'The 10th Kingdom' [Blu-ray+Digital]
(Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Scott Cohen, John Larroquette, Dianne Wiest, Daniel Lapaine, et al / Blu-ray / NR / (2000) 2018 / Mill Creek Entertainment)
Overview: A father and daughter are caught in a parallel universe where the great queens Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood have had their kingdoms fragmented by warring trolls, giants and goblins.
Blu ray Verdict: In truth, and as much as people have batted this theory around over the years, come on now: The 4th Kingdom is clearly based on Germany! This is culled from several details including: its central location on the map of the kingdoms (which was based on a map of Europe), its large size, and the proposition that it be divided into quarters to be run by the Council of the Nine Kingdoms (akin to Germany's division by the Allies after WWII).
Anyway, that aside (as it's always a bone on contention whenever 'The 10th Kingdom' is brought up in conversation), this brand new 'The 10th Kingdom' Blu-ray+Digital release from Mill Creek Entertainment and wow, is is a delight for heavily interested eyes.
For my money, and a shed load of others, trust me, 'The 10th Kingdom' has to be one of the most captivating, spellbinding movies to come along in years! So many have tried, but few have succeeded in creating such a beautifully woven masterpiece as 'The 10th Kingdom'. There isn't a moment of this movie that I did not wholeheartedly enjoy.
Sure, it's long ... VERY long, but with its spectacular visuals, compelling story line, and off-beat but lovable characters, 'The 10th Kingdom' takes you along for the journey that so captivates, you hardly notice the time that passes.
This movie is an adventure of epic proportions that I would rank up there with 'The Neverending Story' and 'The Princess Bride'. Actually, as far as fairy tales go, I daresay this is better!
The cast is perfect for each of their roles and acted them out spectacularly. The script is excellent with its many references to so many beloved fairy tales re: Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White, and so, so many more.
As you can well imagine, imagination (no pun intended!) is only part of this miraculous tale. This film keeps with the modern idea of those aforementioned fairy tales with some very dark thematic elements. The scenes with the Trolls and with Snow White were spellbinding. You could literally get lost in this film and never want to escape.
John Larroquette and Kimberly Williams-Paisley are decent in their roles (about average for television), but it is Scott Cohen as the Wolf that literally steals every scene. He plays his part to the fullest extent. Ed O'Neill and Rutger Hauer also contribute well to this story. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1:78.1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
The Making of The 10th Kingdom Featurette
Isolated Score Track
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