Because I actually read the book and know who "The Painless Pole" was...

lifted shamelessly from deire

Getcher first-day reviews heah!

And lo, we did get tickets for the first day. And lo, we did purge our bladders and carb-load beforehand. And lo, we did sit...

And the verdict is...


As an adaption? It was (probably unavoidably) flawed.

As a movie in its own right? Duuuuude.

Not perfect, no, and dark and grim (as was the book) and slow in places in ways people with less patience waiting for the payoff might find annoying, but still. Wow.

(side note: other people have found fault with the music. All I can say is that I usually don't notice the soundtrack and here I did. I'd rather not be aware of it, yeah. But when I did notice it was to note that it was working.)

And I love the fact that they take it all the way to the end of the book. People kept trying to applaud at what they thought was the ending, to the point of laughter. But they were appluading, and rightfully so.

So, summation -- not perfect but still fabulous. And when taken three-as-one? Magic. Sheer, bladder-torturing magic. *grin*

(And yes, damn it, I did stage-whisper "King!" at the coronation scene. And my friend counterposted with "He washed his hair!)

Damn right I'm going again. And lord, oh lord I already cannot wait for the exteeeeeended version!