Synopsis:
A kindly grandfather sits down with
his grandson and reads him a bedtime story. The story is one that has been
passed down through from father to son for generations. As the grandfather reads
the story, the action comes alive. The story is a classic tale of love and
adventure as the beautiful Buttercup is kidnapped and held against her will in
order to marry the odious Prince Humperdinck, and Westley (her childhood beau,
now returned as the Dread Pirate Roberts) attempts to save her. On the way he
meets an accomplished swordsman and a huge, super strong giant, both of whom
become his companions in his quest.
Sebastian's Rating: A : yes i saw this movie in i think ummm... grade 4? yeah something like
that, along time ago. I seriously enjoyed it and no matter how old or crappy the
movie set n special effects were i still enjoyed :)
Angie's Rating: A+ : This is a masterpiece of it's genre! Quirky characters and a timeless
story keep this movie in my top (how many do I have now??) haha... Seriously, I
haven't met too many people who do not like this movie. (Although a few
grouches have no idea why anyone enjoys such things...) It's not the greatest
movie ever made, but it wins with me because as ridiculous as it all is... it is
charmingly aware of it's own cheesiness. It's like watching all of your closest
friends acting in a highschool play... you and they know it's not the best
performance, the best set, or the coolest thing around, but they plow on through
blissfully aware of their own shortcomings and enjoying themselves almost as
much as I enjoy watching. :) Great movie. Glad this one made it to the site.
Caahlen's Rating: A
Is it possible that the Princess
Bride is the greatest movie of all time? Before you scoff, consider:
The Princess Bride is a movie unlike any other, in that it has an almost
universal appeal. Just mentioning the film to anyone who's seen it forces a
smile on the inquisitees face, followed immediately with them telling you their
favorite quotes in some terrible imitation of the character voices.
Why do we love it so much? It didn't win any academy awards (although it was
nominated for Best Original Song, "Storybook Love"). The script didn't tackle
any major social issues or teach us about a great time in history. The acting
was perfect for the theme and tone, but no one exactly reminded us of Geoffrey
Rush or Cate Blanchett. The cinematography was good, but if you flip through the
scenes in your head, there's almost nothing that can't be recreated on a high
school stage. And while this very review suggests it may be the best movie ever,
it wasn't as good as the Godfather or Casablanca or Shakespeare In Love. I know
what your thinking..."Caahlen, you just contradicted yourself all in the same
sentence!" I know, I know, let me explain. You'll get a certain number of film
buffs to tell you the best movie ever is the Godfather. Others may say Citizen
Kane. Still others would say the Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Schindler's
List, Braveheart, or Star Wars. But while all the movie buffs argue about those
films, EVERYONE has the Princess Bride on their "personal top 10." Therein lies
the reason it MAY be the best movie ever....If you took a straight up pole of
any particular movie while at your local shopping center, say Patton, a Best
Picture winner, you may get 75% of people to say it's a great movie. But I'd
bettcha that the same poll at the same shopping center would have 98% of people
saying PB was a great movie. It's the amount of people saying it's not the best,
but almost the best, that makes it the best! Savvy? Oh yeah...getting back to
why we like it in the first place. I could go into specific parts of the movie
that are giddily fantastic, such as the Cliffs of Insanity, the Fire Swamp, or
the Pit of Despair. I could chuckle about being mostly dead, or say you killed
my father and tell you to prepare to die. But the best answer to the question
comes from the movie itself. You'll love this movie because it has "....Fencing,
fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love
If it's possible that you haven't seen what MAY be the greatest movie of all
time, run out a get yourself a copy to watch with your entire family. We've
gotten to the point where parents show their kids this movie because their
parents showed them this movie, just exactly as in the Princess Bride and the
grandfather begins reading to his grandson.
Elizabeth's Rating: A : This movie is one of my favorites because the
title makes the movie appear to be completely different. It is a classic in my
mind. I always say that people should at least watch it once and then tell me
what they think. Most guys wouldn't watch it because of the title, but once they
saw it they liked it. The movie does have an element of cheeseyness to it but I
think it fits the movie.
The Freak's Rating: B : Believe it or not, I only recently saw this "classic". Though always on my list of films to see, I somehow never got enough motivation to view it. Sets are interestingly non-CGI, which is refreshing and admirable. The team that put together the film no doubt spent weeks putting together set design and it doesn't go unnoticed, at least by me. Though some of the "ground" does flex a little too obviously (especially on Blu Ray), it is still nicely constructed. Doing so allows massive outpans with the camera to capture entire sequences from a grander scale (most notable in the fight sequence at the beginning between Westley and Inigo Montoya).
Acting is surprisingly solid from most involved. Cary Elwes is always entertaining and delivers his lines perfectly. Robin Wright reminds us all of how hard she hit the wall by looking stunning in the film. Chris Sarandon, a far underused talent, does a fine job as King and pulls off a villain that fits perfectly into this twisted tale.
The film's true shining moments come when dialogue is used in a way non-fitting to the genre. Tarantino may have been inspired a bit by the way the characters converse with one another throughout the film. Dialogue is best done when it is uncomfortable as relates to the setting. If two men are set to fight to the death, why do they enter into a conversation about past loves and losses prior? That is the genius of Tarantino and it is on display here (though on a far smaller scale).
So why not an A like most have rated the film? Though notably amusing and entertaining, TPB doesn't lend itself to repeat visits easily. Fred Savage is annoying and Billy Crystal overacts as only he can, both flaws grinding the film to a halt when on screen. There is entertainment here, but it just barely makes a recommendation to see at all. I realize I'm entering a world where the movies played at my house are consistently in this genre now that I'm a father, and the film may be one that cracks my daughter up. I would bet, however, that many FAR more entertaining family films from Pixar, Dreamworks and now Sony push this one further down the scale and so I'm doing so myself as well.
