The Princess Bride Review

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Director: Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men)

Screenplay: William Goldman

Starring: Cary Elwes (Saw), Robin Wright (Forrest Gump), Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds), Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally), Andre the Giant, Chris Sarandon, and Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap)

Gross Revenue: $30,857,814

Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 95%

IMDB Rating: 8.1
  
Once in a while, a film comes along that truly speaks to all audiences, across all ages and demographics.  The kind of film that everyone from age 9 to 99 can be entertained by.  The kind of film that combines "fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles".  The Princess Bride is one of those films.  It's popularity has skyrocketed since it's 1987 release, and is now considered a classic, and rightfully so.  It is one of the greatest fantasy romances of all time, and easily the funniest.
     The story begins with a sick boy whose grandpa comes over to read him a story.  He is immediately skeptical of a fairy tale book, and is disgusted by what he deems as a "kissing book".  His grandpa proceeds to read it to him anyway.  What follows is one of the truest, funniest, and most modern fairy tales ever put to screen.  Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) is about to marry the ruler of the kingdom Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), but she is still mourning the loss of her former lover Wesley (Cary Elwes), in a supposed pirate attack.  After being kidnapped by a band of thieves and rescued by what she later discovers is her supposed dead lover, she sets out to be with him, no matter what various external forces she and Wesley must fight.  It features sword fights, giants, a battle of wits, a deadly venture through the Fire Swamp, torture, a daring castle raid, and a lifelong quest for vengeance.
    This is my favorite fantasy film of all time, my favorite romantic comedy, and one of my favorite movies I have ever seen.  Period.  This movie simultaneously satirizes and heeds to the traditional fairy tale archetypes. It is a post-modern fairy tale.  The one-liners are so smart, and so funny, that many of them are very well known, and are still more then 20 years later.  The characters are both endearing and hilarious.  From Inigio Montoya's (Mandy Patinkin) lifelong search for vengeance against the "six-fingered man", to Fezzick the Giant (Andre the Giant), who's heart is twice as big as he is.  This movie is not only hilarious, it is also very romantic.  It seems like Wesley's and Buttercup's love is cursed.  So many forces try to keep them from being together.  Captures, torture, and ruthless brute squads.  Yet through it all, they never lose hope, and the teach us the age-old lesson that "true love conquers all". The sword fight in this movie is also spectacular.  While very relaxed and nonchalant, it is also very deadly and masterful.  One of the greatest sword fights ever captured on film.  The screenplay is very smart, and the actors deliver these lines to masterful effect.  The acting is subtle and honest, just like these characters.

    When The Princess Bride was first released, it was a minor commercial success.  It made back it's budget, but was far from being a true smash hit.  It was critically acclaimed, but many thought it would fade into obscurity.  They were wrong.  This film had become supremely popular over the last 20 years, and is revered as one of the great fantasy movies of all time.  It's fate is very similar to an equally popular fantasy film The Wizard of Oz, which was not well-received but it hailed as a classic.  The Princess Bride is the perfect movie.  It has something for literally everyone.  Comedy, romance, adventure, emotional resonance, and a love story for the ages. These kind of movies aren't made very often, and many like this are forgotten by the masses.  However, it is obvious why this has stood the test of time.  It is like Wesley says, "This is true love, do you think this happens everyday?".