Welcome back. Hope everyone had a chance to watch The Princess Bride, and to those who watched it along with me over on Facebook or Twitter, thanks! That was fun. How about those Mighty Ducks? (giggle) Sorry. That was an inside joke for the Facebook watchers.
If you haven’t seen The Princess Bride, stop reading this. We’re going to talk openly about spoilers, and you don’t want this movie ruined.
As stated before, the Movie Club is brand new, and we’ll be tweaking the format along the way to make sure it’s the absolute best movie club on the planet. For the first meeting, we’re keeping things pretty simple. I’ll offer some overall thoughts on the flick, and then ask some questions to get everyone talking in the comments section. Got it?
So what did I think of The Princess Bride? Loved it. (Duh.)
The first half-hour is my favorite. Anyone interested in writing an adventure novel or movie could learn a lot by watching and studying these precious 30 minutes. So much happens, and yet it never feels rushed. We are introduced to the story by the grandpa and his grandson. We meet Wesley and Buttercup and watch their fairytale romance blossom. We meet Inigo Montoya, Vizzini, and Fezzik and watch them scale the Cliffs of Insanity. We witness some hilarious back-and-forth dialogue between Wesley and Inigo at the top of the cliffs and learn about Inigo’s quest for revenge, followed by one hell of a great sword fight between the two. And finally we get the wonderful, “inconceivable” battle of wits between Wesley and Vizzini.
All of this happens in the time it takes to really burn an egg. Had Stephenie Meyer been given the task of writing this story, the first 30 minutes would be spread out across nine books, three novellas, and 15 Muse songs.
Unfortunately, because the first third of this movie is so amazing, after the battle of wits, the story slows down. Don’t get me wrong. I still love the movie, but when Wesley reveals himself to Buttercup and we learn about the evil Prince’s plan, you may catch me yawning ever so slightly. Hmm. I shouldn’t have revealed that, for now you’ll know when to flick a poison pill into my mouth. Please don’t poison me?
Things pick up again, with giant rodents, fire swamps, the return of Inigo and Fezzik, and whole lot of fantastic dialogue. Everything sets up nicely for the big finale, with Wesley, Inigo, and Fezzik teaming up to save Buttercup. And the story ends with the good guys riding away on white stallions. Oh, and Billy Crystal says things.
But enough about me. What did you think?
1. If this was your first time watching it, what were your overall thoughts? If you’ve seen this movie before, what did you think about watching it again? Did you notice anything new this time?
2. The events wrap up quite nicely, but would you be interested in a sequel? There has long been talk of a second novel, Buttercup’s Baby, being published. Would learning more about these characters take away some of the story’s magic and charm? What if they made a big-budget 3-D feature film sequel? Who would play the roles of Wesley, Inigo, and Buttercup? (Assuming Fezzik would be a cruddy-looking computer generated giant.)
3. What are your thoughts about the framework story? Was it necessary to have the grandfather read the story to his grandson? Was the grandson really sick? Because he didn’t look sick to me. I still think he’s faking it because he had to run the mile in gym class. Can’t really blame him.
4. Who’s better: Inigo or Wesley? Why?
5. What is your favorite scene, and why?
6. Explain nuclear fission.
7. How would showing Wesley’s adventures with the Dread Pirate Roberts change the movie? Would it make the film better? Slow it down? Do you prefer the way Wesley simply tells us what happened without a fancy flashback?
8. If you had six fingers on one hand, like Count Tyrone Rugen, would you be a faster typist, or would it make typing more difficult and clumsy? What would you call the extra finger? Pinky 2?
9. Name three heroes, besides those in this movie, who have great facial hair. Hint: Tony Stark counts.
10. If you could change one thing about the movie, what would it be?
11. What are your thoughts on the ending? Did it seem abrupt? Too happy? And what about that wonderful, cheesy song at the end, “Story Book Love”? Was that song too beautiful? Are the lyrics, “My love is like a storybook story, but it’s as real as the feelings I feel,” the most amazing lyrics of all time?
12. The film pokes fun at fairy tales, like the Shrek movies do. But 20 years from now, I think more people will be watching The Princess Bride than Shrek. Which film do you prefer and which do you think will stand the test of time?
13. How does the movie compare to Monty Python and the Holy Grail?
14. Don’t you hate it when people misquote the movie? How do you feel when someone quotes the film too often?
15. Captain Jack Sparrow vs. The Dread Pirate Roberts. Who wins?
16. What should I have for dinner? Keep in mind, I had spaghetti last night, and I’m all out of bagels.
You don’t need to answer all the questions, or any of them. But we’re anxious to hear your thoughts on the movie, and the movie club in general. Sooooo....[Stares at comments section eagerly]
Related post: Introducing the SparkNotes Movie Club
Topics: Entertainment, Celebs & Stuff
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