Almost but not quite

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 1999)

I have just one thing to say about this movie: It's NOT the book. I LOVED the book. I mean, I read it like 60 times in high school. I really, really loved the book.
I enjoyed this film fairly well. However, the whole intricate concept which I know and love so dearly has lost a lot -- maybe 70% -- in translation to the screen, even though the same guy wrote both the book and the screenplay.
Now, if you haven't read the book and you want to see this movie, then you're better off never reading the book at all; just watch the film, have fun, and stop there. However, if you've read the book, it won't hurt you to see this movie -- and in fact it's worth it to see this movie just to see Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, or Billy Crystal and Carol Kane as Miracle Max and his Witch Valerie, or even to see the rendering of the Cliffs of Insanity -- but it won't be nearly the experience you're expecting.