The Princess Bride, a family comedy movie, was released on October 9, 1987. This fairytale movie is a favorite in my household, so growing up, I re-watched it over and over. The jokes are timeless and continue to make me smile and laugh to this day.
The visuals set throughout the movie are gorgeous, featuring medieval-style castles, oceans, hills, and other beautiful scenes captured with sunsets. The use of cooler colors gives a vibe similar to fall. Because this movie was produced in 1987, it has that older feel, which I love, adding to the nostalgic feeling I get while watching.
The story begins with a grandfather visiting his ill grandson. The kid’s grandfather insists on reading home a story: The Princess Bride. At different points, narrations and interpretations from these two discuss the events happening in the story as they read.
In the story, there is a character named Buttercup who is in an arranged marriage to Prince Humperdinck, against her wishes. Buttercup’s true desire is to be with Westley, who she reconnects with during the movie.
Westley, Buttercup’s true love, is said to be dead at the beginning of the story, but later it is revealed he is alive. Their relationship is shown right off the bat as they meet on a farm, though Westley has to leave, and Buttercup never heard back from him until later.
Fast forward, soon-to-be Princess Buttercup is kidnapped by three men and taken on a boat. The kidnappers are followed by a man nicknamed “the man in black,” Then through a series of events, the man in black fights each of the kidnappers, outsmarts them, and reaches Buttercup. This is when the audience and Buttercup discover he was Westley all along.
Prince Humperdinck finds the two and takes Buttercup back for marriage. Which was the part where I was on the edge of my seat the first time watching—I was intrigued and wanted to know what would happen next.
Throughout the rest of the movie, Westley fights to keep Buttercup, and Prince Humperdinck tries to do the same. However, their intentions are found to be drastically different. Westley is moved by true love, while Humperdinck’s end goal is power.
My favorite part of the movie is when Inigo Montoya has his intense fight scene with the six-fingered man, Count Rugen, to avenge his father. During this scene, Inigo repeats the line, “Hello. My name is Inigo Monatoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” slowly increasing in volume until he ends up victorious. This is one of the many notable quotes that come from this movie.
At the end, we see the kid and grandfather again, and the grandfather suggests they repeat the read-through tomorrow.
Some of my favorite characters would include Fezzik, who is the comedic relief throughout the show, making lighthearted and perfectly timed witty comments. His unintelligence adds to his humor. Inigo Montoya, Fezzik’s ‘partner in crime’ is another favorite character of mine. He helps balance out Fezzik’s lightheartedness with a more serious tone while also adding to the humor.
Overall, I would rate this movie a 9.5/10 due to the blend of comedy and action. Along with the themes of true loving and fighting for your goals and what you believe in.
