Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

[orangerful]

Went to the movies with blu_harvest, zaubervz, verdatum, destertale, toothlesshag and romandave today and saw Narnia.



I have to say, I was underwhelmed. Actually, maybe not even underwhelmed, I just didn't feel anything during that movie and it made me kind of sad. I have very fond memories of watching the british miniseries on Wonderworks back when I was little and really enjoying it. Like LotR, I've never read the books, though I feel like I might have attempted to flip thru at least the first one at some point. Anyway, I was hoping this film would fill me with that same happiness that the Lord of the Rings did, or at least rekindle my childhood memories. It really didn't though. LotR has spoiled me when it comes to these kinds of tales. I want characters I can love and cheer for, and I don't feel like this film version of Narnia gave me that. Lucy was the only one I was really concerned about the whole film (cutest little girl!!!), and she stopped living dangerously once her siblings joined in Narnia.

It wasn't the actor's faults either, I think all the kids did a great job. Especially since I'm sure 95% of the time, they were acting all alone. It's just that it felt like I didn't really know any of them. Edmund is still a little jerk, and when he ran off, I could have cared less what would happen to him (that's how I felt during the BBC miniseries too). The lady who played the White Witch was fantastic - creepy and strange and alluring. Peter was cute...though kind of a jerk too...he was just so bloody british, him and Susan! Aslan...well, Aslan was beautiful and amazing as CGI lions with Liam Neeson's voice go...but he was just sorta there. Then not. Then there again. And I didn't really care. I remember bawling everytime I watched the BBC miniseries, but when the sacrifice scene came, I just didn't really understand what was so great about this lion. Sure, everyone says he's great, but he hasn't shown us much of anything.

The opening theme, sung by iMogean Heap, was beautiful, and as the kids went thru the english countryside on the train, I got really excited about what was to come...then nothing really came. And it makes me kinda sad.

I did crack up though. Right at the end. Somehow, the dissappointment, the wanting to like the movie, it all piled up...and when they crowned Peter "The Magnificent!" I just broke down laughing, so hard that my sides hurt and I had tears streaming down my face. I mean, the magnificent? When did that happen? Far as I can tell, Edmund put the dent in the white witches plan and Aslan bit her head off...exactly when was Peter "magnificent"? Hm.....

Also, the Monty Python fan in us all had a giggle fit when the White Witch told Peter that "just because some man in a red jacket gives you a sword doesn't make you king!".

Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though. blu_harvest and toothlesshag are a bit more familiar with the books than me, so I think they got more out of it. (though toothlesshag said she felt it had been disneyfied too much and the "christian" had been taken out of it?) I wanted another epic tale like Peter Jackson's LotR - with sweeping landscapes and well developed characters and an evil side that you sorta understood the attraction too. I wanted something that captured my imagination like Harry Potter. But Narnia fell flat for me.

I didn't not like it, but I didn't really love it. I just sorta...well, I saw it.

Comments

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

"just because some man in a red jacket gives you a sword doesn't make you king!"-- that is too funny.. Does anyone know if this line is in the book, or is it an intentional nod to Monty Python?

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've been reading a lot about it and the Christian symbolism. First off, the books are really good- they were my favoritest books as a kid and I read them over and over- so you should read them. They were definitely meant to be allegories, though, but much of the symbolism isn't as blatant as the Aslan death scene, and you can get away with reading them while being blissfully unaware of the intent behind them, or can even adding your own interpretations. Plus, I think Lewis belonged to a tradition which is different from, say, the the belief system of the mob of angry people I saw this morning in front of the Planned Parenthood down the street from my coffee shop, but it would take too long to elaborate on that. Suffice to say that the books are a good read.

That being said, I was immersed (to put it mildly) in the Christian world as a kid, and I got the Aslan=Jesus thing immediately. But even as a kid the Aslan death scene bothered me, and as an adult it bothers me enough that I don't really want to see the movie. (I'll end up seeing it, though, because my mom wants us all to see it over Xmas). I'm not sure why it bothers me so much- the best I can come up with is that the humanist in me thinks that Edmund should have been able to get his act together on his own without someone having to die for him. But of course, that would defeat the point of the whole thing if Edmund were able to save himself.

