 Two Movies for the price of one |
| Review Date: July 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lloyd S. Cheairs, Los Alamos, NM USA |
| I was very pleased with this movie, actually the disk has a part 1 and part 2, so there are two movies. The acting is very good, the story is great, and the photo work is first rate. Part one is The Color of Magic (The Colour of Magic) by Terry Pratchett, a fantasy satire. This is the first book in the discworld series. Part 2 is The Light Fantastic the second book in the diskworld series. Together they make the full story. A great way to release a part one and part two of a story, together on the same disk, released at the same time. |
An easy film to like for Pratchett fans...
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| Review Date: July 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ChibiNeko, Whereever I go, here I am. |
I know, I know... I shouldn't be such a fangirl when it comes to Pratchett, but I just can't help it! But then it's easy to gush when just about everything that's Discworld related has been either top notch or very, very close to it!
The movie spans the first two books of the Discworld series, Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic. I'll admit that even though I did like the first two books, they did take a bit of getting used to the different writing style. They did change a few minor details as well as leave out one or two bits, but it doesn't diminish or take away from the overall storyline. I won't go into detail about the books due to the sheer detail and the fact that so many others have posted information about the books over the internet.
The movie brings back David Jason who had previously been seen as Death's assistant Alfred in Sky 1's previous adaptation of Hogfather. We also get such wonderful actors as Tim Curry & Sean Astin added into the mix. The quality honestly shows in the series & you can tell that the BBC tried their darndest to ensure that we got the best adaptation we can possibly get. That's not to say that this movie will appeal to everyone, though. If you didn't like Discworld to begin with, the odds are that many won't have their opinions changed... although I do predict that more than a few will become new fans. |
OMG! Move over Harry Potter!!
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| Review Date: October 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tracy J. Jacobsen, Opelika, Alabama USA |
| As an avid Terry Pratchett fan I was afraid this would be disappointing. Instead, I was riveted to the screen from the start. The books are complex, witty, clever and satirical, which is a huge challenge for cinema. The omissions in this movie version are minimal with regard to the plot. The casting, special effects, scene construction as well as musical scoring more than make up for some simplification. Surely there will be more Pratchett movies done in similar fashion. The large number of Discworld books would make this venue a goldmine. I am ready to preorder asap. Bring 'em on!!! |
A very funny and satirical sendup of magic, wizardry and the fantasy genre
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| Review Date: November 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: buru buru piggu, New York, NY USA |
It's always difficult to translate a book to screen because of time constraints, budgets, and inevitably, there are many things that are hard to visualize or generally considered just "unfilmable". And of course, every fan has an image in his/her head of what a character should look and sound like. Fortunately for me, I was new to the Terry Pratchett universe and didn't have any expectations for this made-for-TV film. I was aware of some of the radical changes the producers made, but overall, I had a great time watching the Color of Magic and laughed out loud quite frequently. It is a hilarious sendup of everything we think of when we think about the fantasy genre, wizardry, and magic. After watching this, I became very interested in Pratchett's work and read up on Discworld mythology, so I disagree with the reviewers that this film is only interesting to existing Pratchett fans.
For the uninitiated, Discworld is a flat disc-shaped world held up on the backs of four elephants, who in turn are standing on a giant turtle traveling through space, a parody of ancient world creation myths, medieval astronomy, and cosmology. The story starts in Ankh-Morpork, a fictional city that looks like a dirty, crowded, industrial-age/Victorian English port, with a bungling and overly "mature" wizard named Rincewind (David Jason) being kicked out of the Unseen University after 40 years of ineptitude at learning even the most basic of spells. Soon Discworld's first ever tourist, Twoflower, arrives in town and after a series of comical mishaps, Rincewind is tasked, on pains of death, with keeping the naive (and wealthy) traveler safe. For die-hard Pratchett fans, they'll hate Sean Astin (of Sam Gamgee fame from The Lord of the Rings) who is a white American being cast in the role of Twoflower, who is supposed to be Chinese and from the exotic "Counterweight Continent", home of a powerful and rich empire where the land is made of gold. His casting choice was supposedly due to a decision to bolster the film's international appeal, and I found him to be terribly miscast, never being able to shake from my mind his doofy look, naive simplicity, and demeanor from his LOTR character.
For a made-for-TV movie, this film certainly feels like a much bigger budget film. The cast is filled with stars, though some only make minor appearances (like Jeremy Irons, who plays a lisp-afflicted Patrician). Tim Curry is particularly fun to watch as the hilariously evil and devious Trymon. Brian Cox is equally outstanding as the narrator, and Christopher Lee as the voice of Death. The CG is fantastic and rivals any Hollywood production, with some very lavishly detailed. The costumes and set designs are also very well done and believable.
A highly entertaining and imaginative parody of the world and storytelling, I cannot recommend The Color of Magic strongly enough. For fans, it may be different from the book, but certain changes are required when translating to live action. Pratchett has found a new fan in me. |
Well worth the money.
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| Review Date: December 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Gibson, Leipsic, DE, USA |
| I have watched this movie several times and it is still hysterical. Of course, it does help if you have read Pratchett's books. In addition, I would feel comfortable watching it with a pre-teen child. |
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