The Count of Monte Cristo

This series is outstanding in every respect. Certainly, one of the best adaptations of Dumas' book that I have seen in my 61 years. The fact that it's an 8-part miniseries gives the production time to properly flesh out the characters and various plot strands.

Sam Claflin leads a top-notch cast (special mention for Michele Riondino, as Jacopo, and Blake Ritson, who is wonderfully evil in everything!), and the script is excellent.

Some wonderful locations and beautiful cinematography, along with excellent original music, by Volker. Bertelmann) complete what is an epic production.

I only hope it goes on to be seen by a wide audience, as it truly deserves to be seen!

One of the truer adaptations I've had a chance to watch. While it kept my attention due to familiarity with the source material, it was not without disappointments. The minor changes to character arcs or plot points are forgivable (Vampa, Valentine, the "midwife"). I can even forgive the rather considerable changes to Caderousse's character... I was undeniably impressed that a small detail such as the velvet purse made it into the screenplay.

A couple more positives: the sets, locations, and costumes were stunning. You truly felt transported to an era of silken extravagance. These painted a very sharp contrast against the barrenness and rocky depths of the Chateau d'If and the island of Monte Cristo.

However, what it lacked was reasonable human emotion from almost every actor. I find it hard to believe that such a talented cast struggled to muster realistic reactions in some of the situations they found themselves. (Hermine was likely the most emotive.) At key moments, when you'd expect ANY emotion but bland acceptance, the opportunities were completely avoided. For instance, while Edmond was being transported to the Chateau d'If, and all the way to his cell, he went without hesitation or resistance: what innocent person would willingly be transported to a notorious hellhole if they knew they were innocent? By contrast, in the book, he found out where he was going, made a break for it and had to be forcibly restrained at gunpoint. The "cold and calculating" Count shone through no problem, but the moments of despair, and of humanity and empathy that could have drawn the audience in were sorely lacking. His character's moments of redemption from the book (such as revealing himself to Maximilien) were sadly not part of the final release which was a huge disappointment.

I found the soundtrack distracting at times and at the same time, found myself wishing it could have added more emphasis to whatever scene it supported.

Similarly, while the locations were stunning, I was disappointed in the cinematography. Overall, I found it sterile and static. Some well thought out continuous shots might served well to draw the viewer into the action directly.

In summary, worth watching, but don't get your hopes up too high with the acting or expecting characters that grow in depth over time.

Based in UK desparate to watch and lucky enough to watch on STV.

A beautiful mini series based on Alexander dumas novel. Stunning locations, architecture, music, art and most of all superb acting and directing.

Sam Claflin as Edmund/the count was absolutely hypnotic. Close up camera work on his eyes showed the pain, anger and loss of the character. Episode with Abe Faria (Jeremy Iron) was enthralling don't know where time went.

Actors playing Danglars, Vampa, Caderousse and Jacapo gave humour which I enjoyed too!

The villains of the piece played magnificently too.

A show not to be missed. I'm on my 3rd time round😁

I can honestly say, that I didn't miss a second of this fantastic version of the classic tale. The cast, the direction, the locations... all of it is perfect. Nothing less. I binged it all through christmas day and now I don't know what to watch next! It's that kind of adaptation. It's that good. It's worth a second watch, and thats what I will do. Watch it again :-) If you have the chance to stream it where you live, make yourself a good cup of coffe, sit back and enjoy the story of revenge, greed, ambitions, love, hate and all that lies in between. I really recommend that you do, and remember to enjoy the caracter of Dantes/ the Count. He is so brilliantly portraied as a man with complete control of his face and his emotions.

I've been a fan of The Count of Monte Cristo since reading the book years ago, but I've struggled to find an adaptation that truly worked for me.

The films are too short to do the story justice, and while the popular 1998 French-Italian miniseries had its charm, it feels a bit dated now and takes some liberties with the plot.

I was actually anticipating the new 2024 French film adaptation when this English TV series appeared out of nowhere (though it is still a French-Italian production).

This series is the best adaptation I've seen so far. After watching it, I can confidently say I'm less excited about the film (although three hours long, it probably still not long enough to include all story elements).

It's been a long time since I read the book and I don't remember every detail, but the series seems faithful to the story and the eight episodes give the plot room to develop. It simplifies some secondary character and story arcs, but overall, it covers much of the novel.

My only critique is that the middle episodes did get a bit convoluted, and I sometimes struggled to keep track of the three families. (To be fair, I'm terrible with names, which didn't help.)

Regardless, I highly recommend this series, whether or not you're a fan of the book. My wife, who hasn't read it, loved the series just as much-and even asked to keep watching, which is rare for her.