World Without End (2012)

Purely Joyful Movie!

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Pillars of the Earth and World without end are such great works it is sad to see what was done to produce a movie. The characters and story are not even close to the book. Standing alone the series was entertaining but it should not even be referenced to the books as it diminishes their greatness.

This series is just ridiculous. I cannot speak to the quality of the book, but if it is anything like this steaming pile of absurd stereotype and plot, then I'm rating it, too with one star. Even if you like the period costumes and set design, do not fool yourself into thinking this program is conveying anything even close to reality about the Middle Ages. Not a good source. Possibly the worst source ever, in fact. It is far from representative of medieval life...any similarities must have been accomplished by pure accident. There are too many inaccuracies and anachronisms to count--though I will catalogue them and post with an update shortly.

Firstly, let me say that I didn't read the book. I did watch the Pillars Of The Earth and thought it was terrific. I was therefore looking forward to this sequel. But how I regretted that. It was like they had filmed 40 hours of movie and then cut it back to 4 hours. By committee. There were so many plot threads that lead nowhere, so many pointless scenes that did nothing for the overall plot and countless times I found myself wondering WTF was going on. I apologise for all the upcoming spoilers but take Godwyn for instance. As Prior, he is subject to being voted out of office any time he behaves "ungodly". This is firmly established in Pillars. But he gets to lie, cheat, steal, murder and molest his way right thru the entire series. How is it that the two nuns can walk all the way from England to France to visit the King (and then walk home again) but the King and his army are unable to find a way home. Here's a tip: FOLLOW THE NUNS. Why do they go to all the trouble of setting up a Let's-get-the-young-bloke-to-build-the-new-bridge scenario and then totally abandon that entire sub-plot. They are ordered to stop construction. Next episode the thing's finished and no explanation of how and by whom. How is it that everyone who gets the Plague dies - except Godwyn and his mother, both of whom seem to be able to pass it on to others without dying themselves? Seriously, the screenwriters should be shot. This crap wouldn't pass muster on a B-grade soap opera. Ralph is the big disappointment. I spent all 8 episodes waiting for him to become the hero of the saga and he just never got there. In the beginning they set him up as bold and forthright, but circumstance forces him into some wicked ways. You always feel he's going to change his ways but no, he's a complete prick until he gets killed by a 10 year old with a longbow. Brilliant story line. WTF was the whole Gwenda-Wulfric sub-plot? They spent hours developing a storyline around them and in the end it just fizzled into nothing. Did the writers run out of ideas? Totally pointless. I liked Caris. Especially when she became Prior and then locked up Godwyn in the loony bin. Strong, calm and in control. But the writers' dementia creeps in again. Here's her big chance to get rid of him as he was clearly insane or possessed or both. But cut away to a couple of other scenes and next thing you know, he's the bloody Bishop!!! What...? How...? Who...? Huh...? And in the ending, if the old King is graceful enough to request that none of the Kingsbridge people are harmed, then why didn't he just give himself up in the first place and avoid all the slaughter? Stupid. In it's defence, the evilness of Godwyn and his mother made for some good television. I watched eagerly for someone, anyone, to finally give them their comeuppance. But it eventually just became absurd and I realised that no resolution to this would occur until the last episode. And even then it was lame. I think that if Pillars hadn't been so good then I wouldn't have been so disappointed in World. But it really sux...

WORLD WITHOUT END is the TV miniseries follow-up to PILLARS OF THE EARTH; both are based on novels by Ken Follett and set in the medieval English town of Kingsbridge. I have a special place in my heart for PILLARS, because it single-handedly got me interested in historical TV programming, and since then I've gone on to experience the delights of ROME, THE TUDOR, SPARTACUS, GAME OF THRONES et al.WORLD WITHOUT END is nowhere near as good as PILLARS. Despite an equally impressive cast and budget, it feels like the show is rushed. The characters are occasionally artificial and the narrative feels manufactured. Many of the episodes are repetitive, at least thematically: it features the 'good' characters making progress only to be shot down by the 'bad', and the formula is repeated ad nauseum. The last episode, meant to tie everything up, does so in a merely defunct manner that robs the audience of so much emotional fulfilment.Despite the many obvious flaws, I still liked this show. It's extraordinarily fast paced, and never boring. A lot of the actors are decent: Peter Firth as the hateful feudal lord, Ben Chaplin as the mild-mannered monk, Charlotte Riley as the sensitive heroine. You even get that bastard Walder Frey thrown into the mix for good measure. The villains are increasingly pantomime, in particular Rupert Evans, but in the end I kind of admired the guy for his intractability and, of course, entertainment value.At the end of the day it's not a great show, and I can fully see where everybody is coming from in regard to criticisms. But I liked it enough to buy it and rewatch it in future; I just love medieval stuff filled with drama, political intrigue, the plague, swordfights, you name it. WORLD WITHOUT END fills all of the relevant quotas, even if it does so obviously and to a strict formula.