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In the novel, the Auditors strike again by deciding to eliminate the Hogfather because he does not fit into their view of the universe. They meet with Lord Downey, head of the Assassin's Guild, and commission the services of Mr. Teatime, whose particular brand of insane genius makes him an ideal candidate for the assassination of the Hogfather and other anthropomorphic personifications. Death decides to take over for the Hogfather in order to make people continue to believe in him, wearing a long red cloak and a beard, but things start to become complicated because he is taking the children's wishes too literally. Meanwhile, his granddaughter Susan must find out what's happened to the real Hogfather. She visits his Castle of Bones only to find the hung-over Bilious, the "Oh God" of Hangovers whom she rescues before the castle collapses due to the lack of belief. In an attempt to cure Bilious, Susan visits the Unseen University, where it is discovered that several of these small gods and beings are being created. The University's thinking machine, Hex, explains that there is 'spare belief' in the world – due to the absence of the Hogfather – which is being used to create them. Susan and Bilious then travel to the land of the Tooth Fairy where they discover that Jonathan Teatime has 'killed' the Hogfather by collecting millions of children's teeth and using them to control the children, forcing them to stop believing in the Hogfather. Upon throwing the Assassin off the tower and apparently killing him, Susan clears the teeth away and brings back the Hogfather by rescuing him from the Auditors, who have taken the forms of dogs. They cannot return to their original state and so cannot stop themselves falling off a cliff. Afterwards, Teatime tracks Susan to the Gaiters' nursery, but is killed by Susan using the nursery poker, which passes through Death because "it only kills monsters".Read full review
I bought this movie because I had already read the book and was curious to see if the movie was any good. I was not really expecting a lot from it, and was I surprised! The movie stuck very close to the book indeed, which is difficult to do, even in 3 hours. A lot of the Charles Dickens jokes were left out, but overall it was well done. Any Pratchett fan should be most pleased. The one thing that threw me at first was that the actor who played the assassin uses a rather strange voice that I had not imagined when reading the book. It took me a few minutes to get used to it, then I realized just how well it fit the character and started to enjoy it. If you have not read Hogfather or are unfamiliar with Terry Pratchett, this story is set in a satirical fantasy world that really is flat and riding on the back of a giant turtle. In spite of it's fantasy setting, it actually delves into the real history (or prehistory) of the Christmas holiday - which makes it just about the weirdest Christmas movie you will ever see. However, it is definitely one of the funniest. The premise is that someone tries to have the local equivalent of Santa assassinated, and the Grim Reaper has to take his job for the evening. I am not the sort of person who thinks that a movie is ever an acceptable substitute for a masterfully-crafted novel, but this could be a good introduction to Terry Pratchett if you do not have much time to read. There are enough things in here, though, that if I had seen the movie without reading the book, I would have wanted to get the book just to clear things up.Read full review
I stumbled across Hogfather quite by accident being broadcast on an obscure independant TV station last year and was instantly hooked by it's quirky nature and splendid production quality! It's definitely an epic ADULT oriented Christmas metaphor that ultimately leads to an amazingly concise, lucid and compassionate definition of why we humans have such tendancies to engage in fantasy and unscientific belief. With a run time of 3 hours, Hogfather slowly tears apart the myth and mystery of the most cherished childhood perceptions of a fat man in a red suit, replaces it with logic, truth and a heavy dose of dark and diabolical evil. But it ultimately restores human faith in the unbelievable with the wit, wisdom and human empathy of the most unlikely of heros; Death himself. And Michelle Dockery as Death's half human grandaughter is also a delightful lead character. You may need to view this movie several times to discovery all the entertaining nuances imbedded in this film. Brilliantly cast and directed, it has become a new holiday classic in my home since it's recent American Region 1 DVD release. But it's also high quality entertainment suitable for viewing and enjoying year round. We need more movies with such substance.Read full review
Just saw this movie about the Discworld version of Christmas (Hogswatch) based on Terry Pratchett's story series. Where do I start with this absolutely perfect adaptation? The spot-on casting - Susan, Death, Albert, Nobby Nobbs, Ponder Stibbons, all brought to life wonderfully. The faithfulness to the story - keeping it at nearly 4 hours to ensure the minimum amount of cutting. The perfect locations - Death's Domain, Unseen University, the Tooth Fairy's castle, all brilliant! I'm so glad Pratchett let them do this! Sky One, Vladim Jean and the rest involved did a wonderful job on such a small budget, and gave us a far better and more faithful adaptation than Hollywood could ever have mustered. Full marks, it really gave me a buzz in the Christmas season. This a great movie for kids and adults, both. It looks very Harry Potter-ish, too.Read full review
If you can get over the trippy quality of the story telling (it is a fantasy alternate reality, after all), this movie is well worth watching. The characters are unique, and the wit is dry and thought-provoking. It's the tale of a drily funny death who takes over Santa's role. Those who love reaper would get the joke. The heroine is vulnerable yet powerful at the same time--and she doesn't need a man to make her life meaningful. The villain is one of the quirkiest characters. He is everything the movie version of Voldemort should have been in that he is always in control, does not lose his temper, and is most dangerous when he's asking if you want to be his friend. Yet he's a picked on boy who never grew up. It's kind of long and slow to build, but the social commentary and witty lines keep the audience going. Highly recommendable.Read full review
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