The Count of Monte Cristo

For those old enough to have witnessed the Alan Bardel 1964 version, glued to their flickering TV screens, transfixed by the gothic horror and grime, this one was going to be a hard act to follow. To film this, in a modern age, with all the demands of hi-res, colour and costumes was a very brave attempt, and for that I genuinely applaud the effort......... however, it could have been done a WHOLE LOT better, which probably suggests that even with all the EU tax breaks (and other backhanders) there simply were not enough Euros in the chest to really give justice to the Dumas classic. The UK actor Sam Claflin, as Edmond Dantes had screen presence, but arguably not enough ruggedness to really carry the role, in comparison with a persona of Jeremy Iron's gravitas (cellmate Abbe Faria). One big gripe was about the buried treasure. The chests, after having lain for 300 years would have been infested with guano, cobwebs and bat feces, if not totally decimated by Time, but looked like something recently bought on E-bay. Bad move, my continuity guys! Despite all - I'm watching to the end, and I will do my hardest to enjoy it!