Das zehnte Königreich

I was telling my brother the other day that this mini-series is for everyone who ever loved fairy tales when they were kids, and I'm telling the same thing to my fellow IMDb users now. The opening title sequence is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see on TV. The performances are all top-notch, especially Scott Cohen as Wolf, Ed O'Neill as Relish the Troll King and Rutger Hauer as the Huntsman. The guest stars get to hog the limelight as well. John Shrapnel is truly menacing as the Governor of Snow White Memorial Prison, a guy you would love to hate. Two of my favourite dwarfs, Warwick Davis and Mike Edmonds get in on the fun as well. Ann-Margret doesn't really do much with her appearance as Queen Cinderella, though. The really great thing is the story. It reminds us how not all fairy tales are fluffy and sentimental (The Grimm fairy tales weren't just named after their authors, you know), and great new worlds are presented before us (Kissing Town is a highlight.). The romance between Virginia and Wolf is truly touching as well. Humour is also provided by the bungling Trolls Burly, Blabberwort and Bluebell and by Daniel Lapaine as the Dog in the Prince's body ('Prince Wendell loves biscuits!'). There are a couple of hairy moments (the trial in Little Lamb Village) but overall, you will love this. I recommend that you also read the novelisation of this series as it clears up a few plot points.

I think I'm going to have to disagree with the critics on this one- I thought it was pretty good. When 'The 10th Kingdom' opened to universally negative reviews and plummeting ratings back in February, I wasn't even sure I was going to take the time to watch it. I remember, about two months before it opened, reading a newspaper article on the miniseries, and laughing at it. The article wasn't very flattering, and I was looking forward to seeing it fail. As the next two months passed I saw it advertised heavily on NBC, and I thought it looked pretty good. I did some looking around on the internet, and I became intrigued by it. I was still convinced it would fail, but I found myself counting down the days until it began.

After the first installment, I was hooked. Despite being downright silly much of the time, the scenery was absolutely extraordinary, ditto for the special effects. I ended up watching all five two hour installments, and I can't think of anything better that I could have spent it on.

Granted, the series still has several problems. The one thing I was disappointed most by was the lack of screen time of many of the *name* actors. Ann-Margret had only a few minutes, and Camryn Manheim appeared in only one installment. Also, Rutger Hauer had only about twenty minutes on screen spread over several installments. While still good, John Larroquette and Kimberley Williams didn't quite have either the talent or drawing power to hold the series.

Still, it was surprisingly engaging, and very well photographed. If you have the time, watch the series, I doubt you'll be disappointed

7/10

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 storyline, 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 fairytales 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 fairytales...rapunzel, cinderella, snow white...and so many more.

This is a classic in the making. Please, if you haven't yet, check this one out. You'll be so very happy you did. Ten out of ten stars...without a doubt.

I watched this at age 10 and remembered it as such a magical and enchanting show. I've just watched it again 19 years later and I felt like a child all over again. Amazing production, brilliant storyline and fantastic acting (the only one I didnt really enjoy was Snow White). I binged watched the 5 parts in one day and loved every minute of it. It's just magical.

To the pantheon of unusual spins on fairy tales (Into the Woods, Shrek, Enchanted) we can add "The 10th Kingdom". I didn't expect anything profound, and there is a lot of the stuff that we expect in fairy tales, even in twists on fairy tales. Nonetheless, it's a fun miniseries with some neat surprises along the way. It was impressive to see Rutger Hauer in the miniseries, considering that he died a few months ago.

I wanted to mention Ann-Margret's role. To avoid spoilers, I won't tell you which character she plays. What I will say is that I occasionally come up with stories and imagine certain actors and actresses in the roles. One of the stories with which I've come up would presumably feature Ann-Margret playing essentially the same character that she does here (but with a different name, natch).

Anyway, it's a fine eight hours. Maybe the ending was a little cliched, but everyone else more than made up for that. No shortage of enjoyment here.