The Color of Magic
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Movie Reviews of The Color of Magic
Movie Review: A worthy rendering
Summary: 4 Stars
Anyone who undertakes a movie of a wildly popular book faces at least one major challenge: the complete certainty of getting it wrong. Fans everywhere have their own mental images of all the major characters and scenes, and at least some of those images are sure to differ from the movie's. So, I was not surprised to see that this Rincewind wasn't my Rincewind. Tim Curry (was he really Frank-N-Furter all those years ago?) made a decent sneering badguy, but only so-so senior wizard.
I was happily suprised, however, by the way they handled my all-time favorite Discworld character: the Luggage. Twoflower was dead on, and Cohen and Bethan were pretty close (I mean, not just close to each other), and Jeremy Irons did for Vetinari what Alan Rickman did for Snape. And ... well, lots of things came out well enough for a rousing good time.
Perhaps some of Pratchett's conversational sparkle dimmed just a bit on the way to the small screen. It happens, I guess, and the nigglers are going to niggle no matter how good it is. On the whole, the BBC did a very nice job with the relatively large budget applied to this made-for-TV production.
-- wiredweird
Movie Review: Enjoyable especially for fans
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always been a fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books. I stumbled across this movie and purchased it. The movie actually encompasses two of the books (which themselves could have been released together as one long piece). The performances are good and I can never pass up anything Tim Curry does.
The Discworld is a strange place filled with magic instead of science (they have cameras but they work differently: a tiny imp inside the camera paints the picture). We meet Rincewind, the inept wizard who is kicked out of the university for wizards and is tasked by the Patrician to accompany the Disc's first tourist, Twoflower. It's unfortunate that Rincewind can't do magic ever since he looked at an ancient tome of spells on a dare and one of the 8 Great Spells lodged itself inside his head.
It's a bit campy at times and it's done on a budget so many FX are not top notch but it's a fun way to spend an evening. And after watching it do yourself a favor and pick up the novels and learn more, as this movie only scratches the surface of this world.
Movie Review: Wonderful fun family adventure
Summary: 4 Stars
Simply put, this is a great way for a family to share some time together... or (like me) to indulge your inner child.
Chock full of great characters, solid acting, surprisingly abundant and well executed special effects. If you are a fan of tongue-in-cheek fantasy you will certainly enjoy "The Color of Magic". Personally, I love British shows of this type and would place this one in my top twenty. While I HIGHLY recommend "Hogfather" (the first Terry Pratchet adaptation), not every effort can be a home run. The "Color of Magic" earns a simple 'recommended' from me only because the story doesn't pull me in quite as effectively on screen as it does in print.
The product itself is well made, though devoid of options or extras. Played through my PS3, both sound and video come through beautifully. I suppose that the simplest way to sum it up is to say... I can't wait for another one!
Movie Review: The wit of Terry Pratchett
Summary: 4 Stars
The engaging wit of Terry Pratchett is not strongly evident in the movie The Color of Magic. The acting is excellent, the photography well balanced, the staging convincing. The wit is there but does not come through as brilliantly as in the written works of the author. The action moves a little on the slow side. As an avid fan of Mr. Pratchett's work the movie is worth having.
Tim Curry has had a productive, brilliant career. He no doubt is one of todays superior character actors. His portral of the villian wizard Trymon is both synister and humorous.
Death is a delightful droll entity in both this movie and in Hogsfather.
David Jason (Rincewind) and Sean Astin (Twoflower) deliver capturing performances.
Movie Review: Terry Pratchett Rocks!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've long been a fan of Terry Pratchett novels, particularly the Disc World series. The man has such a remarkable facility with the English language that reading the books is actually a soothing experience. I was very pleased to find that the movie version of the Color of Magic was very faithful to the dialogue and pacing of the book. The only quibble I have is that I'm not sure that I would have cast Sean Astin as Twoflower. I love Sean as an actor, but he didn't quite convey the hopelessly naive and myopic character from the book. In short, I enjoyed the movie very much and would have no trouble recommending it to those who also enjoy whimsy.