Dov Doviak’s review published on Letterboxd:
First time viewings of films as woven into our culture as The Princess Bride have always fascinated me. Tonight was the first time I've ever sat down to actively watch this film and, despite having no idea what the plot was outside of someone needing to prepare to die at the hands of someone else, I found myself so familiarized with at least two thirds of the set pieces that I decided to call my mom and ask her if maybe I watched this as a child and don't remember (I had not). Being that familiar with a completely foreign film created an interesting viewing experience. Despite not knowing which character was going to do what next, or even who lives or dies, the film's drama and tension all but vanished. Not a perfect comparison, but it was similar to how it feels to watch the latest MCU film, where you aren't exactly sure what will happen next, but in the same breath you kind of do. A much more obnoxious problem with films such as this is that the nostalgia literally oozes from the pours of it's fans as they describe it primarily by quoting and/or miming it rather than defending , or even discussing its artistic merits... And I feel comfortable saying that because I will defend Labyrinth to the death with random lines I probably say in my sleep while you're giving logical thematic flaws... The member berries get us all in some way or another...
Oh yeah, the film. Despite that, I was thoroughly entertained by the witty interactions and the borderline frenetic pace used to skip right into the next one. If I had more time I could go into story specifics and whatnot, but I don't really feel like there's a need to. This film was designed to deliver the same thrill ride a five year old gets from his dad acting out the dramatic scenes while reading him his favorite bedtime story, and I felt that it delivered.