The Princess Bride

In a story marked by numerous trials and unhealthy fixations on revenge, a character lived, didn’t live, lived, didn’t live, and eventually lived... It was a fairy-tale farce flirting with parody. Set against strange backdrops, featuring the dashing Elwes and humor falling below expectations and potential (with one crystalline exception). It was like a version "The Prince and the Pauper" with a chastity belt. Mrs. Columbo’s grandson enjoyed it, but I didn’t much. Perhaps it was Rob Reiner's role as the reader that affected my enjoyment. (29/12/2023)

Probably one of the best fantasy tales I've seen. Perhaps only Stardust has similarly resonated with me, and it too wasn't afraid to take a slightly different path in its film adaptation than mainstream audiences would expect. The Princess Bride stands out above all for its great characters, who (thank goodness!) are not one-dimensional or cookie-cutter, with very few exceptions. In fact, thanks to their imperfections and flaws, they are much closer to real characters, which often results in unexpectedly funny and touching moments. It's really a very nice fairy tale. [85%] (21/08/2022)

A wonderfully whimsical fantasy tale. The humor feels like something straight out of Terry Pratchett’s books, though surprisingly, he wasn’t involved. It’s fascinating how, in the 80s, someone crafted such a delightful fantasy with warm, quirky humor. There’s truly nothing else like it. Plus, that 80s vibe just makes it all the more charming. (22/09/2023)

A fairy tale that doesn’t even feel like a fairy tale, more like a parody of fairy tales. I laughed more than I’d expected. The story features many great characters, but I was most impressed by the irresistible Spaniard played by Mandy Patinkin. The logic holes sometimes became abysses. I can't figure out why the princess lived in some shepherd's hut with a lascivious-looking squire, but I chose to ignore such matters as I had great fun. (20/02/2017)

Well... I mean... I have to say that compared to the book, The Princess Bride disappointed me. The plot is more or less identical and the dialogue and all the "catchphrases" are the same (Goldman wrote the script himself, so it's not surprising), but somehow I missed the magic that made me read on and on, the funny narrative language, the fiction with the non-existent Morgenstern... And what's worse - most of the things I laughed at in the book, I didn't find funny here at all. Partly it was Cary Elwes, partly it was Knopfler's really ugly music and the cheap-looking production design in general (yes, I know that was probably the intention)... In the end, it amounts to about three stars. If I hadn't read the book, I might add. (01/12/2011)