Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning

FYI: I ran this through AI because it needed to be > 600 chars. It conveys my thoughts well though.

My wife and I have always been avid admirers of the Anne of Green Gables series, along with its sequel, Avonlea. Our journey through these series via Gazebo has been nothing short of delightful, filled with the warmth and nostalgia that these stories are known for. In our quest to experience the entirety of this beloved universe, we decided it was time to watch the final video, hoping to complete what had been a heartwarming journey.

The anticipation was high as we settled in, expecting another enchanting visit to the world of Anne. However, our excitement quickly turned to dismay. Within the first hour, it became painfully clear that this installment strayed far from the elements that had initially drawn us in. The storyline had taken a surprisingly dark turn, and the plot felt disjointed, lacking the coherence and charm of its predecessors. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, I turned to my wife and expressed my inability to continue, saying, "I can't watch this anymore. It's too dark. The story doesn't make any sense." To my relief, she shared my sentiments, admitting she too wanted to stop watching.

This experience led us to ponder how such a project received the necessary funding and support to come to fruition. It's bewildering that a series known for its light-hearted and engaging narrative could conclude with an installment that seemed so disconnected from its roots.

For fans of Anne of Green Gables and Avonlea, I would urge caution before venturing into this final video. If you hold dear the memories and joy these series have brought you, it might be wise to bypass this conclusion. It's a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes, leaving things unfinished is better than tarnishing the beautiful memories we've built. In our case, we chose to preserve our affection for Anne's world by foregoing this last chapter, and in hindsight, we're glad we did.

Remember when you watched Anne The Continuing Story and thought "well this is kind of dumb, and totally goes against the books, and pretty much common sense, and those continuity issues of their ages, and on and on"? Well that was kind of like Star wars 8 and you thought it destroyed everything. Then came this new movie and you thought there might be some sort of redemption...but just like Star wars 9, it turned out to be an even bigger dumpster fire, and it spat in the face of the previous story. I'm guessing 90% of this movie is basically false and impossible. I was kind of expecting Anne in this story to come out of the shower at the end like Bobby Ewing and the whole thing was just a dream.

Mr. Sullivan does not have a good track record in terms of his faithfulness to Mongtomery's books. The first movie was his closest and best adaptation. Anne the Sequel, though a well done movie, strays greatly from the original text. By the time we enter into the third movie all is lost. Hard to believe they would keep going, even after Anne: The Continuing Store was critically and publicly panned!

There is not a shred of Anne Shirley's character in Barbara Hershey. And although a fine actress, she struggles to bring merit to the character. The younger Anne comes closer, but her over acting (probably due to poor direction and terrible writing) renders her a mock-up of Megan Follows.

Even worse, Mr. Sullivan completely disregards Anne's back story, told in the first novel. He turns Anne into a liar and Marilla's moral judgment is jeopardized by a cheap subplot! The backdrop of Green Gables is always enchanting, but as a devoted fan I was distracted by the reused footage from previous movies and several episodes of Road to Avonlea. Who do they think they're kidding? It is too bad the powers that be do not listen to what Montgomery fans want and deserve. Movies that would have followed the novels more closely would have been more cherished than this invented drivel, only produced to make an easy buck.

The only redeeming quality is a brief glimpse of Mrs. Rachel Lynde at the very tail end of the movie. Her presence reminds us of what could and should have been.

I feel like it's all about the money at this point. Again, the magic from the first two is gone. Visually, it's a nice film to look at. I loved seeing Green Gables itself again and happy we got to see more of it than part three. But in my own opinion it's a step down yet again. Three was a let down and so is this one. They should have stopped after Anne 2; and left Anne and Gil on the bridge. I would have preferred to leave it up to the imagination than having this film. Where is the movie with Anne and Gil having children together? Anne fans deserved better. After viewing this installment, I can't believe how anyone who loved the first two movies would ever accept this film. It wasn't what I imagined at all and trying to tie this in simply to make a buck is awful. Thanks, Kevin. I liked three better than this. This film visually is an improvement over Anne 3 but come on, Diana and Rachel fans will be disappointed for one thing! The smartest people in the whole development of Anne '4' are the original actors who decided to stay OUT of it. Especially Megan Follows. You'll always be Anne to me.

Don't waste your time. Others had warned me not to bother, and I did not heed the warnings. This production is inconsistent with the Montgomery Books. Barbara Hershey is likely a miscast on top of a weak script. The production feels rushed with extremely awkward editing that has made the TV Movie hard to follow. Truly not worth watching, and will slightly ruin what you remember from the original WonderWorks Production. This version of Anne is depressing. They had a great character in Anne and turned her into that Lady in Black from The Natural. Not surprisingly, portrayed by the same actress. I didn't believe all the one star reviews, but I see clearly what everyone else has seen.