I've seen better fairy tales.

Rating: 5/10 (22 September 2015)

This is a beautifully-set fairytale movie where a grandfather reads a story to his ill grandson. As he reads, the fairytale (about a princess who searches for her true love while she is forced to marry a power-hungry prince) comes to life on screen via the grandfather's narration.
While the medieval setting and seaside landscape were beautifully staged, giving the movie a definite fantasy feel, the pacing of the plot was incredibly slow, especially during the first half of the movie, and some of the acting was quite amateurish. Robin Wright did a OK job portraying the vulnerable princess bride, and Andre the Giant and Mandy Patinkin portrayed the two sidekicks with much courage and a little bit of humor. Even the appearance of Billy Crystal as Miracle Max was one of the few treats in the movie. However, Cary Elwes as the sword-wielding Westley was acted out somewhat poorly. It appears he tried too hard to be gallant, sophisticated, charming and strong, like a typical prince, but ultimately came up short. Chris Sarandon couldn't pull off a menacing and sinister lead villain in his Prince Humperdinck role (he looked like a deer in headlights), and Wallace Shawn in his Vizzini role was extremely annoying and irritating - always yelling and screaming throughout his role (I hope the filmmakers don't think that is considered great acting).
You won't find much stuff to laugh about in the film, despite the fact it's supposed to be part comedy. You will find some cliché prince-princess romance elements between Westley and the Princess Bride and the grandfather/grandson angle gives the film a family touch. There is more adventure and action in the second half of the film, so the story does eventually give a little more exciting. Overall, though, it's a slow-paced, average movie in which I think is a little overrated.
Grade C-