Ah love! Romance, thrills, escape...at The Romantic Review we love movies! We treasure the moments of pleasure and heartbreak that are captured on celluloid, and we look forward to sharing our reviews of some films we hope you will enjoy. Here at The Romantic Review, we rate each film using our five ratings system.

Enchanted

This "enchanting" film will delight anyone who is a fan of classic Disney animation and storytelling, and will pleasantly surprise everyone else. The story has something for everyone: action, adventure, mystery, double-crossing, magic, singing, dancing, and yes, even love.

The story opens - literally - with the story-book tale of a fair maiden, Giselle, in the beautifully animated make-believe forest of Andalasia. Giselle longs for love, and sings to her forest creature friends of finding love and experiencing "True Love's Kiss". In classic Disney fashion, her prince appears. They fall instantly in love and prepare to wed the following morning.

But that's just the beginning of the story. The prince's evil step-mother, Queen Narissa (decadently acted by Susan Sarandon), fears she will lose control of the kingdom once the prince weds, and therefore must stop the wedding. She banishes Giselle to New York, a land where "there are no happily ever afters".

Giselle finds herself in the cold, harsh reality of New York City, where everything is new to her, including her new three-dimensional body. Somehow, she must learn to survive in this tough world. Through her naive faith in goodness and trust in the kindness of strangers, Giselle is temporarily rescued by a handsome but cynical lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his six year old daughter Morgan (newcomer Rachel Covey).

Throughout the twists and turns of the rest of the film, Giselle, Robert and Morgan learn from each other and form a bond. Meanwhile, Prince Edward (James Marsden) comes to rescue his bride-to-be, Giselle's forest companion Pip comes to find and help his friend, and the Queen's dastardly henchman Nathaniel follows, to carry out a plan to keep Giselle and Prince Edward apart. 

In spite of the difficulties she encounters, Giselle sings and dances her way through New York, and tries to remain true to herself and to her ideals. In the end, the larger-than-life Queen Narissa arrives with a show-stopping plan to end all hopes for true love, once and for all.

The beauty of this film is that it is a first rate production in every way. The writers, producers and film makers have all created top-notch work. Director Kevin Lima is adept at storytelling in both animation and live action. The music of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, combined with the choreography of John O'Connell and the city of New York itself, provide the perfect backdrop for the story, while Rick Baker's makeup effects add to the visual drama. Amy Adams' intellegent and respectful portrayal of Giselle makes us love a character who could have been ridiculous in the hands of a lesser actress. Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden are perfectly cast, handling the egos and wit - or lack thereof - of their characters artfully. The entire supporting cast is perfectly expressive, whether animated or "real", giving performances that are believeable and fun.

Although this film is rated PG due to some violence, we think it is fun for people of all ages. "Enchanted" is a romantic fairy tale that women, men and children can enjoy over and over again.