The Colour Of Magic on DVD (2008)

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 26/03/2008

The Colour of Magic is superb. It stars David Jason, Tim Curry, Nigel Planer and Sean Astin, and is based on the first and second books by Terry Pratchett about Discworld. The books are The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

David Jason's character is the incompetent and cynical wizard Rincewind, who involuntarily finds himself as a guide to the naive tourist, Twoflower, played by Sean Astin from such films as Lord Of The Rings and Click.

After they are forced to flee from the city of Ankh-Morpork, after a terrible fire they are sent on a journey across the disc, which is unknowingly being controlled by a board game being played by the Gods.

They meet two barbarians on their way out of Morpork, called Bravd and Weasel.

After their visit to Wyrmberg, the upside-down mountain which is home to dragons that only exist in the imagination, their journey leads them to the country of Krull, perched on the very edge of the Discworld, where they are thrown off the edge of the Disc, due to the Krullian's urge to find out the gender of Great A'Tuin (the turtle which is swimming through space with four elephants resting the Disc on top).

Do Rincewind and Twoflower survive, being thrown off the disc, will they survive the wizards when they discover that the Discworld will soon be destroyed, unless the eight spells of the Octavo are read: the most powerful spells in existence, one of which hides in Rincewind's head. Will RIncewind survive Trymon, a former classmate of Rincewind's, who wishes to obtain the power of the spells for himself.

Watch it to find out. It is well worth watching.

  37 out of 38 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Hebden Bridge , 24/10/2008

I was determined not to like this film. Before it was even made I was furious at the cast list. How could they turn Twoflower, an Asiatic character according to the books, into an American tourist? I had online arguments with other dedicated fans about the cast list and in the end those for and those against agreed to differ.

The Colour of Magic is an abridged adaptation of the first two Discworld books, The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. Add the unabridged audio versions of the two books together and you have to listen for 13 hours and 45 minutes. To make a three hour film from the two books meant that a hell of a lot had to be cut out.

Twoflower is the Discworld's first ever tourist. He comes from the Agatean Empire on the Counterweight Continent and is an ins-sewer-ant (insurance) agent in the town of Bes Pelargic. The Counterweight Continent is extremely wealthy and gold is of very little value. After he first pays people with the gold in his Luggage he becomes the target of thieves especially those who would murder him to get the almost overflowing gold in the chest. Twoflower wears glasses and owns The Luggage.

The Luggage is a largish metal bound chest with numerous little legs underneath enabling it to move and run if necessary. It is made of Sapient Pearwood, a magical timber which can make the items it is made of have a life of their own. Wizards staffs are made of Sapient Pearwood. It is also immune to magic and can store it for future use. The Luggage is really faithful to it's owner and will protect him often with murderous intent.When it opens to deal with anybody who threatens it's owner it's lid reveals a full set of teeth appear along with a large red tongue . It appears to be bottomless and where the people it swallows go to nobody knows. It is also full of gold, stores it's owner's clothes and even washes, dries and irons them if they are dirty. Despite the mayhem it leaves behind it and the terrified people who shiver at the sound of it's little feet, The Luggage is a lovable item.

The Patrician, Vetinari, blackmails Rincewind, a wizard recently expelled from the Unseen University, to looks after Twoflower. As Twoflower is a rather naive character the two of them, along with the Luggage have numerous adventures until Twoflower sails home. Rincewind has a spell in his head which threatens to emerge at different times and this also prevents Rincewind from learning any other spells which is a problem when he can't use magic to get out of some of the situation caused by Twoflower.

The characterisation of the wizards of the Unseen University are good. Their way of promotion is by killing off the opposition and this includes the Chancellor. It is rare for a Chancellor to die a natural death. I thought that the Librarian, a large Orangutan, was terrific. I wondered how he was going to be portrayed and it was far better than I hoped.

Unfortunately some of the gems in the book are not in the film. I had to force my self to see the film as a different story. and then enjoyed it. I understand that the directors of the film had to decide which adventures they could afford to cut out and that they had to make really hard decisions.

I just wish that they did not make the films so dark but Terry approved this and The Discworld exists in his mind so he knows how it should look.

