Blu-ray Review: Going Postal

Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett is on of Britain’s most prolific novelists. His enduring series of comic fantasy Discworld books includes 39 novels, the first of which came out in 1983. The latest Discworld novel Snuff about to be released in the U.K and U.S. Pratchett is second only to J.K. Rowling in popularity among authors in the U.K.

Discworld, for the uninitiated, is a flat world supported on the back of four elephants, which stand on the back of a giant turtle. The Discworld novels, inspired by everything from Shakespeare to Tolkien are satirical takes on many of the world’s most current issues.

Going Postal is the 33^rd of the Discworld series. Written in 2004, it was adapted for television and presented on Sky as a two-part mini series in May, 2010, and is the third of the Discworld series to be adapted for television. It has now been released on Blu-ray by Acorn Media.

Moist von Lipwig (Richard Coyle, Lorna Doone, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time) is a con man. And for his crimes he has been selected to do the seemingly impossible—reopen a barely functional mess of a post office. Actually he’s been given a choice: be executed or reopen the disastrous post office after being rescued from the executioner by Lord Vetinari (Charles Dance, Game of Thrones). Reluctantly, Moist takes on the challenge of becoming the postmaster.

The post office is a ruin, as people have turned to sending “clacks” (imagine 1990-style email and an old fashioned telegraph had a child). Even as Moist takes on this daunting task, he tries to con his way out of town. Will he succeed—or with the post office get the better (and to the better side) of Moist? On the other hand, perhaps a con artist is just what the doctor ordered? Who better to convince the citizenry of Ankh-Morpork that old-style snail mail is a necessity?

The movie has an array of entertaining characters including a Golem and the antagonist’s antagonist, Reacher Gilt (David Suchet, Poirot).

Article Author: Barbara Barnett

Barbara Barnett is Blogcritics co-executive editor and author of Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D.. Barbara writes on an everything from politics to technology to all things pop culture. …

Visit Barbara Barnett's author page