Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The Messenger: Story of Joan of Arc (1999): Dir: Luc Besson / Cast: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, Vincent Cassel: Epic spectacle about mixed translations and emotions. Milla Jovovich plays Joan and she leads France in their battle against the English. She is guided by a voice that she assumes is God but it is never explained how that sword got in the field. The King of France is played with vast confusion by John Malkovich who is unsure whether Joan is a messenger from god or just plain crazy. Director Luc Besson lavishes in production as indicated in his previous film The Fifth Element. He creates menacing battles that become repetitious and predictable before bowing out to corny details in the climax. Jovovich conveys bewilderment after witnessing the destruction of her home and her quest for justice through violence. Whether she is nuts is played out in long sequences before she is torched in the famous ending. Malkovich is well cast as the King of France who attempts to make sense of it all yet seems pulled in two directions and at a loss to the outcome. The real let down is the limited screen time for veterans Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman who are unfortunately underused and are capable of superior work. It presents the aged doom of Joan as it asks viewers questions regarding sanity and betrayal. Score: 6 / 10

It's 15th century France. Joan of Arc (Milla Jovovich) is the teenage warrior leading the fight against the English.This is Luc Besson's grand take on the heroine Joan of Arc with lots of gusto. Milla Jovovich certainly has the crazed intensity of a zealot. Sometimes, it drifts towards camp. Considering she got the job because she was married to Luc Besson at the time, it could have gone a lot worst.The basic storyline is well known. The best parts of the story happens midway in the movie. That's where the big battle scenes occur. Certainly the battles are big especially for using real action in modern movies. After the battles, the story drags as she gets captured and tried. It may be better to climax the film with the big win in Orléans. Keep the slower parts as a postscript.

Historical records conflict with this presentation. All scenes concerning her family and childhood are completely fictional. Joan was depicted as weepy and fearful. She was not. Nor did she ever at any time show disrespect to Charles. I have the impression that the intention here was to portray Joan as a hysteric or as a schizophrenic. In real life she claimed to hear voices, but tried to keep that private as much as possible. She did not display any of the other symptoms of a person who was schizophrenic. Of course many movie producers think that fiction is more interesting than fact. The result here is that there are very few facts in this movie. However, the quotes from Joan's letters were accurate as was the historical time line. Leelee Sobieski's portrayal in Joan of Arc (also 1999) is more realistic.

If you're a fan of history themed movies, trust me, this ISN'T the one for you. Compared to hits such as braveheart, gladiator & patriot this falls miles short. The acting itself is simply awful, Milia jovovich comes out as a emotionally insecure renegade rather than the savior of France. & same goes for the other characters, Duke of Alençon & the Dauphin charles are portrayed as if they're mentally unbalanced. Nothing like men soldiers would want to follow into battle. Filming was in the worst possible taste too, where's movies braveheart and gladiator give the audience a feeling for the characters, this leaves them cold. No inspired battle scenes, Just crack a few jokes, charge into the battlefield screaming like maniacs, chop off few heads & the war is won in minutes. That just about sums up the "Message" of The MessengerSomething to watch if you want Jeanne de arc looking like project "ALICE" of resident evil. My recommendation: 2/10