I really enjoyed the film and am also the proud owner of one of the actual Rhinu (gold coins) that Twoflower counted out to the owner of the then Broken Drum. Of course the Broken Drum had an unfortunate fire after taking out ins-sewer-ant from Twoflower, a fire that did serious damage to the city of Ankh-Morpork. The Broken Drum, after rebuilding became The Mended Drum.

The release of the DVD has been delayed probably because Terry is doing his fund raising and awareness of Alzheimer's Disease tours. Hopefully it will be in November after the official launch.

A DVD worth buying for the family to enjoy.

  11 out of 11 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Edinburgh, Scotland , 14/11/2008

First up, this is nowhere near as impressive as Hogfather, in just about every regard; from the script to the acting to the drection to the effects to the casting... the whole lot. It's a mangled mess of the two first books in the discworld series. Arguably - as many fans will echo, I'm sure - the series gets better, generally, as it goes on, so it's curious they chose the first two, where Pratchett is really just gelling his style to his ideas - and that in some ways is reflected by this adaptation. It's a busy production but in parts in feels downright amateurish - lines spoken poorly, drab visuals, the stop-start pacing, etc. The cast have a good go, but a limp script hamstrings the proceedings. It lacks polish and pace.

Having said that, what's there is ok, the story carries through the rough edges and it all comes together nicely at the end.

However, when you look at the professional jobs done with Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, discworld is there for the takng - in this case, it's almost like the production is too respectful to the source material, to the detriment of the overall piece.

Worth checking out for cosy entertainment but frustrating in its lack of ambition.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Caldicot , 14/11/2008

I must say I was pleasently suprised with this one

Good to see David Jason in a major lead in a film and playing a good part

as a bumbling wizard.

Very good special effects in line with the Terry Pratchet books

Looking Forward to the next

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

Read all reviews

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 26/03/2008

The Colour of Magic is superb. It stars David Jason, Tim Curry, Nigel Planer and Sean Astin, and is based on the first and second books by Terry Pratchett about Discworld. The books are The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic.

David Jason's character is the incompetent and cynical wizard Rincewind, who involuntarily finds himself as a guide to the naive tourist, Twoflower, played by Sean Astin from such films as Lord Of The Rings and Click.

After they are forced to flee from the city of Ankh-Morpork, after a terrible fire they are sent on a journey across the disc, which is unknowingly being controlled by a board game being played by the Gods.

They meet two barbarians on their way out of Morpork, called Bravd and Weasel.

After their visit to Wyrmberg, the upside-down mountain which is home to dragons that only exist in the imagination, their journey leads them to the country of Krull, perched on the very edge of the Discworld, where they are thrown off the edge of the Disc, due to the Krullian's urge to find out the gender of Great A'Tuin (the turtle which is swimming through space with four elephants resting the Disc on top).

Do Rincewind and Twoflower survive, being thrown off the disc, will they survive the wizards when they discover that the Discworld will soon be destroyed, unless the eight spells of the Octavo are read: the most powerful spells in existence, one of which hides in Rincewind's head. Will RIncewind survive Trymon, a former classmate of Rincewind's, who wishes to obtain the power of the spells for himself.

Watch it to find out. It is well worth watching.

  37 out of 38 people found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews

A customer from Edinburgh, Scotland , 14/11/2008

First up, this is nowhere near as impressive as Hogfather, in just about every regard; from the script to the acting to the drection to the effects to the casting... the whole lot. It's a mangled mess of the two first books in the discworld series. Arguably - as many fans will echo, I'm sure - the series gets better, generally, as it goes on, so it's curious they chose the first two, where Pratchett is really just gelling his style to his ideas - and that in some ways is reflected by this adaptation. It's a busy production but in parts in feels downright amateurish - lines spoken poorly, drab visuals, the stop-start pacing, etc. The cast have a good go, but a limp script hamstrings the proceedings. It lacks polish and pace.

Having said that, what's there is ok, the story carries through the rough edges and it all comes together nicely at the end.

However, when you look at the professional jobs done with Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, discworld is there for the takng - in this case, it's almost like the production is too respectful to the source material, to the detriment of the overall piece.

Worth checking out for cosy entertainment but frustrating in its lack of ambition.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews