Movie Mondays: On Mondays, I will review a book series or novel that has been made into a movie. I will then answer the question that everyone asks: which is better, the movie or the book? Here is this week’s offering:
Book: The Princess Bride by William Goldman | Movie: The Princess Bride (1987)
Which did I read/see first? the MOVIE
Book Cover | Movie Poster
The Book:
SERIESous’ Top Book Series: #7 Favourite Book (not in a series)
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Humour
Thoughts:
I blame this book in part for my book addiction. This was the first book in a sequence of books that I took out from the library one summer 8 years ago and I haven’t stopped reading since.
Before I read this book, I saw the movie in full once when I was a kid (so I didn’t remember too much) and a few clips here and there from when it was on TV. I read on the forum for one of the magazines that I subscribed to that people LOVED the book and that it was a must-read. Needless to say, my interest was piqued and I decided to pick it up.
This book is by far one of the funniest books I have ever read. I chuckled constantly at the wit and characters and I enjoyed myself immensely. In theory, I should dislike Buttercup for reinforcing everything I hate in a heroine (because if you are at all familiar with her character from either, she isn’t the brightest) but for some reason I can appreciate her character here and not be annoyed with her. I think because I knew it was a comedy that I could separate my expectations for Buttercup from my expectations for a character in most of the novels I read. Also, I think that remembering that this book is a fantasy novel really helps because you remember that it isn’t pretending to be a realistic story and therefore the characters are larger than life.
I think overall, you get a better appreciation for the characters if you have watched the movie by reading the book as you learn more about their back stories. You also appreciate the movie more as well…but more about that below.
Conclusion:
As I said before, one of the funniest, most charming books I have ever read. I highly recommend it for those looking for a cute comedic read or for those who loved the movie.
Rating: 5/5
Similar Reads: Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Movie:
I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t enjoy this movie. Sure, people start off like the young Fred Savage–aka the grandson who the story is told to–and pretend that they could care less about a “romance” story but by the end they realize there is more to this story. It is funny, adventurous, memorable and of course, has that dash of romance.
The cast is FANTASTIC! That is all I can say. After reading the book, I think they picked the best cast ever (though it is hard to think of Mandy Patinkin as Inigo after watching him in Criminal Minds for so long :P) as everyone fulfills their role and met my expectations. Cary Elwes as Wesley is absolutely perfect.
Myself (and the rest of my family) still say “Inconceivable” and “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” to this very day. That should say something about how this movie has influenced my life when you consider the fact that this movie was released before I was even born 😉
As for its interpretation of the book, it is nearly spot on and captures the spirit of the book extremely well so book fans shouldn’t be disappointed.
FUN FACT: I have a copy of the original movie poster in my apartment because I love this movie so much 😉
So, which is better: the book or the movie?
In this case, the winner is BOTH . You can’t go wrong with either–they are both awesome and are nearly parallel in their delivery 😀
Do you agree? Leave a comment below!
Synopsis for The Princess Bride (from Goodreads):
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad’s recitation, and only the “good parts” reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He’s reconstructed the “Good Parts Version” to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it’s about everything
Trailer: