I have not yet had the opportunity to talk about Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and to start I need to say that I think it's the best fantasy series ever to have been concieved. Starting with The Colour of Magic in 1983, the series has spread to include 40 novels, 4 Science of Discworld books, a few short stories and a collection of other publications that use the characters featured in the novels. I'm not going to lie and say I've read all of the books, but I have read quite a few. And Hogfather was one of the first.
It's the night before Hogswatch, and the Hogfather is missing. In his place, Death (voiced by Ian Richardson, performed by Marnix van den Broeke) and his assistant Albert (David Jason) are making sure that the presents are being delivered. Death's granddaughter, Susan (Michelle Dockery), meanwhile is trying to find out what has happened to the Hogfather, with the assistance of the Bilius, the Oh God of Hangovers (Rhodri Meilir) and the Archchancellor of the Unseen University, Mustrum Ridcully (Joss Ackland). But it seems a sinister plot to inhume the Hogfather is taking place, being led by the creepy Mr Teatime (Marc Warren). Will Susan be able to save the Hogfather while there is still enough belief in the world for him to exist?
When I first heard that Hogfather was going to be made into a miniseries, my first response "Why aren't they making it into a film?" After I had come to my senses and read the book again, I realised that there was no way any of the Discworld books could be adapted into a feature film format. Simply because there is too much going on. Every book has a main plot with a full ensemble of characters, and they also usually contain at least two other subplots. Hogfather is no different. And because the plots require a lot of explanation, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the Discworld universe, the plot of the miniseries is quite slow. The whole first part is basically build up for the second part, and takes it's time introducing the characters.
But if you don't mind something a little slower, and a little bit different for a Christmas special, then I can't recommend this enough. Terry Pratchett is very clever at commenting on something in our society by putting it into a different setting and changing only the bare minimum. In Hogfather, he looks at how belief is structured and created, and how humans need to believe in things like the Hogfather otherwise they wouldn't be human. And that's another reason why this is different from other Christmas specials. While some may deal with the concept of belief, and what it means to believe and why you should believe in Santa (the obvious ones are The Santa Clause and Miracle on 34th Street). But Hogfather talks about where that belief came from and why it's important.
Another thing that makes this stand out is how dark it can get. But then again, you can't have a TV film where one of your main characters is an assassin and not have it be dark. Especially in the second part, where people start dying very rapidly. So, I wouldn't show this to really little kids unless you think they can take it. Me personally, I don't see what's wrong with something being a little dark, especially a Christmas movie. When there are so many awkward Christmas comedies, it's nice to see something a little more serious that's still quite humorous in it's own right.
Let's talk about the characters. Because I love Susan Sto Helit. If I had a favourite Discworld character, it would probably be her. Mainly because she is unlike any other heroine around. She's very logical and can be quite cold yet still caring in her own way. And she don't take no shit from no one. Michelle Dockery is perfectly cast here, which is something you could say for most of the casting, actually. Marc Warren is suitably creepy as Mr Teatime, with a strange high-pitched voice that really makes him memorable. Joss Ackland is also very Ridcully-ish, David Jason is very Albert-like. I'm sorry if I'm not describing them that well, but it really is almost perfect casting. Each actor is well suited to his character, even minor ones like Tony Robinson as a conniving department store owner.
So if you're looking for something a little different this year, or are just looking for something with a little more intelligence and less schmaltz than your typical Christmas movie, then I would most certainly recommend this. But I would also recommend reading the book, either before or after. The film follows the book so closely that there is hardly anything left out, but a bit more information is given for some characters. If you haven't read any Terry Pratchett, then don't be afraid. His books are incredibly easy to read. I hope to look at his other media adaptations sometime in the future. Not sure when. But until next time, readers, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hogswatch and everything in between.
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