Hogfather
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Movie Reviews of Hogfather
Movie Review: Hurrah! Brilliant!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're not a Terry Pratchett fan, all I can say is, you'll enjoy this film, though some of the references will seem ... peculiar. You'll have to take a bit of a plunge, into a world that is seething with magic, and with satire of English stereotypes. But it's worth it, and you'll be seeing something that Hollywood could never pull off.
If you're a Terry Pratchett fan, do not fear: this is NOT (yet another) insipid rendition of a really funny novel. It's so brilliantly true to the book, you'll be amazed. By instant agreement, the family voted this one to be one of the "must-watch" list for the Christmas holidays, along with Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, and Love Actually.
Turning a novel into a film is hard: any decent novel has just too much material in it for 110 mins. But in this case, the screen writers and director did a damn good job; sometimes pages worth of written dialogue are captured in a fast two-second exchange of looks. The actors and effects rise to all the roles. Ridcully IS Ridcully; Susan IS Susan; you'll have trouble seeing them any other way from now on. And Death is not some cheezy Halloween skeleton costume. If you think Hugo Weaving managed to express himself from behind a mask in V for Vendetta , then you're in for a treat. And if anything, the origin and significance of the Hogfather takes on more colour and life than I originally took away from the book.
I checked Terry Pratchett's comments on the web; this film lived up to HIS expectations; and he's had the chance (and sense) to turn down a lot of film offers on his books.
Movie Review: An excellent tribute to the original
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a huge Pratchett fan. I heard that some of his novels have been made into movies, I orginally reacted with dread. Most often so much is edited or poorly acted it is not even a shadow of the original, and then a great book becomes something abhorent.
But this movie looses nothing. They take the rich literary world of the DiscWorld and make it come to life. It brings the book to life in a wonderful way without loosing any of the flavor and charm of the original.
Pro's.
It is not only well acted, but parts of the book that are purely literary (internal monologues, emotional overplay) are well translated without words.
Death is in it.
Budget is not spared on props and effects, it is easy to believe this is a whole world.
It provides new insight into the book, IE, you see it through another persons interpretation.
It is my new holiday classic.
Oh yeah, it has Death in it...
Con's.
Only two, and I dont even see them that big a deal. First it is long, over 3 hours. This is not surprising, because why should a book that takes days to ready only take an hour to act out?
And the other con is that it will be hard not to have your own internal visualizations of each character changed. It is hard not to see their Nobby Nobbs and not have that actor pop into your head every time you read about him from now on. But this is part of the "Seeing another persons interpretation.
If you love Pratchett books, this is a clasic to own and enjoy. For those who are not fans, it might be a little confusing because they do not really allow for the uninitiated, but it is still a enjoyable movie even for the new.
Movie Review: More Pratchett, Please. . . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been dying to see a film adapted from a Pratchett Discworld novel. As I don't live in England and I don't have any means of viewing anything from England, I was incredibly delighted to see this dvd on the shelf of a local bookstore. I bought Hogfather, even though I have never even read the book (shame on me--I have read other Discworld books, but have not come to this one yet). Two words--LOVE IT! It's over 180 minutes of viewing-time, so there is plenty of time to unfold Terry Pratchett's weird and wonderful storyline--I only wish it were a little longer. I hated coming to the end of it. Loved the music, too. Too bad it's not on cd (as I can see--drat and tarnation!).
The performances were all very good. Susan was pretty much how I envisioned she would be. Mr. Teatime (pronounced TEE-a-time-AY)was on the creepier side of Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka (I don't know how the character was in the book, but the portrayal in the movie was such a sickly creepy one that it sent shivers down my spine--truly a much scarier approach than if he were a hissing sort of assasin with a gravely voice and a five-o'clock shadow). Death's stint as the Hogfather was absolutely hilarious and tinged with moments of levity that make you nearly want to cry.
Terry Pratchett is a master of both praising and mocking the human condition. This adaptation of Hogfather will not disappoint. My only wish is for more film adaptations like this one to be made of his wonderful Discworld books.
Movie Review: An AWESOME Discworld Movie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Welcome to Discworld, the fantastic fantasy series by Terry Pratchett. This world is flat. Oh, and it is held up by four elephants that ride on the back of a turtle. Discworld is full of rich and colorful characters. There are the Wizards, the Watch, the Witches, DEATH (DEATH speaks in all capital letters.)and many more.
This story has it's basis in Christmas except that the Hogfather is a wild boar with tusks. He delivers toys and gifts to children in Discworld on a night called Hogswatch. When an assassin, by way of the Tooth Fairy, makes the Hogfather mysteriously disappear, DEATH has to take over the job. Imagine a skeleton dressed up in a Santa suit! And the hilarity ensues. DEATH's granddaughter, Susan, takes over his duties and has to track down the Hogfather. If she doesn't, the entire belief system will be thrown into chaos.
The Hogfather brings to life the Discworld and it's characters. It is true to the book and how you would imagine the characters. If you haven't read the series then please do. You might have a little trouble understanding some of the origins of the story if not. This movie will get you hooked on the series. I would highly recommend this movie and series to all readers. Young children might not understand all the humor, but will still enjoy.
I am so happy that this series has come to the movies. I hope that there will be more in the near future.
Movie Review: Hogfather - The Movie, at Last!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hogfather, on the Discworld, is what Santa Claus is in the United States. Except it's called "Hogwatch" rather than Christmas. All the way back to that red and white, the colors of blood on snow.
The Discworld has Auditors, creatures who loath humanity and all the things that make us human. The Auditors engage the Guild of Assassins to whack the Hogfather, and the Guild designates the very spooky Jonathan Teatime (it's pronounced "tee-ah-tim-eh"), who hires a gang and methodically sets about this task. It takes Death; Death's granddaughter, Susan; Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers; most of the wizardly faculty of Unseen University; and the Tooth Fairy to defeat Teatime, his gang and the Auditors.
Because more is at stake than Father Christmas. Belief is what makes us human, where the rising angel meets the falling ape. And if we can't practice on little lies - the Hogfather, the Tooth Fairy and the like - we won't be ready for the big lies - that there are such things as truth and justice, and that the sun will rise tomorrow.
The movie is brilliantly cast and acted. The difficult task of turning a Pratchett novel into a screenplay is generally successful, and the sets are simply terrific. Watch for Pratchett himself in a cameo. To paraphrase Pratchett, "They actually got it right."
Very highly recommended, and not just for hard core fans of Terry Pratchett.