Film Review of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

By the Editorial Team · Friday, July 31, 2026

Luc Besson’s *The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc* has been restored and released in 4K UHD, presenting a visually rich but historically inaccurate retelling of Joan’s life, starring Milla Jovovich. The film’s ambiguous portrayal of Joan’s motives and psychological struggles offers a modern, nuanced perspective on her legacy, now accessible through 4K and streaming platforms.

Luc Besson’s film *The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc*, recently restored and presented in 4K UHD, offers a visually striking but historically loose retelling of the life of Joan of Arc. The film stars Milla Jovovich as Joan and opens with a vividly violent scene depicting the massacre of Joan’s family and a brutal attack on her sister Catherine—events that diverge significantly from recorded history.

The narrative reframes Joan as a figure driven by intense hatred toward the English, a characterization underscored early on by a young Joan (played by Jane Valentine) who declares her desire for the English to “burn in hell, for ever and ever.” This portrayal contrasts sharply with traditional accounts that emphasize Joan’s faith and sense of divine mission rather than personal vengeance.

Visually, the film has garnered praise for its lush costumes and painterly compositions, elements that have aged well over time. The restoration in 4K enhances these aspects, allowing the film’s aesthetic qualities to stand out in a modern context. Alongside its visual achievements, the film explores Joan’s internal struggles through a series of conversations with a character described as the embodiment of conscience, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. The nature of this figure—whether representing God, Jesus, Satan, or Joan’s own psyche—is intentionally left ambiguous by a deliberately opaque script.

This ambiguity serves as one of the film’s key strengths, as it resists categorizing Joan as either a saint or a charlatan, a visionary or a madwoman, thus inviting viewers to grapple with her complex legacy. Besson’s focus on Joan’s psychological state adds a contemporary relevance, especially given increased societal attention to mental health.

While the film takes considerable creative liberties with historical facts, it remains a compelling, if stylized, exploration of one of history’s most enigmatic figures. *The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc* is now available in its newly restored 4K format from Monday, with non-4K streaming options accessible currently.

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