Review of Hogfather (2007) by Snail * — 12 Jan 2008

Although it's somewhat kiddified, this is an enthralling live adaption of a Discworld novel and, for the most part, I thought it was brilliant. On the eve of Hogswatch, the Assassian's Guild accept the job of killing Discworld's Santa equivalent, the Hogfather. The Hogfather, however, has vanished, so Death steps into his shoes for the night leaving his grandaughter, Susan, to solve the mystery of the Hogfather's disappearance while also thwarting the assassian, Mr Teatime.

This was just so sweet and funny. Death's scenes as the amusingly somber Hogfather were delightfully portrayed vocally by Ian Richardson, and Michelle Dockery, perfect as the stoic and sensible Susan, definitely deserves to become a huge star. The only quibble I have is with Marc Warren's portrayal of Mr Teatime. As the villian, he was completely annoying and devoid of any real menace. Still this was a real treat to watch before Christmas, and is an appealing alternative to all of those shitty Christmas movies out there.