Narnia Movie - Freeper Reviews Thread

FreeRepublic.com | 12/09/2005 | Freepers

[ikka]

Narnia came out this Friday. Why not post a review or mini-review after you have seen it?

[VeritatisSplendor]

I agree with some of your quibbles - in the book the children were trying to stay out of the way of a house tour, not running from punishment. And Father Christmas - Lewis's fault - if you see him as Father Yule for a pagan winter celebration, it works better. The children do need to get their gifts from him, so you can't take him out.

The children, Tumnus and the witch were superb. Aslan as a CG character sort of insubstantial and waving in the wind - his dialog rather modern fuzzy. CG landscapes I didn't mind, but I want more of a real lion!

A lot of the dialog suffering from a modern breeziness and smart-aleckyness - even at the end when the children are grown kings and queens and in the book were talking in a very elevated and antique style.

Feminism has crept in - no more "Battles are ugly when women fight." As a child I would have been wholeheartedly in favor of the change, not sure now.

Christianity was not blatant - you could easily see this as one particular sacrifice for one unworthy person, not for a world of them.

I would have loved it if so much of the dialog hadn't grated on me. It didn't bother my children.

Mrs VS

[VeritatisSplendor]

And I don't think Peter would have been so reluctant to take on Narnia's battle - here's a fifteen year old boy in wartime Britain who's probably counting the hours until he's seventeen and can enlist.

Mrs VS

[Callahan]

Aslan isn't scary at all. The wolves are the most intense thing in the movie. They provide the only real "jump" scares.

[Joe 6-pack]

I'm enjoying your dialog and analysis.I

[Joe 6-pack]

"She's itching to see it, so what do you think?"

I think she'll be fine. Lewis's literary Aslan had a bit more of an edge to him. After all, he is not a tame lion.

Lewis acknowledge that his return to Christianity was heavily inspired by GK Chesterton's Everlasting Man. In that book, Chesterton takes issue with modern Christianity's depictions of Christ as being too soft. Chesterton points out that the Biblical Christ did have an edge and called us all to meet some pretty rigorous standards of behavior.

[Callahan]

Aslan insubstantial? I thought he looked pretty solid--a real special fx triumph.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Excellent, excellent movie. Took my 10-year old daughter and my 5-year old daughter. It was a bit much for the 5-year old. The Beavers made her laugh quite a bit, but the wolves and the White Witch's evil minions were too intense for her.

The landscape, scenery, and effects were simply stunning. They did a superb job at making Narnia truly come to life.

The little girl who plays Lucy is adorable. The other children were competent in their roles. I agree with another poster--Peter probably could have been developed a bit more. He goes from simply snapping at his siblings and bossing around Edmund to leading an entire army without any real exposition or growth.

All in all, a wonderful family film, and a great way to help teach about love, sacrifice, and the Savior.

[rom]

My wife and I saw The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe today. We are both fans of the book, my wife a relative newcomer -- I read the books when I was in grade school.

First, I'll assume everyone knows this is shaping up to be a SPOILER FILLED thread, and my review is no exception. Please do not read any further if spoilers bother you.


The Good:
* The movie is VERY true to the book (exceptions below).
* CG was "good enough". Some rough edges (noticeable green screening on the stone tablet set when the girls go to mourn Aslan), and a few things that kept it from a polished A+++ movie, but very good nonetheless.
* Seeing Narnia on the big screen! I haven't seen a movie in the theater in a looong time. It took this movie to motivate us to go out.
* Aslan's sacrifice really does pull at your heartstrings and in all of the ways it is supposed to.
* I didn't think of Kinsey when hearing Aslan speak.
* The children pulled off their roles competently. I shudder everytime I see Lucy from the BBC live action version. That one reminds me of the boy from Small Wonder *shudder*.

The Bad:
* Some modern psycho-babble crept in -- esp. in regard with Edmund and the picture of his father versus looking at Peter as the father figure. Could have done without this.
* How the kids run away from trouble when they break the window, and go running into the wardrobe. This seems out of character to me, and an unnecessary change from the book where the kids are trying to avoid a stuffy group of visitors/spectators on a tour with Mrs. Macready (I think that's her name).
* The extra scene on the ice. Not sure why this was really necessary. Didn't add that much to the movie, and seemed like a cheap shot to add some more special effect wizardry to the movie. *meh*

The Ugly
* The soundtrack. Very intrusive, and seemed like it was trying too hard to tug at your emotions. It seemed out of "synch" with the picture in general. My biggest nitpick in the entire movie. Seemed like a bad version of a typical epic movie's soundtrack. Really bugged me.
* Father Christmas. Though this is a problem in the book (and not a problem introduced in the adaptation), and is the biggest thing that can break the Narnia fantasy. He was treated as well as possible in the movie, and I don't even recall anyone mentioning his name in the movie. To be fair to the cutting of the battles getting ugly with girls comment from the book, it is somewhat implied when St. Nick gives Lucy her weapon, but not actually said -- which I'm fine with, considering how faithful the rest of the movie was to the book.