Interesting that Susan is portrayed as being too "smart" in the movie?? I don't remember that from the books, but it's been a while. I do remember that in the last book she doesn't make it into heaven because she is more interested in lipstick and boys, or something like that (and yeah, even as a kid this bugged me a bit too). J.K.Rowling had some choice things to say about that in a recent interview. (hmm.. I'm not really making these books sound appealing, am I? Really, they're good! I just happen to have listed the 2 parts that bugged me, the rest of it is fine, really)

Oh, I think the actor who plays Peter is around 18. So blu_harvest should break out that smoking jacket!

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I remember in the BBC version, the creatures pounce and Aslan and you just see the hair from his main flying everywhere, and the two girls have tears streaming down their faces and they seemed a bit more upset because Aslan had really befriended them on the walk to the stone table. Doesn't he chat with them a bit or something? And you get this weird feeling that perhaps he feels old...so that his rebirth is something even more grand because he looks healthier too? Perhaps that's just my brain making up story on it's own.

The Susan thing bugged me, but then again, I think someone had told me or I had read somewhere about the lameness of the women in Narnia...what was the JK Rowling interview? now i'll have to google that!

I'm really interested to hear what you think of the movie after you see it. You'll probably like it, as it sounds like it gives the fans what they've always wanted.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

nevermind, I found the article - Time magazine july 25 "JK Rowling Hogwarts and all"

"She hasn't even read all of C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels, which her books get compared to a lot. There's something about Lewis' sentimentality about children that gets on her nerves. "There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex," Rowling says. "I have a big problem with that."

and something in my brain just went *click*

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

"She hasn't even read all of C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels, which her books get compared to a lot. There's something about Lewis' sentimentality about children that gets on her nerves. "There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex," Rowling says. "I have a big problem with that."

Of course, this doesn't happen until the very end of the last book, so for not having read the books she made it pretty far. Maybe she skipped some of the middle ones?

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

The Susan thing bugged me, but then again, I think someone had told me or I had read somewhere about the lameness of the women in Narnia...what was the JK Rowling interview? now i'll have to google that!

It's here:
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1083935,00.html
It's the Time magazine interview that pissed off one of the Terrys (Pratchett? Gilliam?)

I'm really interested to hear what you think of the movie after you see it. You'll probably like it, as it sounds like it gives the fans what they've always wanted.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of all these kids' books becoming movies. I think at some point for each HP movie I've declared that I'm not going to go see it. But then I always end up going opening night. The actors are so spot on- a line up of the greatest British adult talent plus likeable kids that are a hoot to watch grow up- I can't resist! Plus the event itself is always too much fun. But I wish some of my childhood favorites would stay in my head and off the big screen. I guess they haven't done the "Dark is Rising" books yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time..

[bittertwee.livejournal.com]

whoops, I shoulda known you'd find the interview on your own. Good old google..

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

well, I have to say, the HP books work as movies, to me, because they take place now and have our sensibilities, while I think Narnia suffers from being so very "then". I think children's books are a lot like comedies, they get dated much faster than adult literature/drama.

they are making the 'dark materials' series (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385752/) into movies, I believe. Another series I meant to read (after I saw it on your bookshelf). blu_harvest says it's the reverse of the Narnia series, since the author is an atheist (see one of the above comments, I think he mentions it there).

Pratchett was the one who publicly attacked Rowling...honestly, I've tried to read his stuff but never got into it. I didn't know Gilliam had said anything, though I wouldn't be surprised. In the paragraph before that one she talks about how she never really thought of HP has fantasy, it was just a story that happened to have fantastical elements to it. I think I'm the same way. I'm not very good at reading "hard core" sci-fi/fantasy, but the HP books work for me.

I actually had to go thru the library to get the full article as TIME has dubbed it part of it's "Premium Account". :P to them I say!