Stellar!!

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2009)

What a brilliant movie! This fantasy tale entertains from the very first minute to the end with no lengths in between.
This movie is very polished and it has everything one would expect from a good fantasy movie - including a fair bit of humor without ever getting "too cheesy".
This movie will entertain kids as well as adults alike. Adults will like it since it is not "childish" in any way, and kids will like it since the story is not too complex.
I especially like: * the movie is beautifully shot. Watching this on a 52" plasma guarantees entertainment from the first minute to the last. Its not on the "epic level" like LOTR, but it comes very close in terms of "creating" the right feel and ambiance needed for good fantasy entertainment.
* Even if there's violence and fighting it is not a bloody movie at all, doesn't idolize violence as "solution for all things". (Refreshing after seeing a bunch of Mel Gibson movies....) * A nice bit of humor throughout the movie * No "morale teachings at all cost" as seen in SO MANY movies. There are so many movies from Hollywood which win prices because they always *need* to teach a morale, like "family is important" or things like that. They have an overly emotional plot like featuring a dying mother with 7 kids, and, at all costs, need to "embed" a morale lesson, over and over again.
This movie does NOT lift a finger trying to teach a lesson. Thank God! This is fantasy entertainment as its supposed to be, perfect in any sense! I don't know whether this movie earned any awards - in my opinion it deserves them. Stellar movie! G.