It is the only movie from my childhood that I think more highly of as an adult. Most are fun because they are fun, but The Princess Bride has the following going for it:
Every scene drives the movie forward and also gives insight into the characters at the same time.
The lines stand on their own even outside the context of the movie as it is just well written as a whole.
The editing has excellent timing for a lot of the situational humor.
The performances are solid, Andre the Giant is probably the least capable for acting/line but it fits his character and he has charisma so he gets a pass.
The love story is a self aware love story and the contrast between the story being read to a child and the story events makes it a fun version of a fantasy love at first sight cliche without needing to subvert expectations.
Quicksand!
It really does hold up as a well made movie that doesn't have filler scenes or a meandering plot and the third act really pays off on the prior parts. It isn't a masterpiece of film making that broke new ground and should be watched just for the experience. It is a very competent and well done piece that is fun to watch.
That said, my wife hates it so it isn't for everyone.
My only turn-off in that movie is the music. The compositions are good and fit the tone, but they sound like the cheaply-made music you used to hear in low-budget daytime TV movies. I feel this movie would be near-perfect if they would just rerecord the score using a full orchestra, to make it sound like the sweeping epic it actually is.
That happened to me with Monty Python Holy Grail. It was quoted so much by my friends around me in ways that I found funnier than watching the source. Kinda like being more scared in a movie before you see the monster and it doesn't live up to your imagination.
My wife refuses to watch Holy Grail, or Blazing Saddles. She said that my friends and I have quoted it so much, she feels like she has already seen it a dozen times.
My friend ruined SpongeBob for me back when it was new by being funnier retelling me what was going on than when I actually watched the episodes he described. 😮💨
Every movie hyped here is not that good, the room is unenjoyable, the fifth element is not that great, so I'm assuming this one is more childhood nostalgia that keeps it beloved. I don't enjoy bad movies, and I never liked princess movies
Honestly, this is a movie I rank as a PERFECT movie. It's got everything you want. Also, you are never too old for this movie. It really is great, and will definitely live up to the hype. I mean, Andre The Freaking Giant is in it and it's amazing!
Ignore the downvotes, you're basically right. I was in the same position and was quite disapointed when I saw it.
Also I'm pretty sure that part of the problem was that I'm not native english speaker. There were multiple scenes where I said to myself "This must sound funier to native speaker"
"Non-native speakers" This is exactly why movies like this are not commonly made today. Most of the market is international. They do not translate to other languages or to non-native speakers well. It's a flashback to earlier comedic cinema that was all fast dialogue and double meanings.
Now most movies are dominated by limited simplistic dialogue and extensive action sequences aka boring as fuck.
But then they would assume you were doing it to convince them it's good, so they would go in expecting a really good film. But then, in thinking that, you could have said it was bad, to convince them it's great, when ultimately you really do think it's bad, and you want to trick them into seeing it, so you can laugh at them.