Byline: Review by Dominic 

Let’s just say what we’re all thinking: no one asked for a sequel to The Princess Bride. The 1987 classic is sacred. A lightning-in-a-bottle fairytale that balanced wit, warmth, and swordplay without breaking a sweat. Tampering with it feels like yelling “inconceivable!” at fate and daring it to prove you wrong.

And yet here we are. The Princess Bride 2: Ever After exists. And shockingly—it’s… good.

Really good.

Directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Noah Baumbach (yes, really), Ever After is less a straightforward sequel and more a loving meta-reflection on storytelling, legacy, and growing up in a world where happy endings are just the beginning. It walks a high wire between nostalgia and reinvention—and somehow makes it across with style.

The Setup: True Love Never Dies, But It Does Get Complicated

Set thirty years after the original, Ever After picks up with Westley (played once again by Cary Elwes, charming as ever) and Buttercup (Robin Wright, regal and radiant) living in quiet exile. Their fairy tale? It hit a few bumps. Turns out defeating Prince Humperdinck didn’t fix the world. Or their marriage.

They’ve got a daughter now—Evelyn (played by Florence Pugh, absolutely perfect)—and she’s got a bit of her mother’s fire and her father’s stubbornness. When a new political power threatens Florin with war, Evelyn is thrust into the center of a plot involving a kidnapped prince, a secret map, and a mysterious masked rogue with ties to her parents’ past.

Yes, it sounds familiar. That’s the point.

Old Friends, New Faces

The magic of Ever After is that it brings back original characters without treating them like museum pieces.

Inigo Montoya (a weathered but still electric Mandy Patinkin) now runs a swordfighting school, haunted by peace. Fezzik (the late André the Giant) is honored in a quiet, beautiful way that hits all the right notes. Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) and Valerie (Carol Kane) return for one memorable scene that feels like slipping into your childhood home and finding everything right where you left it.

But the film belongs to the next generation.

Florence Pugh is the emotional core here—bold, skeptical, and constantly questioning the idea of “destiny.” Her chemistry with Dev Patel (as the aforementioned masked rogue with secrets of his own) is electric, playful, and steeped in that same mix of earnestness and irony the original film mastered.

A Story Within a Story—Again

Just like the original, Ever After is framed through a bedtime story. But this time, the grandfather (Peter Falk’s role, lovingly passed to Elwes) is reading to his granddaughter—played by rising young star Mila Harris.

The film doesn’t shy away from the meta-commentary. In fact, it leans into it harder. There are jokes about reboots, legacy sequels, and even streaming algorithms. But none of it feels cynical. Instead, it’s playful and a little bittersweet—because this isn’t just a sequel. It’s about what stories mean after you’ve lived a little. After you know they don’t always end with “happily ever after.”

Gerwig’s Touch: Sincerity with Teeth

Greta Gerwig directs with an impossible balance of reverence and rebellion. She doesn’t copy Rob Reiner’s tone—she evolves it. The world of Florin is still fantastical, but it’s a little rougher around the edges. Gerwig injects emotional honesty where the original leaned into whimsy.

That’s not to say the movie isn’t funny—it absolutely is. The banter is razor-sharp, the physical comedy lands, and yes, someone yells “Inconceivable!” again (and it somehow works). But what lingers isn’t the jokes—it’s the vulnerability.

This is a movie that believes in true love. But it also believes true love takes work.

A Fight Scene for the Ages

One of the most talked-about scenes—already going viral—is a sword duel between Evelyn and Inigo’s top pupil (played by Oscar Isaac, hamming it up with perfect restraint). It’s fast, funny, emotional, and ends with a twist that earns a gasp.

And yes, there’s a “Hello. My name is…” moment. It doesn’t try to top the original. It tries to echo it. And that restraint makes it land beautifully.

Music, Style, and Magic

Composer Alexandre Desplat weaves a score that threads the original theme (Mark Knopfler’s melody shows up in subtle ways) with lush, romantic swells. It’s a storybook come to life, but one that knows time has passed.

The costumes are lavish but worn. The castles are grand but cracked. Even the fire swamp makes a comeback—older, darker, but still crawling with “mostly rodents.”

The visual effects are charmingly practical. Gerwig avoids CGI excess, leaning into puppetry, matte paintings, and clever camera tricks. It’s not trying to look real. It’s trying to feel right. And it does.

Final Verdict: Not a Cash Grab—A Love Letter

The Princess Bride 2: Ever After could’ve gone wrong in a thousand ways. But instead of trying to recapture the past, it honors it—and builds something new.

It’s not trying to replace the original. It’s trying to continue the conversation.

Yes, there are moments that feel too modern. A couple of gags that wink a little too hard. But the film’s heart is in the right place. It dares to grow up. To ask what comes after true love. And in doing so, it gives us something rare: a legacy sequel that earns its place.

This is the kind of story that doesn’t just end. It lingers. Like all the best fairy tales do.

Score: 9/10