Made with obvious love and devotion, "Going Postal" is a fine, faithful adaptation of Terry Pratchett's novel. There's a fine cast giving good performances - Charles Dance is especially impressive as Lord Vetinari - and the costumes, sets and effects are all great.
The mini-series treats the same themes as the book, such as the problems that arise when a public service or a general utility morphs into a private firm wanting to make a profit - and preferably a great deal of profit at that. It also condemns the extraordinary lengths to which some people and firms will go in order to make money, laws and morals be damned. Here it is hard not to think of the fruity antics of some of the world's current ultra-rich, who crush unions, exploit workers, pollute the environment, subvert policy, avoid taxes, reap unearned subsidies and still have the gall to lecture the rest of us.
In a somewhat lighter vein, the mini-series also pokes fun at the world of collectors and collecting. (One of the comedic highlights involves our Postmaster-general protagonist stepping into a shop and enquiring about some hardcore pin action.)
In my humble opinion "Going Postal" might have used some additional flourishes of visual absurdity or surrealism, such as a beautifully constructed bridge going nowhere, a parade of giant Dwarves or a statue of a knight besting a two-headed hamster. Apart from that, a very satisfying romp !
The mini-series treats the same themes as the book, such as the problems that arise when a public service or a general utility morphs into a private firm wanting to make a profit - and preferably a great deal of profit at that. It also condemns the extraordinary lengths to which some people and firms will go in order to make money, laws and morals be damned. Here it is hard not to think of the fruity antics of some of the world's current ultra-rich, who crush unions, exploit workers, pollute the environment, subvert policy, avoid taxes, reap unearned subsidies and still have the gall to lecture the rest of us.
In a somewhat lighter vein, the mini-series also pokes fun at the world of collectors and collecting. (One of the comedic highlights involves our Postmaster-general protagonist stepping into a shop and enquiring about some hardcore pin action.)
In my humble opinion "Going Postal" might have used some additional flourishes of visual absurdity or surrealism, such as a beautifully constructed bridge going nowhere, a parade of giant Dwarves or a statue of a knight besting a two-headed hamster. Apart from that, a very satisfying romp !