Waste of time

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Sadly Over-hyped

Purely Joyful Movie!

I read Mervyn Peake's novels as a boy, and just reread them this summer (the centenary year of the author's birth). They're truly unique, and at its best Peake's writing is close to miraculous, able to capture sensations and states of mind I would never have imagined another human being had experienced, much less found ways to set down in words.So yes, I'm a fan of the books.And while I didn't expect a great deal from this TV version, I was surprised at just how awful it is. If the filmmakers had deliberately set out to create a total travesty, they could hardly have done a more thorough job. Production design, dialogue, acting, casting, costumes—everything is a horrible mishmash. This is like a cruel parody of Mervyn Peake's vision.At the heart of the books is Steerpike, whose villainous plots drive the story; and at the heart of this misbegotten movie is a truly terrible performance by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He's badly miscast as Steerpike to start, and even for the watered-down, prettied-up Steerpike given us by this movie, his meager talents are far too inadequate. He seems to think he's playing a naughty Peter Pan, not one of the most complex and compelling villains since Macbeth.Nothing in this movie captures the mesmerizing language, byzantine plotting, grotesque characters, or haunting Gothic atmosphere of the Gormenghast books. Even the look and lay-out of the castle, so unforgettably described by Peake, is missing, and instead we see some second-rate designer's colorful world of whimsy. Gormenghast has been recycled as a generic children's fantasy flick, and that's a shame.

to a fan and repeat reader of the books, this was a very disappointing production. it really had none of the atmosphere, depth of characters, sense of age, menace or drama of the books. instead it was bright and comical, clumsy and light-weight - really inappropriate and even amateurish. the cast had incredible potential, but they were given nothing to work with.i only hope that peter jackson might take this on one day and do these books the justice they deserve.to a die-hard Gormenghast fan, i'd say see it by all means, but be prepared for a pretty big let-down!!

Once again, the Brits prove that, at least in the realm of "telly", they know how to do a movie better than Americans. This series appeared in 2000, the same year that THE 10TH KINGDOM aired in the US. And it is simply a far better piece of work. Jonny Rhys-Myers is his usual, MANIC brilliance as the vicious, but somewhat sympathetic Steerpike. You can't help but root for him sometimes, given the utter ignorance and eccentricities surrounding him. Fascinating, is the fact that there is a lack of CLEAR good or evil in this, replaced by characters that can be either, given their situation. As one of the previous commentors stated, I came to GORMENGHAST through Jonathan Rhys-Myers. I loved him in VELVET GOLDMINE and TITUS, but just recently saw him in BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM. Since then, I've been gathering up all I can find to view. I'm now looking forward to owning this DVD and reading these novels. Thanks, Jonny!

The world of Gormenghast is beautifully illustrated and true to Peake's novels. All of the actors perform amazingly, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers (always a treat). Great if you like whirlwind fantasy without all the pomp of American films!