Starring
Kimberly Williams, Scott Cohen, John Larroquette, Dianne Wiest,
Rutger Hauer, Daniel Lapaine, Ed O'Neill, Hugh O'Gorman, Dawnn Lewis,
Jeremiah Birkett, Ann-Margret, Camryn Manheim, Warwick Davis.
Directed by David Carson & Herbert Wise. (2000/447 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Stinky the Destroyer😼
While
reviewing The 10th Kingdom (which
first aired in 2000 on NBC), I noticed something just a tad
unnerving during the opening credit sequence (one of the most
creative ever, by the way). As the stirring theme song plays, the
hustle & bustle of New York City slowly morphs into a colorful,
mythical kingdom. Skyscrapers sink into the earth, making-way for
castles, waterfalls and shining mountains. And at one point, as a giant is
crossing Manhattan Island, just behind him, you can see the twin
towers of the World Trade Center drop to the ground very much like
they did on 9/11.
So
I referred to that bastion of reputable knowledge, the Internet, to
see if anyone else noticed. Sure enough, quite a few did, including a
crap-ton of crackpots who claim such shows as this and certain
episodes of The Simpsons as proof of a massive conspiracy, or
more amusingly, a prophecy foretelling the tragedy.
No,
I doubt there were any clairvoyants or government conspirators employed at Hallmark Entertainment (who produced this miniseries), and
despite that surreal moment in the credits, I'm glad it's been
left intact ever since, for it really is a beautiful sequence. In fact, with a
feature-film budget and epic production values, The 10th Kingdom
is probably the best TV program Hallmark has ever attached its name
to.
"Sorry, lady, I'm only here to meet Ann-Margret." |
I
never actually watched it until now, and despite being a little
meandering at times, it was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be.
Fairy-tale fantasy is a tough genre to pull-off well, especially on
television, but The 10th Kingdom succeeds more often than it
fails. Like many miniseries, it's too long by at-least an hour
(maybe even two), often diverting from the basic plot for lengthy
sequences involving various obstacles facing the main protagonists
(almost like missions in a video game). However, just when interest
in these predicaments begins to wane, the narrative steers itself
back on course, aided a great deal by healthy doses of satire and
Princess Bride-style humor. In fact, if anything about The
10th Kingdom is indeed prophetic, it's that the basic concept
predates the cash-cow of Shrek by a over a year.
I've
had a crush on Ann-Margret since birth, but alas, she's only got
about ten minutes of screen time in the final episode (though she
still looks damn fine). Elsewhere, the casting decisions run hot and
cold. Kimberly Williams is decent in the lead, but the show's MVP by
far is Scott Cohen. As a wolf in hero's clothing, his manic
performance is a joy to watch. And of course, it's always great to
see Rutger Hauer as a villain. On the other hand, both John
Larroquette and his character grow tiresome really fast, as do a trio of trolls who overact to an annoying degree.
Everything
is wrapped up fairly neatly, though the resolution makes it obvious
somebody was hoping to parlay this into a full series. Considering it
earned boffo ratings in 2000, it's rather surprising that never
happened. At any rate, The 10th Kingdom is a solid miniseries
that has aged well and worth revisiting from time to time. It's been
released on Blu-Ray before, and aside from a digital copy, this new
edition has the exact same bonus features.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
"THE
MAKING OF THE 10TH KINGDOM"
ISOLATED
MUSIC SCORE
DIGITAL
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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