Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars , stating , " The movie is a mess : a gassy costume epic with nobody at the center . " Ebert stated the film may have been educational for the test audience participants who wrote , " Why does she have to die at the end ? " on their evaluation cards . In a review entitled '' Vivid Action Ca n't Save Miscast ' Joan '' , Todd McCarthy praised the film 's action scenes and technical aspects , including Thierry Arbogast 's cinematography , though overall gave a negative review . He criticised the casting of Jovovich , stating the only thing she brought to the film was " her strikingly tall and skinny physicality , which is not exactly how one has been led to picture Joan " . Ron Wells from '' Film Threat '' , however , gave the film four out of five stars . Also praising the action scenes , Wells stated that the film 's main strength was its " adult ambiguities and relationships " ; its decision not to portray Joan as a " super-hero " , but rather to let the audience decide whether she was a prophet or merely bipolar , concluding , " This film , as most things that involve religion , is better understood if you learn not to take everything so literally . " '' The Messenger '' was nominated for eight awards at the 25th César Awards of which it won two : one for Costume Design and one for Best Sound . The film also won two Lumières Award for Best Director and Best Film . It was nominated for ' Most Original ' trailer at the 1999 Golden Trailer Awards , Best Costume Design and Best Production Design at the 1999 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards , and won the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing
25th César Awards
25th César Awards
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc