Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Bashful's DVD Summary #040
Best:1) The story of Joan of Arc is fascinating and this version is probably the most accurate that we'll ever get (since we have only sketchy information in the history books).2) There is plenty of gritty battle action with blood and body parts flying.3) The wide assortment of of medieval weapons used (catapaults, gravity cannon balls, multiple arrow shooters, boiling oil, maces, flails and decapitation devices) were more varied than any other movie. That alone makes this one a classic.3) The movie explores Joan's later doubts about her voices/visions being from God very well. They use a imaginary devil's advocate character (played by Dustin Hoffman) to allow her to argue with herself. In the process, we're given a lot to think about ourselves.Worst:1) Milla Jovovich over-acted at times, especially when the camera was close to her face. That made her character a little scary. (Who knows, however, what the real Joan was like).2) The only special feature is a very worthwhile 25-minute documentary about the actual historical events surrounding Joan of Arc's life. It would have been good to to have even more background information on this fairly complicated story.Recommendation:The low amount of special features is the only reason I don't give this DVD 5 stars. The movie itself is so rich that it requires repeated viewings to catch everything. Both men and women should find something to like in this epic.