• Howls Moving Castle
• Legend
• Secrets of Midde Earth - Inside Tolkien's "The Hobbit"
• The Princess Bride
• Kingdom of Heaven
• Constantine
• Primer
• The Ring Two
• Empires - Holy Warriors: Richard the Lionheart & Saladin -Review
• The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Labyrinth

The Princess Bride - Review

Let me start out this review by saying that I am a big tough guy. Epic Fantasy for me leans more toward the Conan approach: get the biggest baddest two-fisted sword you can find and mow down the evil orcs and the bad guys first - then after the carnage you can ask questions. It is because of this machismo that I have never seen this movie.

Just think about it. It is called “The Princess Bride”. And look at the cover! This movie screams Chick Flick! But last week I watched and reviewed “Labyrinth” with Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie and I enjoyed it so much I thought I should explore some similar movies so The Princess Bride, Dark Crystal and Legend are all on my list now.

Now about the movie - This movie is absolutely magnificent. It is a masterpiece of modern fantasy. Let me try to explain. It isn’t a big production movie. There aren’t any over the top fantasy sets and scenes. Most of it appears to have been simply filmed in some subtle yet beautiful locations. Yet there is a magic that is conveyed.

This movie is in broken down into three distinct parts. The first part (roughly the first half hour) is one of the most beautiful and magical thirty minutes every to come out of hollywood. There is a simple beauty in it. It moves like a dream. There are a few scenes of such subtle beauty that we are taken into the world of the characters seamlessly. There are a few moments like the sailing on the small boat or the climbing up the cliff rope that just astonish with a simple poetic like feeling.

The second part of the movie is where the story progresses and unfolds. After having successfully being convinced that the world is real we now follow along with the story and learn about the characters.

The third part of the story roughly begins when Billy Crystal makes his appearance. He plays a wise old Miracle Maker and he is terrific. The movie from here gets light hearted with comic moments. This doesn’t subtract anything from the movie at all. It just enriches it.

This movie gets five stars and a six fingered thumbs up! <- You’ll know what I mean by that if you have seen the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie then get it! If you are a fan of fantasy movies then this is a must see. And is even a must have in your collection. If you are a big tough guy like me put away your two-fisted sword and rent this movie. You won’t be disappointed.

There are some great performances in this movie including Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin and Billy Crystal. Fred Savage is also in this movie and is really young! Whew - Glad I could somehow work the word “Savage” into this review. It somehow makes me feel like my manhood is still in tact.

The Princess Bride

There are several things we can do.