The Color of Magic

Originally broadcast on British television and now receiving a limited theatrical run here, “The Color of Magic” mashes together a pair of comedic fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett into one long, rambling saga. Directed by Vadim Jean, who adapted the books with help from Mr. Pratchett, it is by and large a droll, ingratiating affair, albeit one whose rickety effects and lackadaisical pacing are decidedly more suited to the small screen than to the large.
What’s refreshing here (aside from the inimitably British mock-epic tone) is precisely this sense of an immense fantasy played out in a diminished scale. Where even the quietest moments of the “Harry Potter” films bludgeon the viewer with the immensity and expense of their production, “Magic” has a charmingly modest, artisanal feel about it.
Set on Discworld — a flat expanse of pseudomedievalism floating through space on the backs of four elephants supported by a monumental turtle of indeterminate sex — the story concerns the intertwined fates of two bumbling heroes: Twoflower (Sean Astin), a naïve but enthusiastic tourist, and Rincewind (David Jason), a dropout from Unseen University of Magic.
Pursued hither and yon by a variety of nemeses — Twoflower for his magic chest of gold, Rincewind for the powerful spell trapped in his brain — they flee on translucent dragons, fend off ancient trolls, wander into druid rituals and generally fumble their way through an affable fantasy pastiche.
Da The New York Times, 30 gennaio 2009