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Reviews
Home Movie: The Princess Bride (2020)
Blown Away
When I saw a Facebook post saying they were doing a remake of The Princess Bride, my reaction was an immediate, "NOOOO!" Then, I read the article accompanying the post which gave more information such as that it was essentially a homemade quarantine version. I decided to wait for its release, which at that time was just a couple of days away. My 16-year-old daughter and I watched the show and absolutely loved it. We'd anxiously wait for the next episodes to release. The Princess Bride has long been my all-time favourite movie. I could probably quote it from start to finish if I tried hard enough. I did notice not all of the lines perfectly matched the original but I was delighted by the variety and diversity of the cast members. I LOVED the surprise of seeing some of the original cast in this too. We laughed at all the appearances of Legos and stuffed animals and pets. We laughed at the variety of hilarious props including an umbrella, garden hose, whisk and even a dim sum steamer for a crown. This was amazing, it really was. It was perhaps the only way this movie could be remade that wouldn't have felt underwhelming. Instead it was overwhelmingly wonderful. Adorable even. I really do consider the original to be perfect. I also have to add that Charlize Theron was absolute perfection as the Dread Pirate Roberts. I'd give this more than 10 stars if I could.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Loved the book - Movie disappointed
I thought the actors did an absolutely wonderful job in their roles, I absolutely love Paul Bettany and I completely lost him as he became the character of Silas. (It impresses me when I can completely lose an actor in a film, and see only the character instead of the actor.) The others did a wonderful job in their respective roles as well, the acting itself gets 10 stars from me, I have no complaints there whatsoever. Having recently devoured the book in just a little over a day, the movie as a whole just didn't work for me though. I believe this is primarily because there were so many, many discrepancies between the book and the movie. At times it was like a completely different story was being told on the screen from the one I'd read in the book. I had a difficult time enjoying the movie because the differences were so glaringly obvious to me - some little, some absolutely huge. I understand that often things are changed here and there to make a movie fit into the time they have available to them, or to make it work better, but I just found the changes to be too much to do the book any sort of justice. On the other hand, my husband, who has not yet read the book, thoroughly enjoyed the movie. He said for him it was similar to National Treasure, a movie he loved. When The Da Vinci Code first opened I'd heard them say on the radio that the movie couldn't possibly live up to all the hype, but that if you went into it with no expectations you'd enjoy the movie version of the story. Apparently I went in expecting it to be too similar to the book, without that expectation perhaps it would have been more enjoyable for me. If it were a standalone movie I think I would have enjoyed it a great deal more because what ruined it for me were the changes to the storyline. From our experience it seems it would be best to watch the movie first if possible, then read the book afterward to learn the details. Either that, or if you've read the book already, be prepared that the movie isn't quite the same story as the one told in the book. I certainly didn't absolutely hate the movie, and would like to watch it again now that I'm prepared for all the changes to the storyline.