Full Review #1 (with scoring)

                                                 

Wuv, true wuv…

Attempting to do an objective review of a beloved, iconic classic comedy is difficult at best. Picking a part the elements that make up the film, from the characters to the acting to the writing to the direction, it seems a bit harrowing. You already know what you love about it, and you struggle to mention anything you had any inkling of a problem with. But,

As you wish…

The Princess Bride is a fantastic (and comedic) tale of a kidnap of a beautiful princess. The story blends together several genres at once. You have the fantasy adventure together with the clever, often slapstick comedy. The film is even meta, as the entire story of the princess, her captors, her beloved, and the not-so-charming prince is told by a grandfather via a novel to his sick grandson. With these aspects, it makes for a unique tale of love, peril and adventure, complete with many humorous, classic moments.

You keep using that word. I do not think you know what it means.

The creative team behind The Princess Bride did a great job melding two storylines together, as well as handling all the characters in between. The editing here helped as the film cut between the main story of the titular princess and the grandfather and grandson. At times, the grandson’s lines would interrupt the flow of main story while the grandfather narrated it (or major plot points that shocked him) which ironically made it work. It the context of the grandfather/grandson storyline, it felt real because that’s how a kid, listener or viewer might react to a story. When something shocks them, they might actually question what is going on. (For some reason I got a flashback to the David After Dentist video. Is this real life?) This made the character of the grandson both believable and relatable. You could argue that his interruptions hindered the main storyline, but honestly, it never did. I would argue it helps keep up the tension as you might be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.

Inconceivable!

Honestly I feel that using that word here. Inconceivable! I found something that is critique-able. While most of the performances and solid and the actors have great comedic timing, at times some of them were a little less than solid. You can’t really fault them though, because it was never glaringly obvious to the point it hurt the movie in any way. Although, and in no fault on her part, there’s one scene (and no it’s not too spoiler-y) where the Princess Buttercup, played by the always beautiful and talented Robin Wright, is subjected to an awkward and laughable moment. Her leap from the castle window is a little drawn out and obnoxiously dream-like. The light, sparkly music score behind it didn’t help either. It was unnecessary. Fortunately, virtually every other scene she had, she was amazing. Another on the plus side of acting though, Mandy Patinkin’s turn as the avenger Inigo Montoya, was a strong point for the film. He did a great job here, and some of the most memorable lines in movie history. I would love to write them here, but just reading them doesn’t do them any justice. You have to hear him to really get the full effect.

Watch out for R.O.U.S.s

It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a film that does its job right. It had the thrills and laughs you look for in both an adventure and a comedy. While some jokes do fall flat—no comedy can escape that fact—there’s plenty to pick up the slack. From 80s nostalgia (see video game played by grandson) to a thrilling, star-crossed lovers romance to castle sieges, this film has everything and more as it can appeal to many different audiences. It all comes together to make a timeless classic.

Now for the scoring:

(Let’s Not Get) Technical
8/10 for pretty solid acting
9/10 an intriguing, clever script by William Goldman
8/10 direction that works by Rob Reiner
9/10 a slew of hilarious jokes from the comedy aspect
10/10 for locations and sets (they all looked pretty great and believable in my opinion)

(Let’s Not Get) Technical score
44/50 or 88%

As You Wish Bonus Points

+5 for hilarious cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane
+10 for Inigo’s quotable quotes (and for that matter, all of the iconic quotes)
+5 for exciting plot twists
+5 for rhyming Fezzik
+5 for repeated use of “Inconceivable!”

Lightning Sand Penalties

-10 for overly drawn out, dream-like tower leap
-5 for repeated use of “Inconceivable!”
-10 for confusing torture device
-1 for conveniently timed full recovery

Final Score
48/50 or 96% (or in other words, if I was RottenTomatoes this movie would be certified fresh!)