Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Another Classic For the Whole Family!
THE PRINCESS BRIDE is more than a fantasy/romance. It has something for everyone; action, romance, adventure, heroics, treachery, villains, monsters, and magic. This is by far Rob Reiner's best movie to date as the direction, and story re-written by William Goldman makes it even more enjoyable than the actual novel.Excellent choice of casting makes the characters firm and believable: Cary Elwes is Westley, the farm boy and swashbuckling hero. Robin Wright is Princess Buttercup, brave, rebellious, never afraid to die for her lover. Chris Sarandon is Prince Humperdinck, usurping, bold, evil to the bone, loves watching people tortured, and at the same time charming. Mandy Patinkin is Inigo Montoya, a Spanish Swordsman who seeks the Murderer of his Father. Christopher Guest is the 6-fingered Count Rugen, silent, sinister, and gives an excellent impersonation of Henry Daniell from THE SEA HAWK. Andre the Giant is Fezzik, fearsome and funny with some good rhymes to spare. Wallace Shawn is Vizzini, witty, volatile, and in many wasy "Inconceivable!" Fred Savage is home sick with the flu, and Peter Falk as Grandfather reads the tale throughout. Film gets more exciting as voracious sea eels, gigantic cliffs, sword fights, quicksand, large rodents, and witches and warlocks, are only to name a few of the many obstacles throughout the quest. Special Edition DVD has great special features, commentary by Rob Reiner and cast members, and the color contrast is splendid and looks great in widescreen. Relentless adventure and excitement. You're all going to love this one!
Rating: - Royal Flush
A hilarious mixture of Errol Flynn swashbuckler and Monty Python send-up, THE PRINCESS BRIDE works as love story, as adventure, and as satire. In the framing story, a sick 10-year-old (Fred Savage) is visited by his grandfather (Peter Falk), who reads him "The Princess Bride", a "kissing" story set in a medieval make-believe land. In it, the beautiful Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) reluctantly becomes engaged to a prince (Chris Sarandon) when her true love, Westley (Cary Elwes), disappears. Soon, however, she is kidnapped by a crafty Sicilian (Wallace Shawn) and his hirelings, Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and gargantuan Fezzik (Andre the Giant). Buttercup is rescued by a mysterious man in black, who turns out to be Westley; but after surviving the Dreaded Fireswamp, they are apprehended by the prince. Buttercup agrees to marry the prince when he promises to free Westley, but the dashing lad is actually tortured to death--or is he? With the help of a wizened miracle maker (Billy Crystal), Inigo and Fezzik join forces with Westley to fight the forces of evil. With tongues in cheeks and hearts on sleeves, director Rob Reiner and scripter William Goldman create a dazzling adventure for viewers of all ages, while at the same time hilariously satirizing the same genre. Goldman's screenplay, adapted from his own novel, made the rounds for 14 years before finally making it to the screen. The wait was worth it. When it comes to pleasing both kids and adults, you can't do much better than THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
Rating:  - Five stars for the film, less one for the DVD
This is easily a five-star movie, one of the funniest I've ever seen. Intelligent, well-acted, and hilarious (did I mention yet that this is a very funny movie), this movie includes a pair of great swordfights, two perfect breasts, a Sicilian, a Spaniard, an albino, a six-fingered man who may or may not have killed someone's father, several ROUS's (I don't really believe they exist), a rhyming giant (anybody want a peanut), shrieking eels, the cliffs of insanity, and, of course, the Dread Pirate Roberts. But the DVD is simply not up to par. This picture deserves -- no, demands -- an anamorphic transfer, well-mastered sound, and at least a few collector's edition extras. Rob Reiner was up to the task with his DVDs for Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally; it's a shame no one cared enough to insist on the same for The Princess Bride. That said, it sure watches a heck of a lot better than my 10-year-old videotape.LATER EDITS: OK, so now I'm the loser who bought the DVD when it first came out, then bitched about it. Now, a year later, there's a new DVD release, the "collector's edition." Why are film companies such skunks? Release one version of a movie and do it right the first time. That way dedicated fans don't blow their money and then come to feel cheated within a year. It happens ALL THE TIME, and it STINKS!!! I'm sure MGM is laughing all the way to the bank ... None of this changes the fact that it's a great movie, and I suppose the new DVD edition is worthy of the full five stars. I'm not going to award it though, because I'm one of those suckers who got gypped into buying this cheap, crappy, money-grubbing pre-release.
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