A simple fairytale-style fantasy film done exceptionally well.

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2007)

Somehow a fair few of films that I really enjoy have had some part of their advertising which made me expect the worst of them. The original Shrek was one of these, with the images of goofy characters grinning stupidly at me from each and every poster there was no way on earth that I was going to see such a film. However when my sister brought it home on video and played it over and over again I was gradually sucked into it, drawn by it's satirical humour and great characters.
This is another film that I did not find particularly appealing from the advertising. The pictures I had seen made it look similar to the poorly done "Eragon" and the trailers hinted at a dull, hackneyed story-line, so I approached this film with low expectations.
It turns out that the story of the film (which I won't delve into) *is* relatively simple and uses plenty of well established fantasy ideas, but this doesn't detract from it in the least. It feels complete with no irritatingly blatant attempts to leave room for a sequel. I know that this is adapted from a book, but have not read it, so can not comment on how closely it sticks to the original. However it comes across as a fairy-tale of the type you are read when you are young, done in the epic style (see LotR and what Eragon was trying to be) which is generally associated with the fantasy genre. In no way is this forced, and the clean simplicity and predictability of the storyline mean that the wit of the production is lost on few without seeming pointlessly trivial. The setting is beautifully rendered with interesting characters who develop nicely (if predictably) and works well as a continuation of the genre which LotR proved to be financially feasible.
The music is a mixture of LotR and PotC 3 in style, with hints of Harry Potter. Occasionally it is over the top, though, when the dramatic context did not require it to such an extent. That is one of my few problems with this film. Despite this the majority of the music is compelling, engaging and fitting to the style of the rest of the production. It also utilises some well-known classical music, applied to humerus effect. (I bought the sound track, it's that good.)
One other problem I had was with the casting of Ricky Gervais. This is purely a personal problem which not everyone will agree with as I do not find his style of comedy particularly amusing, rather the opposite in fact. However this was mitigated by the small amount of screen time and what happens to the character. Otherwise the casting was sound, each played their part to near perfection. I absolutely loved the witches, often finding myself cackling along with them. Michelle Pfeiffer was perfect as the leading witch (she had a title, but I forget it).
Overall a wonderfully rendered fairy-tale style film with few flaws with an epic score that will draw you into it's world and leave you with a sense of deep satisfaction and warmth.
Hooray for decently made fantasy films!