Ho-Ho-Ho!

It’s really funny that I got a chance to watch Hogfather mere weeks after finishing the book. Hogfather is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett in which Death needs to take over on Hogswatch Day because the Hogfather is in no shape to deliver presents to the children of the Disc. And that’s all I will reveal about the plot.

I found the movie to be one of the most faithful adaptations of a novel I have ever seen, and it was a very enjoyable movie. I was curious to watch it because I wanted to see how Death spoke. (In the books, he always speaks in capitals.) I wanted to see the Unseen University, Archchancellor Ridcully, and Bloody Stupid Johnson’s shower. I wanted to see HEX (the “anthill inside” sticker was pure genius), Ponder Stibbons, and all the other wizards. Also, I was curious because I think Terry Pratchett’s strength is the way he tells his stories rather than the plot of said stories. He also loves puns and plays on words and the kind of humor that works better when read instead of when spoken out loud. Therefore, I thought this movie might be a trainwreck of epic proportions. But it wasn’t. True, there were some jokes that didn’t make a lot of sense when heard, like people mispronouncing Mr. Teatime’s name after he tells them how to say it right. On the page, when you see the word “Teatime” you can’t help but read it in your mind the way it’s supposed to sound. However, if you met somebody and said their name was “Mr. Te-ah-ti-meh”, why would you keep saying “Teatime”? I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.

Other issues I had with the movie include Nobby Nobbs looking too human and Susan Sto Helit’s hair not looking alive enough, but that is minor stuff. As I said, it was very interesting to see the Discworld come to life, and I enjoyed the film, but I doubt people who don’t know or dislike the novels would like it. (People like Nash, for instance.) So I am biased, yes, but at least I spent three hours laughing!