Too much of everything

So much average

I'll tell you why so serious

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

I have been enthralled by Peake and the Groan trilogy since the 1960s. When Gormenghast came up in conversation recently I decided to watch this BBC series again after twelve years, to refresh my memory of it and see how it held up.I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, it's flawed, and anyone hoping for a 'faithful' adaptation (is such a thing possible?) will be disappointed. But the stellar cast, superb performances (by most), exhilarating costumes and imaginative hand-made sets (would so hate to see this rendered by state-of-art CGI) make it a very watchable four hours. It's also worth viewing the 'Making of' short if you can.Not having read the books for a while, I found most of the characters lived up to my memory and mental image. Some didn't quite ring true, but on the whole I think was a valiant effort at condensing a three-volume epic into a short TV series.Special praise for Celia Imrie as Gertrude and John Sessions as Prunesquallor - both excellent...but then so was Christopher Lee, Warren Mitchell, June Brown, Stephen Fry, Richard Griffiths, Lynsey Baxter, Zoe Wanamaker...

OK, OK, I admit I enjoyed it! Now, that's out of the way. Yet somehow I feel manipulated by someone who put several plot outlines into a computer and came up with this combination of 'Hamlet' meets 'Phantom of the Opera' meets Grimm's Fairy Tales. The actors (being English) are terrific to watch go through the paces. My, we Americans can learn a lot from them. For me, Celia Imrie steals the show with her stone-faced portrayal of Mommie Queen Dearest. Second, are Zoe and Lynsey as the Siamese twins, Clarice and Cora, who are just mesmerizing to watch and fun on top. One has to root for them to the end. Mr. Meyers enjoys his evil a bit too much for me--although, I think such a part would be difficult to not become too hammy with. However, at times, I wanted nothing more than to slap him upside the head for his spoiled brat episodes when he doesn't get his way. It's all grim, grimy and gory darkness wrapped in Christmas colors, so enjoy and I guess forget about being too analytical as I am. I must say, in some ways it echoes the nightly news these days--most upsetting.

This is one of the best miniseries I have ever seen. It's like Lord of the Rings, only without the Hobbits. If only they would show us the lovely face of Steerpike again...sigh... They don't make them any better in my book. The acting, the background, the lines: all brilliant!

WOW! Outstanding in every respect. Original, bold, fresh, topped off by outstanding acting by all, but most notably, Christopher Lee. One of the BBC's FINEST. Setting and costumes are impressive and unique to say the least. Cinematography once again, worth mentioning. Nothing mundane here, all around impressive. Characters, unlike most of the crud we get from Hollywood have some depth, which was more than welcome with me. It's so rare that characters actually capture you for their uniqueness; my personal favotire is Mr. Steerpike. All you have to do to see what I mean by villian with depth is watch this, and then something like Die Another day. This character relies on his witts rather than his muscles. I wanted so much for him to achieve his goal, but then realized...well, you didn't think I would tell you everything did you?? Watch it, a truly remarkable film.