12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
HUMPERDINK!
Date of Review: Oct 30, 2000
One plain and simple fact, "The Princess Bride" has everything a good movie needs: action, adventure, suspense, comedy, pirates, a giant, a prince, death, daring escapes and true love.
For the non-romantics, there are people murdered by pirates, sword fights, torture, hand-to-hand combat, poisons, shrieking (and flesh-eating) eels, kidnapping and a battle of wits.
For those who like fantasy and suspense, there's the fireswamp (from which no one has returned from alive), lightning quicksand, ROUTS (Rodents Of Unusual Sizes) and Miracle Max, the King's former apothecary.
For comedy lovers, there are witty puns while people fight, silly tricks, funny catch-phrases ("HUMPERDINK! Humperdink, Humperdink, Humperdink, Humperdink!!!"), a minister with an awful accent ("mawwige"), weird-o names and plenty of playful banter.
And, for the romantic in all of us, there is the true love part. A love (like a storybook story) between a farm boy and farm owner's daughter. (Wesley and Buttercup... I know, cheesy name, but you get used to it.) Wesley decides to travel to make his fortune across the sea and is murdered by pirates. The rest of the movie revolves around Buttercup and what happens to her after Wesley dies.
I'll tell you a little bit: Prince Humperdink (again, the names!) decides that he wants to marry Buttercup even though she doesn't love him. She is kidnapped by 3 men, a giant, a swordsman and the "intellectual," because they (the intellectual) wants to start a war between two countries. I'll make you watch the movie from there.
But the cast is wonderful! It is the debut of Robin Wright, you know her, she was Jenny in "Forrest Gump." Wright makes a wonderful Buttercup, pulling off the role wonderfully. She took off from here.
Cary Elwes is Wesley, our hero, our saint, our babe of the movie. He is striken with love for Buttercup, even though he is only a farm boy. One of his famous quotes: "Death cannot stop true love, only delay it for a bit." (aww!)
The giant was played by Andre the Giant, the old wrestling guy. He does well as a giant who is a bit misled by our intellectual- but he has a good heart underneath.
Chris Sarandon is Prince Humperdink - and he's great as the big jerk of the movie, you really should see it.
Other guests are Fred Savage and Billy Crystal as Miracle Max.
Watch the movie, you'll be sorry if you don't!
