Slightly overrated

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2005)

Before you jump on my head about the title of my comment, please hear me out. I definitely do not think The Princess Bride is a bad film, per se. I have heard it called all sorts of things, from a timeless classic to a great fantasy romp for all ages. Neither of those things are quite true. The film is as dated as most of the Nightmare On Elm Street episodes (especially the Clown Freddy ones). It also falls into the trap of trying to appeal to everyone, and as a result limiting its audience more than it otherwise would. But what it lacks in classic status, it (almost) makes up for in some other areas. On one hand, I can see why I was so reluctant to see the film when it was recommended to me around ten years ago. It was, after all, released in the same year as the holy chunk of awesome that is RoboCop. On the other hand, I can see why it was recommended to me on two occasions that span over a decade apart. I won't put this in my list of favourite films, but I admire it for its uniqueness among the fodder that was made in the same year.
I will get the negatives out of the way, since they are the smaller part of this comment. The extraneous storyline involving Peter Falk playing a grandfather who reads this tale to his grandson, played with impeccable irritation by a very young Fred Savage, was utterly unnecessary. They get in the way of the story rather than enhancing it, especially when the action is interrupted to make some comment or to beat us over the head with how universal the story supposedly is. The characters are about as deep as a puddle, and we get no sense of why Westley loves Buttercup (or vice versa) so dearly. None of what passes for motivation or character development here is shown to us, it is all told. Some of the locations shown in the film have names so daft it will make your eye muscles twitch. Yes, there were names with a daft factor in adventure films like The Goonies (a far better children's adventure film in spite of what the IMDb would have you believe), but The Goonies succeeded in making the audience not notice (or care).
Now that the problems are out of the way, let's concentrate for a moment of the film's strengths. Mandy Patinkin would have been a far better choice for the focal point of the story, as he runs with the campiness of the story at a speed that would impress Olympic champions. Christopher Guest portrays Patinkin's nemesis with a grace and, dare I say it, subtlety that could have worked wonders if it had transferred to the rest of the film. Robin Wright does the best she can with a very unidimensional role. She is mainly there to tell off the villain or beg for the hero's aid. The real jewel of the cast here is André the Giant, one of showbusiness' true well... gentle giants. As he is making comedy based around his knowledge of how big he is, the softer side of him that realises he is not in the best of health even for a forty-one year old shines through every time he delivers a line. Granted, one can only understand half of what he says at best. But of all the performers in the film, André is the one that will be remembered long after the rest have been forgotten.
Some of the trick shots or effects sequences are lousy. The shrieking eels sequence was obviously meant to induce tension in the target audience, but even in five year olds, if the manner in which it is set up doesn't induce laughs or groans, the eels themselves surely will. Others, however, are very well-realised, and work well enough to make the film watchable. When André the Giant carries his castmates up the face of a cliff, one does not see whether it is just trick photography or a set, but it suspends disbelief enough to leave one in awe of the character. I don't know why the IMDb lists the stunt rider of André in the final ride-away scene as being obvious. Maybe I am not as cynical or jaded as I would like to believe, but this shot sold itself well enough that I could feel sorry for the horse. This, friends and neighbours, is a sign of a well-made film.
In summation, The Princess Bride is a lot better than I thought it would be, but it is nowhere near as good as many make out. For fantasy adventures, I am far more inclined to recommend The Goonies, which is far more realistic in the sense of being less normalistic than is the case here. Nonetheless, if you have already seen The Goonies, then The Princess Bride is worth a look. I gave it a seven out of ten. Of the hundreds of DVDs I have around me, it is far from the last I would watch.