Product: Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story
Rating: 3.0
Uh, um, Anne?
I wasn't exactly sure how many stars to give this movie because of two issues: This was a pretty good movie. I'd probably give it four stars if the two main characters weren't named Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. But then that's the crux of the situation--it didn't have anything whatsoever to do with the Anne of Green Gables book series.It had most of the original cast from the 'Anne' films from the 80s (with the notable exception of Colleen Dewhurst, who died about six years ago), but honestly it had nothing to do with Anne of Green Gables. The only part of the movie that I recognized from the books was a mention near the end of Glen St. Mary. So for me, from the aspect of having been a huge fan of the Anne books and even of the first two movies for many years, this third installment was extremely disappointing. It did not portray the story you would expect from having read the books.On the other hand, this was a pretty good movie, as I've said. It was an original screenplay that accurately depicted the horrors of WWI and even if I didn't already know Anne and Gilbert's history, I think it would still have been a kind of a sweet love story. If you were to take this film and judge it for the merits of it's story, acting, and cinematography, you'd probably find that it was a worthwhile investment of your time because it really is a good film from that perspective. If you were to take this film and judge it on the merits of how true it was to the books, you'd probably give it a negative ten stars and think that L.M. Montgomery must be rolling over in her grave. So let me finish up by saying this: If you liked the previous two 'Anne' movies and are just curious to see, you know, how the actors look today and what kind of performance they'll give, then by all means you should see this film. If you really liked the books and can't stand the idea of any director defiling L.M. Montgomery's vision in any way, shape, or form, then stay far, far away from this movie, for you are destined to be greatly disappointed.