It looks like a silly idea at first glance. At second glance, too. Take a well-known classic and cut it down for young people. In this case it's 1894's THE PRISONER OF ZENDA by Anthony Hope. And coming out in 1996, it's the only centennial tale of that yarn available.
ZENDA has been made into two classic moves that are virtually identical, the best starring Ronald Colman. If you don't like to read, that version does an excellent job of bringing the classic story to life.
But more of the 1996 version. Rather than a Prince going through a coronation as king (something late Victorian England was looking forward to and which we know from our own lifetimes) it's about a young man about to take over his father's corporation, conveniently called "ZENDA, INC."
The bad guy is his uncle Michael (William Shatner) who kidnaps him and holds him prisoner. Some of the young heir's handlers and advisors (including Don Davis from "Twin Peaks" playing a variation of Hope's Colonel Sapt, Colonel Zapf) run in a lookalike ringer to hold the fort until the real youth can be rescued from his wicked uncle's hands. But several complications entice the young phony into staying in his new role and leaving as soon as possible.
THE PRISONER OF ZENDA is one of my favorite novels and I approached this version with trepidation. Is it good? Well, that depends on what you expect from it.
However, when I was a kid I read "Classics Illustrated" comic books, with genuine versions of classical books reduced for kidos. And I was a big fan of "Wishbone" which ran at the same time this movie was made. Of course, "Wishbone" had an that almost preternaturally intelligence Jack Russell terrier. No one in this movie is that cute.
Whatever exposes young people to classical literature stories is A-OK with me. You never know what might encourage (or trick) them into reading, and reading something worthwhile.
As an adult when this movie first appeared I may not have been in sync with the young characters, but I appreciated what the filmmakers were trying to do. Okay, they were attempting to make a payday out of a story in public domain, but let's give them credit and say they were introducing young viewers to a classic novel.
Though one reviewer ahead of me called it "a super old movie." Ouch. And here I am, Methusaleh, recommending Ronald Colman. Even Wishbone will be ancient history to people today and that's a shame. I don't remember precisely, but Wishbone may not even have had a cell phone.
