Ravings of a Textual Deviant

Neil Gaiman co-directed this film, which is based on his novel of the same name. I’ve read the book, but it was so long ago that only only remembered the bare bones of the plot. If memory serves–and I’m not claiming it does—the film improves upon the book by allowing Gaiman to flesh out supporting characters and add tons of lush detail to the settings. Visually, the film is absolutely stunning, much in the way that the recent Narnia film was. The music is also fantastic, and does what a soundtrack ought to—enhance the story without being obtrusive.

The acting is also delightful; it’s a fairy tale (albeit very much not a Disney version) and we expect archetypes. Like so much of Gaiman’s work, we get them, but with a twist. The entire cast seemed to really enjoy their work, and Michelle Pfeiffer is outstanding as the wickedest witch you’d never want to meet. Claire Danes, as Yvaine, delivers snarky lines with all the sarcasm and derision one would expect from an alumna of My So-Called Life. (”I was perfectly fine here until I was hit by a magical flying MORON!”)

I could rave for hours about the script, the cinematography, set design, the costumes, the props, the effects, and so on, but I can’t do justice to it, and frankly, seeing the movie is a better use of your time anyway.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 8:20 am and is filed under Off the Shelf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.