Papá Puerco

Adapting Terry Pratchett's work for TV is a difficult task. Sure, he is a great writer and I had much fun reading all his novels at least 3-5 times but his writing style lacks a certain TV-compatibility. He uses much narrating and footnotes which is very hard (if not impossible) to transform into a movie. Having said this, I must admit, this adaption with real actors is probably as good as it can be. Sure, I missed a few funny character conversations (Like the "Give-the-Dean-a-bag-of-money-gnome" or the Cheerful Fairy), it also lacked certain elements of the book, including the YMPA, Igor's Bar or the Death of Rats (who is much more important in the book) but you cannot include everything from a 300 page novel into a say 100 page movie script. The producers did the best they could and they did a really great job. The characters looked almost as if Paul Kidby drew them into life and the acting was good. The only minor problem with the movie (which couldn't be prevented I guess) is that it's hard to follow for someone not knowing Pratchett's work before. If you never read his novels and watched this movie, I recommend you do so now. Trust me, the movie is great but the books are even better ;-)

It's that time of the year again... Hogswatch. It bears a lot of similarities to your Christmas. However, The Hogfather(Santa) is being attacked. Death takes up his job, and we also follow a school of wizards... and these take up a lot of time and leave to relatively little pay-off. Then again, it is fun to see the odd gang of criminals(led by Mr. Teatime... pronounced Te-ah-tim-eh) undertake a creative plan to take care of the symbol of the end-of-the-year Christian celebration. You have probably figured out by now that this is set on Discworld(a disc-shaped planet carried by four elephants atop a turtle floating through outer space), Terry Pratchett's famous universe. I have not read much by him, but it was enough to know that imitating his writing style is impossible. It's far too literary. What they have done here is a good solution to this issue, and the humor(with sharp wit), quirk and commentary is largely intact. I have already touched upon the biggest problem with this... the pace is drab, and unless you *love* the comedy(with cleverness, silly stuff, verbal material and in general a "realistic" interpretation of a world with magic, complete with bureaucracy), you will not watch all three hours of this(even if the first of the two episodes do end with a cliffhanger). There are annoying characters, many jokes do not work and the FX range(the Grim Reaper's face is just a mask(the mouth doesn't even move!) and CGI is OK). The sets are nice. There is a dark tone, and bizarre and creepy instances in some of this. This has memorable bits as well, such as a computer run by ants and hamsters running in wheels. What I enjoyed the most about this was the exploration of faith and hope. This is a running theme, and the moral of this is smart and well-delivered. I personally found it worth the investment of time, but if you aren't interested in philosophy and religion, you may not. There is disturbing content and a little moderate language in this. I recommend this to fans of the author of the books. 7/10

Hogfather for me is not as good as Going Postal, but it is better than the enjoyable but uneven Colour of Magic. I haven't read the book in a while, but I do remember it going delving into the story and characters more than this adaptation did.

Hogfather does look wonderful though. The sets are beautiful, as are the costumes and the photography and special effects are interesting. The music is also a plus, both haunting and beautiful, the writing is decent with some nice humour in the mix and the story is a great idea with some fun scenes.

The cast mostly do a very good job. Marc Warren does very nice work, David Jason is a warm presence and David Warner is very distinguished, but the standout was the late Ian Richardson's Death who is just brilliant.

Hogfather despite its strengths isn't perfect. The pace could have been a lot tighter than it was, I felt some scenes dragged. My other problem was that while Michelle Dockery looks beautiful and has some nice moments of acting her character is not explored as well as she could've been.

In conclusion, a good and enjoyable adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A very silly festive fairytale for children of all ages, with a no-nonsense (in the primmest, properest sense of the word), kick-ass heroine, set in a world that looks remarkably like ours, in a thaumaturgical, Victorian Gothic kind of way, considering it's actually a disc balanced on some elephants, which are balanced on a turtle.

'Tis the night before Hogswatch - a solar festival not dissimilar from our Christmas. But where is the Hogfather to deliver the presents? What on earth is Death doing? Just how DO you subdue the monsters in the basement with a poker? Not to mention those in the Tooth Fairy's castle. Who has been naughty and who has been nice? And can Susan save the Hogfather before it's too late? Like all the best 'children's' stories, there are a slew of adult jokes - from Ian Richardson's asides about House of Cards, to the 'Ant hill Inside' ('Intel Inside') visual jokes on the, er, 'computer' - modernity is folded subtly into this wonderfully alternate world of yore.

Good performances from the famous faces, but it is Michelle Dockery as Susan who is the highly pragmatic, utterly bewitching star of the show.

There are some nice unpatronising ruminations on the nature of belief, myth, right and wrong for those who like a moral but not entirely Christian worldview.

So - who's up for a bit of magic and believing?

Good fun The story of the Hogfather revolves around a fictional world named 'Discworld' and a group of beings trying to stop Hogswatch (the Discworld equivalent of Christmas). Opposing them are a bumbling group of wizards, a babysitter who is more than she appears, and the personification of death itself.

The story leads itself in a fantastical ride with something for both adults and children (although there is some violence in parts, so maybe not suitable for the very young or fragile).

Don't be fooled into thinking this is another Harry Potter clone though. This film (and the book) is far deeper. At its core, it raises questions about the nature of belief and the human condition itself (All in a fun way though).

As a fan of Pratchett's books, when I noticed the UK subscriber channel 'Sky One' had commissioned this live action mini-drama, I was both hopeful and fearful. Hopeful that Pratchett's unique meld of fantasy and parody would come across well, but fearful that the medium change or the 'suits' would rob all of it's worth.

Thankfully, the end result came a lot closer to my hopes than my fears.

One of my major fears was that the whole humor would be changed from the subtleness within the books to a crude slapstick. I am pleased to announce that although some slapstick has been added (on the part of the wizards) the subtle jokes and references are still there. As for the story; I felt it came across well, although there were a few moments where people who have not read the book may be left struggling.

The sets, effects and costumes are all of a decent quality considering it was 'made for TV'. The notable exception is the costume of Death and the other non-humans. Unfortunately, these were obviously not budgeted enough and appeared inanimate and 'plasticy'.

The cast did a decent job, as you would expect from this group of veteran TV actors. Above the rest, a special mention should be given to Marc Warren for his truly creepy representation of Teatime.

Overall, there is something here for everyone here. Whether Child or Adult, Fan or Neophyte there is fun to be had.

Lets hope they make some more.