Rating: Summary: For those starved for decent fantasy... Review: By no means a great movie, yet I still find myself watching this suprisingly regularly. I love fantasy films, except that most fantasy films....well, suck. This one has enough going for it - great cast, good story "hook", lovely and cool cinematography - that I can overlook its faults: The soundtrack is a real cringe-inducer (didn't seem quite so bad in 1985, when all soundtracks sounded like this...), and something doesn't really seem right about the ending (why is everyone who is not directly involved with the action just standing around?).But Rutger Hauer is great in a rare appearance as a good guy, Matthew Broderick does well with all the movie's good lines, Michelle Pfieffer is, well, Michelle Pfieffer, and the supporting roles are handled at least as well. Romantic fantasy buffs should check it out. Especially if you lived through the 80's - you'll remember when this sort of movie-soundtrack was "cool". As a DVD package, this is pretty standard stuff - you get both widescreen and "standard" (Newspeak if I ever heard it) formats, but the extra non-movie material is pretty non-essential.
Rating: Summary: In my opinion BETTER THAN TOLKIN'S LORD OF THE RINGS !!! Review: Unlike Lord of the Rings' tediously disjointed and noisy action sequences written solely for the sake of action, Ladyhawke tells a story that is both a captivating and poignant romance and an action adventure. The other reviews are both excellent and accurate, so it is pointless to repeat them in different words. I rarely like even a good movie well enough to want to see it twice, but Ladyhawke is is one of those exceptions. The story is a creative and unique work of art and will keep your interest from beginning to end. The casting, filming, and acting are first rate. This movie is good when viewed alone, but it is even better when shaired with a loved one. It is a powerful love story and you will not be disappointed with the uplifting ending.
Rating: Summary: Epic Film of a sort. Review: Magic, Comedy, and adventure are rather successfully blended in this second (after Superman) successful movie in the career of Director Richard Donner, as a man and woman struggle to end a curse placed on them by an evil bishop. Good screenplay and the acting performances are among the high lights of this movie, which is a little long, but is entertaining.
Rating: Summary: sweet retro-hip kitsch Review: This is a funny, creepy, magical romance with truly hideous title graphics, music that will make you giggle at inappropriate times, fakey medieval costumes, and bad hair days - like a cross between Midsummer Night's Dream and The Highlander. A very sweet movie with good performances. Mood elevating and fun for the whole family with a solid core idea that makes it a fantasy classic.
Rating: Summary: This is a wonderful movie Review: This movie is the best movie that i have seen in a long time. It is well thought out, thrilling, romantic, and yet sad. It has a great happy ending. I really recommend this movie. It's rated PG here, but some places rate it PG-13. That's just because a man at the end gets stabbed and it shows a lot of blood. Thank you for your time.
Rating: Summary: This is a wonderful movie Review: This movie is the best movie that i have seen in a long time. It is well thought out, thrilling, romantic, and wonderfully sad. It has a great happy ending. I TOTALLY recommend this movie. It's rated PG here, but some places rate it PG-13. That's just because a man at the end gets stabbed and it shows a lot of blood. Thank you for your time.
Rating: Summary: A Romantic Fairy Tale from Richard Donner Review: Love, jealousy and magic-- a potent combination in anybody's book; and when you weave these elements together into a story of two medieval lovers (the likes of which Shakespeare could not have penned better), destined to be forever together yet ever apart, cursed by a jealous and powerful man, the result is a romance/adventure that evokes a sense of chivalry and passion, delivered here in the transporting drama "Ladyhawke," directed by Richard Donner. Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer star as the lovers, Etienne Navarre and Isabeau Dante, victims of the wanton desires of a Bishop (John Wood), who covets Isabeau for himself. And if he cannot have her, the Bishop decrees that no man shall, and casts a spell upon them which transforms them at every sunrise and sunset, Navarre destined to be a man by day, but a wolf by night; Isabeau, by night a woman, but during the daylight taking the form of a hawk. Unable to break the curse, they are able to glimpse one another as they really are only during the fleeting moments of their transition, and so they live-- traveling the countryside always together yet apart, searching for a way to lift the spell and become whole again. Hopeless as it all seems, they go on; and one day a young man enters their lives, a petty thief named Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick), also known as "The Mouse," who through a twist of fate just may become their salvation. Joining them on their journey, Phillipe is able to bring Navarre and Isabeau, if not comfort, at least hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, when at last they may truly be together. Romantic to the max and in every sense of the word, Donner presents this fanciful tale beautifully, and in a way that makes it engaging and timeless. This story is a vision realized, one that will surely touch the romantic in even the most jaded of individuals, because everyone has known this kind of love and longing, if not in reality, then at least in the realm of the imagination. And those who have ever suffered loss or have known sorrow will be especially moved by it. Drawing upon his own artistic wherewithal, Donner has