The Princess Bride - Special Edition [DVD]

This it one of the best movies ever made. Charming, funny and full of action. Perfect family movie

I like almost all genres of film. I am and have always been a cinema/film/movie devotee. Theatre, while occasionally diverting, is not my main thing. From 'straight' movies, through action/sci-fi/fantasy movies, to comedies... you name it, I will probably enjoy at least some of what is on offer.Not counting what I have seen elsewhere, I personally own (not a single copy/fake/pirate!) almost a 1,000 films. Are there technically better made films? Certainly. Funnier? Some. More musical? Heck yeah. Over the years some films have challenged for my #1 spot. The Blues Brothers, Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars (IV-VI), Fifty/Fifty, Patlabor (1&2), Twelve Angry Men, to name a few.But this film has it all. Unfortunately, to go into too much detail is like disecting a magic act. The setting is fixed. It's a fairy tale type film. But content is, in a way, not. Central theme is the love story. But almost everything else one could wish for is there. A fair bit of humour, some of it dark. Humanity. Revenge. Good vs Evil. Redemption. A little action. Easy to grasp characters.For me, the star on the top of the tree is the friendship between Inigo and Fezzik. That theme is for me as much a crux as the headliner love thing between Wesley and Buttercup.Can I guarantee you'll love this film? Well duuuuuh. No, I can't. I'm not often into hyping things up. But let's put it this way, I'd be very, very, very surprised if you don't at least like it.Bonus: Though I consider this a family friendly movie, the PG rating is probably correct. For example: other than some mild (certainly by todays standards!) violence, one stong language phrase is used ('SoB'), and a slightly risque comment elsewhere.

A classic film that’s a must watch

THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE 2007 DVD EDITION. NOT ANY OF THE OTHERS. THAT'S THE ONE WITH THE FILM POSTER ART FOR THE BOX COVER. IT HAS TO BE MENTIONED BECAUSE THE AMAZON SYSTEM WILL DOUBTLESS LUMP THEM ALL TOGETHER.I'd never seen this film before.If you have already seen it, then you need to know that this edition has no subtitles. The only language option is English. The only extras are the trailer - a non picture restored version, so it looks a bit worn - and text pages giving the film roles of some of the major cast and other movies by the director.If you've not seen it:This is a decent adaptation of William Goldman's book of the same name. It's all about a story. And it's telling. A story of the classic kind. With a hero and a damsel in distress. True love. Good sidekicks. Dastardly villains. Monsters. And the occasional bit of kissing.It's a story read to a sick boy by his grandfather [Peter Falk]. The latter being from a generation before tv and computer games. Unlike his grandson who starts the film by playing a 1980's video game called Hardball. The graphics In this show how long ago the movie was made.A cantankerous old grandfather was a perfect role for Peter Falk. He swiftly draws his character's grandson and the audience into the tale. The tale of farmhand Westley [Cary Elwes]. And Buttercup [Robin Wright. Later to become Robin Wright Penn and feature in the US version of House of Cards]. Swiftly falling into true love, their idyll is destroyed when he falls foul of a nasty pirate.Forced to be engaged to a Prince, Buttercup will never love again. But when she is kidnapped as part of a dastardly scheme, a mysterious and dashing swordsman in black comes to the rescue. He has a lot to contend with as a result...Many of the characters are archetypes - dashing hero, swooning damsel, dastardly villain - and the actors play to that superbly well. This means that it's not an out and out comedy as such, it's one of those character dramas that does also provide occasional laughs out of character interaction.What it does is hit all the right beats of a great story. This means there will be occasional action. Usually really well arranged swordfighting. Good character drama. And a story that draws you in, leaving you as desperate as one character in particular to find how it will end out.The actors in the cast do slightly better than the occasional comedians who pop up. Mel Smith is pretty good, but Billy Crystal and Peter Cook are a little too comedic, so their moments don't quite work as well as everything else.But that's the only minor complaint I could find to make about this. It's a film that sets out to tell a good story and entertain in the process. Like all great stories, it certainly does that. I'm glad to have rectified my error in not getting to it before.

Purchased for my granddaughter to watch , thoroughly enjoyed it and I think the grown ups also did