver screen versions under its belt.
The most recent adaptation of that story only premiered last year, and seeing how it’s an eternal classic, we decided to take a look: was it even worth its money?
The Count of Monte Cristo Can’t Get a Chill
Written by Alexandre Dumas and first published in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo is a golden classic of literature and a novel that lives in moviemakers’ minds rent-free. With over 30 adaptations by that time already, the iconic story received yet another live-action interpretation in 2024, coming from French writing directors Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellièr.
For those who are not familiar with this story, The Count of Monte Cristo follows a young man falsely imprisoned by his so-called friends. After years in the living hell, he manages to escape and find a hidden treasure.
He then assumes the identity of the powerful and rich Count of Monte Cristo and makes his way back home, fostering plans of ruthless revenge — and the return to his beloved woman.
New Count of Monte Cristo Earned Praise
One might think that after so many adaptations, there’s little to no chance of producing a decent and fresh new version, but the latest Count’s creators pulled it off.
2024’s The Count of Monte-Cristo earned stellar reviews from critics and viewers, boasting the perfect 100% Tomatometer Score and a great 88% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Over on IMDb, the two-part movie is doing splendidly, as well, with the score of 8.0/10 based on over 1,300 reviews at the time of the writing. Critics praise Delaporte and de la Patellièr for crafting something fresh and exciting from a 180-years-old story, which is no small feat, especially considering the sheer number of attempts that came before them.
So if you’re a sucker for golden classics, love the 19th-century France aesthetics, or just want to see someone execute a brilliantly insidious revenge plan, definitely check out the new Count of Monte Cristo adaptation. Folks say it’s worth it!