The Princess Bride 1987

Charming, witty and beautiful, a short saga which wears fairy tale inspirations on one sleeve and fantasy inspirations on the other. And, if there were a third sleeve, there we'd see the trace of swashbuckling inspiration, too. This one hits all the right notes, from the gently-plucked musical score (provided by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits) to the familiar-yet-surprising twists and turns of the plot to the positively irreplaceable casting decisions.

That last one really stuck with me on this viewing, the realization that every single part was filled by the perfect actor. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as the smitten, star-crossed lovers; Mandy Patinkin in a vigoriously youthful revenge role, complete with a spectacularly great catchphrase; Andre the Giant as the good natured, softly-spoken mountain of a man; Wallace Shawn as a smooth-talking Sicilian who might be too smart for his own good; Billy Crystal and Carol Kane effortlessly lightening the mood; Christopher Guest as a cowardly enforcer; Peter Falk and Fred Savage as the story's connection to the modern world. Take away any one of those players and the film suffers.

Rob Reiner, working from novelist William Goldman's screenplay, brings an inherently literary tale to life in ways that must have seemed impossible at the onset. Together, they deliver just the right mix of levity and romance, dramatic tension and comic timing. A few seams show here and there, particularly when scenes aren't shot on-location or monsters threaten the key players, but somehow that just adds to the bemusing magic of it all. Tough to think of a better love letter to the not-so-innocent myths of old, or a more timeless rendition of their common themes.

I hadn't seen this masterpiece in over a decade, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to re-watch it when a friend told me they had never seen it. Before we started the movie, I was surprised to see its length: less than 100 minutes! I was incredulous. How could the countless incredible scenes that I remember from my childhood be packed into such a small package. I soon found out the answer. The entire movie is just those incredible scenes. There is no filler. It cuts from one highlight to the next at a breakneck pace that honestly was a bit jarring compared to what I'm used to these days. Some of this is due to editing choices, i.e. establishing shots are short and to the point, we don't linger in scenes, etc.. But the other key factor here is efficiency in story telling. There is not a superfluous scene, dangling plot thread, or wasted line of dialogue in the entire film. As my friend put it, "had this film been done in the style of Avatar Way of the Water, the opening love story with Westley and Buttercup on the farm would have been 30 minutes long instead of 30 seconds".

Now, while the pacing was jarring, the movie as a whole holds up incredibly well. The most impressive thing on display here is the characters. Through a combination of stellar writing and fantastic performances, the heroes, the villains, and everyone in between are all established as memorable, unique, and most importantly, fun. To highlight anyone in particular feels unfair given that everyone is excellent, but Mandy Patinkin and André the Giant are personal favorites, bringing humor and heart in equal measure.

I reserve 10/10 ratings for movies that have everything. Action. Adventure. Comedy. Romance. Just all around crowd pleasers. This movie is usually the first example I point to. Now, re-watching with a modern eye, would I still give it a perfect score? Probably not. But does it still deserve a perfect score? Absolutely.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

This film must be one of the highest-rated films of all time. At least in the top twenties or thirties, maybe a little further than that; absolute praise and love towards it everywhere. It certainly has to be one of the most beloved. Yes, you've likely guessed where I'm heading with this. I didn't love it as much as pretty much everyone did/has.

Now, a big part to play was, without a doubt, the fact that I wasn't 100% paying attention to it because as I was watching it, stuff was happening in the room I was in, and my laptop sucks, so I didn't want to pause it, as it would've taken minutes to start playing again; I know, I need a new laptop. I've been using it for close to a decade, I think. And I don't use headphones/earbuds/AirPods, so I had to lower the volume to where I couldn't hear what was said.

However, I watch every film three times, so not following along fully and not getting some of the humor won't be an issue with the next and final viewing. But more importantly, I know I didn't love this film as much as most people do. I know that sounds premature, as I missed some things on my first viewing, but I'm pretty sure I'll still "feel" the same toward it with my subsequent viewings.

(This is subsequent-viewings-me chiming in: I was correct.)

The primary impression I'm getting out of this film is that, somehow, it's like it has a consciousness, in a sense, although that might not be the correct word. I don't know what I just said. It seems to me that this film will be better and better with each viewing, something to always come back to (but I suppose that's more to do with the individual watching it, not the film itself), and as a bonus, it'll never get old, unlike Monty Python and the Holy Grail. My God, that film wasn't that good. And Hot Fuzz? Ugh. I'm about to throw up. British comedy, hit-or-miss, more misses instead of hits; you love to see it.

On a broader scale, as this film marinates in a person's consciousness with time continuously passing, I think one's feelings and outlook toward it will improve and evolve. I can't explain it or why that came to mind. I feel that, regardless of initial feelings from first viewing it, this film will continue increasing in enjoyment. It's lighthearted and fun. It has enjoyable characters/performances, a bit of (well-choreographed) action, cheesy but witty dialogue tightly written, and comedy; it has something for everyone, all of which have a good balance and utilization.

I know most of what I said may seem negative. But I was vibing quite well with the film. That is, until after the MOST iconic and best scene that has ever (been seen) scene-d, in cinema history, the fight sequence between Westley and Inigo Montoya: everything about it was peak-anything-you'll-ever-see (♪ Can we get much higher? So high ♪), the witty dialogue, both characters/performances, the choreography. I don't know which character the majority like more. While I like Cary Elwes and the deadpan line delivery, including the emotionless/blank or smug facial expressions that he does so well, Inigo's my man. My King.

After that, I felt like the film declined a bit, although the end catches you by surprise with the feels, making it seem like, maybe, everything after that fight sequence didn't dip or as much as you thought or that the fight sequence was so good that everything else paled in comparison. And that end-credits song? Man, that was the final nail in the coffin. It had a similar effect as the end-credits song in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

All-in-all, plenty of goofiness and silliness is present in this film, which adds to a particular not-quite-explainable charm; that much is undeniable. It has "everything" and more. This film is undoubtedly a classic, especially regarding every component. I doubt there are many films (or TV shows) like that. I think once it's in your consciousness, it's likely to improve in your eyes whenever you inevitably view it again and again and again. That's to say: it's, more or less, a "perfect" film.

Even if you didn't like it as much as most people did on your first viewing, or if you may have disliked it, you signed yourself up for a continuously evolving experience by entering this film into your consciousness. As a result, your negative feelings may eventually become the opposite, or your already positive feelings will exponentially become more positive.

Additional thoughts: Robin Wright was hot as hell in this film, but dare I say, she's even hotter now, like Antiope in the Wonder Woman films, which is astronomically hot; you love to see it. And Peter Cook, as the Impressive Clergyman, looked alarmingly like Sun Wukong.