The Princess Bride (1987)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  8 / 10

  The Princess Bride is, inconceivably, a tale filled with pure fantasy. Not what I thought it was going to be. In my mind I thought it would be a proper Shakespearean fantasy, y'know the whole "thou shall not kiss thy lips". That kinda thing. Then I saw it was directed by Rob Reiner and I knew I was in for a complete different film. A princess is kidnapped and young Westley pursues the criminals so that he can be with his one true love. A beautiful, light hearted story that everyone can enjoy. And a story is exactly what it is. The narrative is told through a storybook, extremely authentic and feels very much like a fantasy adventure. A perfect blend of comedy and adventure, I was smiling throughout (a rare achievement for me, I know). The screenplay was refreshingly witty, particularly the banter and line execution from the characters. The perfect scene to describe this is when swordsman Inigo waits for Westley to rest before duelling. Sharp, concise and punchy. Plus, many many many memorable lines. Two that spring to mind are "inconceivable" and "the cliffs of insanity" which were both delivered by Wallace Shawn. Acting all round was good in the whole, stand outs were Cary Elwes and Mandy Pantinkin. Robin Wright held her own as well in which was one of her earliest roles. The romance between Elwes and Wright was all too brief, I would've like some more development between the two. The first and third acts were extremely well paced and memorable, the second dipped dramatically to a point where I've forgotten what happened. A shame really. The use of props enhanced the authenticity of the world that the film is set in, so I admired that. Overall, The Princess Bride was immensely enjoyable with a light whimsical nature that can entertain pretty much everyone.

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