My Verdict:
A GREAT movie to go see with the family, and to relieve the magic of Narnia. I am going to reread the Last Battle and the Magician's Nephew now just to put everything into perspective. I cannot wait to see the other books turned into movies if they are as faithful as they were to this one. With some polish on the FX and the costuming, the others could very well be masterpieces.

[VeritatisSplendor]

I'd give it an A. True to the book in every important way--I'd quibble with some of the choices but all are defensible.

Worst problem--although adding extra dialogue between the children to develop the family dynamics was a good idea, the dialogue itself is too modern-sounding, not like polite '40's English children would have used.

3 other plot problems: the action was too compressed so Narnia seemed smaller than it needed to be; Peter was indecisive for too long (would have been OK if the ice-floe scene had not been added); final battle started too soon, Aslan's resurrection and dash to the Witch's castle should have come first (the battle should have started well after the Stone Table cracked, which should have been at dawn).

These are all minor imperfections. The best thing about the movie was the acting. Georgie Henley as Lucy was terrific, Skandar Keynes as Edmund was very good, Anna Popplewell as Susan was a bit inconsistent but you couldn't take your eyes off her, William Moseley as Peter did well with a role that was burdened with a lot of dialogue not written by Lewis. James McAvoy was a perfect Tumnus. Tilda Swinton reimagined the Witch compellingly -- she lacked the stunning beauty of the book's Jadis, but was much smarter and more aware of what went on around her, which mader her even scarier that the witch in the book. The book's Jadis was so oblivious to anything but her own mania that it was much harder to see her as a dangerous opponent once the 100-year winter spell began to break. Liam Neeson as Aslan was very good too, just a tiny bit too insubstantial.

[LADYAK]

Thought the movie was awesome.....the lady that played the witch did a great job...liked the main sentar...the beavers have always been my favorite and thought with all the animal characters they did an awesome job....great movie...any movie that makes you feel you can overcome evil is awesome....

[DieHard the Hunter]

Glad you enjoyed the movie, mate.

The very best part of it, for us Kiwis, is that "Narnia" is one of three movies, this year, filmed in New Zealand and likely to go to the Oscars and clean up.

The other two are "King Kong" and "The World's Fastest Indian".

This follows hard on the heels of New Zealand's other movie triumphs: "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Whale Rider". (I forgot: "The Piano" was also pretty good, a few years ago).

Not to mention New Zealand's TV triumphs, "Xena Warrior Princess", "Hercules" and yes "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers".

Yeah this is a shameless gloat, and an open invite. Our wee Nation has the population of greater Chicago, and we're located on two small islands in the South Pacific. We make great wine, cheese, olive oil, avocados and lamb. And our wonderful seafood needs to be experienced to be believed.

We are quiet achievers, we don't make alot of noise. Our Rugby team, the All Blacks, dominate their sport internationally, as do our Netball team, the Silver Ferns, as do our Softball team, the Black Sox, and our cricket team, the Black Caps.

Come visit us DownUnder, and have a good ol' squizz at our Country, do a Narnia tour, or a Lord of the Rings tour. you will be amazed, and you will be made to feel most welcome. Because you are.

The US dollar goes a very long way DownUnder in NZ. If you have spare time after your visit here, maybe check out West Island (Australia) but I wouldn't bother: OZ is a great country but you'll have more fun here.

Go on! Visit New Zealand for a change. Give Hawaii and Europe a rest: been there, done that. Accept our Nation's Hospitality, and have a wonderful time while you're at it.

[Joe 6-pack]

I attended the US Army MP Officer's advanced course in 1995. One of the foreign students with whom I developed a close friendship was a captain in the Australian Army, and when I got my follow-on orders for Korea he offered me an open invitation. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I never took him up on his offer. I'd love to visit Oceania some day...the landscape depicted in the movie was simply breathtaking.

I see you're a German Shepherd Aficionado (I'd think they'd be Alsatians in NZ due British cultural influence...is this not the case?) What technique/school/methods do you employ?

These are my two sons....

I raised the big boy in strict accordance with the principles of the Monks of New Skete, and he's a more perfect gentleman than most of the people I know. I take him with me virtually everywhere and he never fails to draw complements on both his looks and behavior. There's a nearby cafe with an outdoor terrace that we frequent. Many of the other regulars will greet him by name, but fail to recall mine!

The little one is a rescued abandonee from Hurricane Katrina. He has a few annoying behavioral issues (he's a New Orleans native so that's to be expected) but they're more annoying than dangerous. I'm estimating the dog's age at 18-24 months, and it's a pity I didn't get him at an earlier age, as he's displayed more natural scenting and tracking ability than any other shepherd I've ever worked or have seen working.

Well I've strayed a bit off topic haven't I?