crafted a film with universal appeal, tempering the romance with just enough humor to offset the drama, while blending it with a dash of action, mystery and suspense that keeps a thread of tension alive from beginning to end. It helps, of course, that beyond Donner's consummate skill as a storyteller he had a terrific cast with which to work, and with whom he was able to conjure and cast a spell of his own. There is but one word to describe Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of Isabeau, and that is "Exquisite." Of beauty, grace, poise and charm; all of the above. She embodies all of these qualities and more in Isabeau, giving a sensuous and alluring performance that should have earned her resounding acclaim. Why it did not is anyone's guess. One possibility is that it had to do with the decade in which this film was made (it was released in 1985), born as it was in the middle of an era dominated by action movies and teen angst. Given the sensibilities of today's audiences, however, who seem to be embracing the more imaginative offerings like "Harry Potter," "Lord of the Rings" and the off-beat fairy tale, "Shrek," and in light of the unprecedented success of "Titanic," I feel an argument could be made that this film was some fifteen years or so ahead of it's time. If released today, chances are it would enjoy a significantly greater success. Indeed, it may yet find new life on video/DVD, conducive as it is to the tastes of viewers today. This is certainly one of Rutger Hauer's most memorable roles, and he is perfectly cast as the dashing soldier, Navarre. Heroic and romantic, this is a character not unlike others he's done (he did a variation of Navarre this same year in "Flesh and Blood"), but this is the definitive portrayal. It's refreshing to see him in a role like this, as he tends to gravitate toward characters with a darker side, villains like John in "The Hitcher," or the anti-hero, Roy, in "Blade Runner." Here, astride his horse and wielding a sword apparently wrought from the same steel as Excalibur, he cuts quite a bold figure, enhanced by the depth of his eyes and a determined attitude, especially in the final scene in which he at last confronts his nemesis. And there's a definite chemistry between Hauer and Pfeiffer that makes this story all the more enticing. As Phillipe, Matthew Broderick gives an agreeable performance, creating a character who is not only ingratiating, but who serves as a sort of conduit, moving the story along while offering some fresh perspectives on the situation at hand along the way. Broderick lends something of a contemporary sensibility to The Mouse, who is reminiscent of C-3PO in "Star Wars," as he adopts a rather wry and amusingly stoic attitude that makes his bemused soliloquies especially engaging. It's a solid performance, but one for which Broderick-- like Pfeiffer and Hauer-- has never received proper acknowledgement. The supporting cast includes Leo McKern (Imperius), Ken Hutchison (Marquet), Alfred Molina (Cezar) and Giancarlo Prete (Fornac). Encompassing a number of genres, from romance to fantasy/drama to action/adventure, "Ladyhawke" is an ambitious, entertaining film that has yet to find it's audience-- or perhaps it's the other way around; because it's available and just waiting to be spirited away into living rooms and video/DVD players everywhere. Which is exactly what it will do to those lucky enough to connect with it, because this is one that will sweep you away to another time and another place, beyond the threshold of the here and now and into that land of enchantment, wherever it may be. It's the magic of the movies.
Rating: Summary: Great movie Review: I loved this movie as a child and love it even more now because I'm grown and can understand what it's about. I think the 80s was one of the greatest movie decades ever. Ladyhawke had a captivating, but easy to follow plot. The soundtrack is a little unusual (rock and roll setting in medieval story), but Ladyhawke pulls it off. Really it just adds to the charm, cause they don't do movies like this anymore in the new century. So it's kind of an escape back to childhood for me.
Rating: Summary: The musical score is rotton, but the movie is a gem Review: Ladyhawke stands as one of my favorite movies. I tend to go towards fantasy as a matter of course, but this movie has strong 'chick-flick' elements in it. But I don't care. Matthew Broderick is delightful as 'the mouse' and Rutger Howard outdid himself in this one. The story itself is the classic tale of Star-crossed lovers (right down to the enchantment that keeps them apart), but unlike Shakespeare, the lovers get to have each other in the end. This is a true epic fantasy, with a good many original elements. The first thing most people mention when they see this movie is that the musical score is out of place. I have to admit that that analysis is right on. The musical scoring for this movie was done by 80's band "The Alan Parsons Project." While generally, I have liked their music, the disco-pop electronica that runs through the first third of the movie and many of the action scenes is out of place and poorly chosen. That said, there are points when the music is subtle and well placed. It would be wonderful if a director's cut would be made of this movie and the music replaced. Such a project would turn what is at this point a very fine movie (with hokey music) into a classic. I give it a 4. Though I've watched this movie about 10 times, the music really gets on my nerves. But that's just me. Give it a look, it's definately worth it.
Rating: Summary: I am sorrow... Review: A profound mideval legend brought to the big screen. An attractive cast and anachronistic but compelling dialogue. An okay soundtrack--sort of out of place, but not completely.
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