Yeah, I know! Ya'll weren't expecting me to go see this one. Pictures about any type of FTBS* (see below) are just not my forte'. Having said that I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised. This picture grabbed me in the opening scenes and held on to me until the closing credits. When viewing fantasy stories one must get past the "that's impossible!" factor and watch it for what it is.....FANTASY! Once the mind gets around that fact, the enjoyment sets in and the picture becomes simple, adventurous entertainment. Right next to the small English town of Wall, there is a wall (you heard me right) that separates the town from the magical kingdom of Stormhold. The king (Peter O'Toole) is dying and one of his seven sons will succeed him to the throne. They have been knocking each other off with that in mind and there are now only four left. The King sends them on a quest for a magic ruby and says the winner will rule. Well, around that same time a star falls from the heavens in the form of Yvaine (Claire Danes) who finds the ruby and puts it around her neck. WELL, around that same time three witches, headed by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) go after Yvaine to kill her and by doing so, achieve eternal youth. WELL, around THAT same time, young Tristan, from the English village, sees the falling star and sets out to bring it back to the girl he loves, Victoria, who doesn't love him. WELLLLLLL, around THAT SAME.......enough! As you can see, there's a lot going on but it's all well separated and allows us to pick and choose our heroes and villains. The story is fast but understandable and is told as an adult fairy tale. The special effects were top of the line and the directing was the speed of lightening. They even bought in Robert Dinero in the role of a pirate captain that, shall we say is a COMPLETE departure from his badass persona. This picture is visually stunning, well acted and well scripted. I liked it. I liked it a lot. "Captain, we always knew you were a whoopsie!" RECOMMENDATION: Take the whole family to see this BIG picture. There were a couple of adult moments but the kiddies have seen worse on Sesame Street. Rated PG13 for fantasy type violence and adult innuendos. TWO "STAR" STUDDED AND JEWELLED THUMBS UP!!! *FTBS: Fairy Tale Bullshit For future reference: CBBS: Comic Book Bullshit Movie Review © 2007 by Terry Anderson |