[wildwood]

that's so funny! people applauded at the end of the film at the theater i attended also! in addition, this theater, which is usually sparsely attended because of its newness, was fairly well packed. ALL the comments i overheard were about narnia.

kids, kids, kids were all looking forward to this film. i am eager to see if the numbers add up.

i HAD noticed douglas gresham's radio announcer role. he was satisfied with the film, according to all reports. i despise disney; i really love walden media, however, and feel that walden should be credited for the success of this film, rather than the opportunists at disney.

wow...i thought it was great...yes, there were things to pick at (i missed the lewis line from the book about being so foolish as to get locked into a wardrobe...i wanted FATHER CHRISTMAS to be identified as such, rather than just the santa claus image...but oh well)

i read the hateful box office mojo review of LWTW, and believe there is no way you can see this film as Christian propaganda, unless you want to. to say it is too violent for small children....sheesh! this is the same kind of treatment "passion" received, even as an overtly religious film.

we WILL see it again!!! and again!!! the time flew!

and didn't you think the film was surprisingly and endearingly FUNNY? of course, lewis has that sweet dry wit, but to see it transposed to the screen was charming...absolutely charming....the BEAVERS, contrary to box office mojo's opinion, were absolute scene stealers...we actually laughed out loud many times, something i rarely do at films! SUPERB!

[wildwood]

you are definitely right about the rock throwing, breaking of the window. it was out of character for the children. and to be running to hide from responsibility, rather than the visitors coming through the house, made the children seem more like ungrateful vandals rather than escapees from war.

i know what you mean about father Christmas...felt the same way when reading the books.

but i sort of balanced it in my mind because it made it seem to me that lewis was interweaving both our mythology/fairy tales/legends with the fairyland that is narnia. more i thought about it, more i liked it. father Christmas is a tradition that transcends most cultures and, thus, creates a bridge between the two worlds.

so i don't mind it. i just wanted him to be seen as FATHER CHRISTMAS, rather than SANTA CLAUS, who has become a symbol of materialism lately, imo.

i can't believe i misspelled humorous in my last post. i must have been really tired.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Beautiful dogs Joe.

[big'ol_freeper]

Ping

[Lil'freeper]

Thanks for the thread-

We saw it last night at a very well-attended showing. Our theater, too, broke into applause at the end. Disney did a good job creating an adaptation of the story for screen that was true to the original. The actors were all splendid. The evil creatures were really, really, eeeevil looking. The faun was darling as were the beavers. But it was the little lady playing Lucy who stole the show.

Thank goodness for CG! It has made it possible to bring the beloved stories from childhood to the big screen*. They did a good job with the CG, but it wasn't the magnum opus seen in LOTR. Peter Jackson raised the bar with LOTR- probably out of the reach of most budgets, including this one. Even though WETA was on board for TLTWATW it felt as though they forgot to do the last render. It *looked* CG. The cheetahs were well done, though. And Aslan's eyes were mesmerizing. Kudos there.

The screenwriters relied on the audience's familiarity with the stories to carry the character development. This is a mistake. I agree with others that Peter could have used a little more. His motivations were unclear. He spent the whole movie being timid ('lets go back, it's not our fight, blah blah blah') and then suddenly he's in command of an army. What changed in his heart? What inspired his resolve? The audience is left to wonder. I think Edmund could have been better developed, too. His seduction by evil seemed rushed, and his repentance and reconcilation with the siblings rang hollow. Did he truly have a change of heart? The emotional arc of sin and repentance should have been emphasized a little more.

But minor quibbles aside, it was a delightful movie and one that I didn't regret spending the money to see. Hopefully it will bring more people to read the Narnia books and perhaps the rest of Lewis' marvelous works. And hopefully, too, it will encourage filmmakers to produce similarly uplifting movies.

*It's high time Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider stories are filmed. The technology is there.... The audience is there....

[VeritatisSplendor]

There is one way in which the movie did dilute the book's Christianity - to the best of my recollection there is no mention of Aslan being the son of the Emperor-over-the-Sea, no mention of the Emperor at all.

There isn't a lot in the book - Mr. Beaver so names Aslan when explaining him to the children, and Aslan says, "Work against the Emperor's magic?" in such a way that no one ever suggests such a thing again. In the movie I think he says "Work against the Deep Magic?"

An extremely significant omission.

Mrs VS

[HostileTerritory]

I think that given the way the death of Aslan closely paralleled the story of the Passion, it is not a significant omission to exclude one detail which doesn't come into play in the story and would only cloud the story further.

I am not a Christian, but I enjoyed the movie for what it was and am happy that Christian parents will have this splendid tool for their children to learn the story of Christ in a different form. I don't think they were trying to white out God or anything but not mentioning the Emperor, I just think it's not relevant to the story and certainly not needed to get the point across. I mean, come on, Susan and Lucy hugging Aslan in the garden before he makes his sacrifice and then going to collect his body after he's killed? You can't accuse them of cutting corners on the allegory.

[HostileTerritory]

Total agreement on the music. It really irritated me.