Has anyone else seen this one? I'd avoided it till now for some reason (not really entirely sure why), but caught it on DVD last night
Jovovich was fine, though perhaps a bit one note. Wild eyed/crazy was all she really brought to the table, and I think a portrayal of the character that actually acknowledged her sin of pride (by showing her perhaps enjoying the glory) would have been more interesting. At the end she confesses to Dustin "Jesus?" Hoffman that she had been proud prideful and cruel.. but it's kind of a bust because you never really saw much of that in her performance. She was essentially doing a warrior savant version of Hoffman's RAINMAN shtick for the entire film.
The film was clearly trying to cash in on BRAVEHEARTS success, and I bet the studios were hoping the film would copy the template laid down by Gibson, but the fact of the matter is that the film is very very French. Besson brings alot of weirdness (along with heightened comic touches) that make the film hard to take seriously as a historical epic.
For example, why does Fay Dunaway look like an alien from THE 5TH ELEMENT?
The best part of the film for me probably was the middle section with the battles. The film managed to work up some rousing energy and I got pretty thrilled by Joan's remarkably lucky antics.
Also, the climatic burning was remarkably effective and I was clenching my teeth throughout the ordeal. You know it's coming the whole movie, but the way the film chooses to smash cut to it from the shot where Hoffman/Jesus(?) confesses her is a big shock
PS Creepy Psychic Jesus was VERY scary.
PPS: For the record, Joan<Alexander. Alexander didn't fight for other people. He didn't fight because "god" told him to. He fought to avenge his nations honor. And once that was accomplished, then he fought for glory. He didn't need absurd and self deceptive motivations in order to want to conquer
Joan should have maybe learned to read, because then she'd have known how Alexander III of Macedon got things done. Things might not have turned out so poorly if she'd known some history
Jovovich was fine, though perhaps a bit one note. Wild eyed/crazy was all she really brought to the table, and I think a portrayal of the character that actually acknowledged her sin of pride (by showing her perhaps enjoying the glory) would have been more interesting. At the end she confesses to Dustin "Jesus?" Hoffman that she had been proud prideful and cruel.. but it's kind of a bust because you never really saw much of that in her performance. She was essentially doing a warrior savant version of Hoffman's RAINMAN shtick for the entire film.
The film was clearly trying to cash in on BRAVEHEARTS success, and I bet the studios were hoping the film would copy the template laid down by Gibson, but the fact of the matter is that the film is very very French. Besson brings alot of weirdness (along with heightened comic touches) that make the film hard to take seriously as a historical epic.
For example, why does Fay Dunaway look like an alien from THE 5TH ELEMENT?
The best part of the film for me probably was the middle section with the battles. The film managed to work up some rousing energy and I got pretty thrilled by Joan's remarkably lucky antics.
Also, the climatic burning was remarkably effective and I was clenching my teeth throughout the ordeal. You know it's coming the whole movie, but the way the film chooses to smash cut to it from the shot where Hoffman/Jesus(?) confesses her is a big shock
PS Creepy Psychic Jesus was VERY scary.
PPS: For the record, Joan<Alexander. Alexander didn't fight for other people. He didn't fight because "god" told him to. He fought to avenge his nations honor. And once that was accomplished, then he fought for glory. He didn't need absurd and self deceptive motivations in order to want to conquer
Joan should have maybe learned to read, because then she'd have known how Alexander III of Macedon got things done. Things might not have turned out so poorly if she'd known some history
