This movie is excellent!!!

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2009)

All I can say is WOW! I didn't know what to expect about this movie after having read a ton of reviews. I was afraid it would be too clichÃ©, cheezy and predictable. I was pleasantly surprised. Alone on a Saturday night, I had the pleasure of watching the movie myself - left alone to laugh out loud several times. Sure the movie was predictable at times and had its clichÃ© moments, but overall it was incredibly well executed. The casting and acting was very good - Charlie Cox did well in the lead, Michelle Pfeiffer did as well as you would expect, as did Robert DeNiro; Claire Danes did an amazing performance whether you're a fan of hers or not. Overall, the supporting cast did a great job as well. And although the story was a fantasy and therefore had familiar elements to it, it definitely, as several other reviewers have commented, has a uniqueness that I have not seen of late. There were no real parts that dragged, the special effects were well integrated into the story line and did not seem forced and the details were simply awesome. When you watch the movie, you can really see a lot of detail work was done on the sets and you notice the details when you observe the subtle body language of the actors. Like most reviewers I would say it might not become quite the classic of Princess Bride (with it's most awesome quotes) or have the romance of Say Anything, but it is likely to continue to hold its own in the future due to its unique style, story line and execution. Great date movie, though the violence (even if it is relatively cartoonish overall) will turn off some and makes it inappropriate for kids. I really liked this movie for its combination of fantasy and romance...and that's coming from a guy.