Sharpe's Challenge
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Movie Reviews of Sharpe's Challenge
Movie Review: A Glorious and successful return
Summary: 5 Stars
Sharpes Challenge sees the return of swashbuckling Sharpe, reluctantly pulled out of retirement as a farmer, to go back to India, and rescue his old friend Harper, and save the British Army from a warmongering Rajah while he is at it.
It's great to see that the story, the production values and the acting are all up at the same levels we became accustomed to. Yes, the story significantly bends the timeline set up by author Bernard Cromwell, and bends history in general, but why quibble about this when the story is so well written and acted? This is boys own stuff, with damsels in distress, camaraderie, and beautiful exotic women trying to seduce our hero, with a few big battle scenes overflowing with extras thrown in for good measure. The characters have aged in the story as well as the actors in real life, such that the gap between this and the last episode makes sense, and the actors being a bit older does not detract from the enjoyment of the movie.
It's every bit as good as we have any right to expect!
The movie is presented in 'as seen' format - so we have it in two episodes, which distractingly means that in the middle of the story you get a 'Next time on Sharpe..' and then a 'Previously on Sharpe', which is annoying, but the disc is still indispensable for any Sharpe fan, or fan of quality TV in general. In fact, the story stands by itself, so that even if you have not seen Sharpe before you could enjoy this.
Movie Review: fun adventure story
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe novels. Its a very loose interpretation of parts of three novels turned into a 180 minute film. While the original novels had a very young Sharpe fighting in India, Sean Bean's age required that the setting be changed to post-waterloo. But they managed to preserve much of the original story. Its not going to please on historical detail, but there is no way that it could. Its an understandable compromise.
The production values are very good. They seem higher than previous films in the series. A number of old familiar characters reappear and its a very good adventure story. Its not high drama, but its solid entertainment of a sort that isn't so common anymore. Sean Bean's acting and intensity, as usual, holds the film together.
The film keeps explainations to a minimum. While it can be enjoyed as a pure adventure story, understanding the historical setting requires either a reasonable knowledge of British India of the period or having read the India trilogy of sharpe novels. They don't, for example, explain the differences between the British Army, the East India Company's Army, the Indian States (and their armies) allied with the British and the Indian States fighting against the British properly. But again, its understandable because it would have been difficult to pass on all that complexity to the viewer.
Movie Review: Worth Owning
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, the timeline is all wrong. Yes, Sharpe's age had to be tweaked. However given that we're sitting on the 'right' side of a new Sharpe episode, given that no one was foolish enough to replace Sean Bean with a younger model, as far as I'm concerned all is right with the world.
A grouping of Cornwall's books (Sharpe's Tiger, Triumph and Fortress, all great reads too!)all set in India encompass 'Challenge'; they certainly do embrace all the elements essential to quintessential, classic Sharpe. 'Challenge' has, death, duplicity, resourcefulness, pluck, love, blood and battle.
Cornwall's Sharpe is inspired and Bean's interpretation of him is well...spot on. He owns it. Beyond how much respect I have for Bean as an actor (Extremely Dangerous, Essex Boys, The Dark) the man is exceedingly easy on the eyes!
Add to that the pleasure of the effortless collaboration between Darragh O'Malley (Harper) and Bean and their relaxed bickering and you've an amazing DVD. The bonus features are terrific and packed.
This is a favorite. This is fun. This is so worth owning!
Movie Review: Return to the adventures of Richard Sharpe
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly reccommend this for any fan of the original 14 episode series, this was an eagerly awaited and long overdue return of Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean). While this movie is taken out of timeline context with the original series of books by Bernard Cornwell, it is a worthy addition to the original BBC series. Sean Bean reprises his role as Richard Sharpe, ten years later, and is as wonderful as ever. Because lets face it, no one could do it better. If you are a fan, you'll be left wanting more and more. But I fear this is the final chapter in the episodic enterprise for the BBC. But take heart, Bernard Cornwell continues to churn out ever more adventures of our beloved Richard Sharpe, and I for one will continue to enjoy Sharpe for as long as he cares to write about him.Movie Review: Sharpe's Challenge--Add it to your collection!
Summary: 5 Stars
You bought the special edition boxed set of 14 DVDs, with map. You watched them all in one sitting. (WOW!) You went on-line and got all the lyrics to "Over the Hills," and sing it all over the house.
Now get the next adventure that Richard Sharpe faces. As usual, Sharpe and his blood brothers manage to overcome impossible odds, represented this time by a rogue British officer, who is advising a princeling who wants to rule the area. Sharpe had met this man years before, when he slaughtered an entire outlying fort. Now he faces him again, infiltrating his army, getting close to him to...
But that might give it away, wouldn't it?
"Challenge" is another good story in the Sharpe's series, one I very much recommend to all you fans.