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Narnia!

Writing reviews is kind of natural to me. I always want to write what I think after I see a movie, and I figure now I may as well, since I have a place to keep them and someone or other might be interested. This one is about Narnia. Over all, I liked it, but this ended up being mostly about faults I saw, so...reader discretion is advised? I don't know.

It started with no lion, guns, and planes, oh my!

tkp was happy as a clam—because there wasn't blitzing in the books (nor were there clams, just so we're clear).

There will always be a spot in my heart for the Narnia books: the spot labeled, “it was something I read in highschool that didn’t suck.” I like them but wasn’t raised with them, like some people were. I like them but didn’t see the religious symbolism, like some people do. I like them but felt like C.S. Lewis didn’t like me, and didn’t like our four little heroes, like all of Narnia does without much reason.

The narrator always felt belittling to me, and luckily, the movie made like a film and left that aspect out. But I still wish I could’ve felt more sympathy for Edmund, and figured out why, exactly, these kids are so special to Narnia—but no, in these respects, it was very faithful to the books. There’s something to be said for that . . . maybe: “God do I still wish I could’ve felt more sympathy with Edmund, and figured out why, exactly, these kids are so special to Narnia.”

In some ways, the movie was lesser than those books I remember. I didn’t like a lot of the graphics, I especially felt the beavers and the camp looked cartoony. I felt that the Queen was more icy in the book. But perhaps this was because in the books I could imagine her not wearing a tea cozie (though I love her costume for the final battle!—she was wearing Aslan’s mane!).

And just a general beef: why is it that fantasy books need to have the Giving Of Stuff scene? The Father Christmas scene is the Galadriel scene is all my brothers friends when we played D&D: DMtkp, why aren’t you Giving Us Stuff? (followed by, “I cast Magic Missile into the darkness!” and “If there are any girls there I wanna DO them!”).

But! The first part of the movie was magical. Magical in that it had no magic and felt more magical because of it. Also, Mr. Tumnus kicked Harry’s a Pothead and the Sorcerer’s Stoned in the arse and said, “This is how human-hooved footed cross species are supposed to look, bitch!” and his first scene with Lucy was just awww, so cute. The child actors were incredible, especially Lucy, who should be in the BFG. Just because I want the BFG to be a real people movie and here you go! Found you a good little girl actor. The voices were also excellent, and Liam Neeson is tied with James Earl Jones for Best Lion Voice Ever.

I’m a little confused by the end. I can’t remember what happens in the book, but it seems . . . almost squicky that there are these people with adult experiences in these children’s bodies. Just like Big...except the exact opposite. Also, aren’t they supposed to go back??? For the sequel, dun dun dun.

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I don't remember the books that well, either. In fact I liked them less and less as the series went on. (It seems my kids feel the same way, I don't think either of them made it to book four.)

And my complaints were your complaints. Why are these kids so special? And aside from that Liam Nesson voice, what was so great about Aslam? A lot of tell, not enough show. But Lucey was great and I loved Mr. Tomnus also.

I think I have also become somewhat practical in my old age - I kept thinking why should these kids have a clue how to wield a sword?

I saw Brokeback yesterday, which I will post about in a little bit. I am still shattered by it. I think the best movie I've seen in the past five years, easily. And the saddest movie I've ever seen.

I liked the next few books better than Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but after about 4 I completely lost interest also.

I remember loving Aslan in the book, but in the movie, he didn't feel all that special, except for his very cool animation. I felt kinda cheated--he knew he was gonna get to come back to life, so was it really that big of a sacrifice?

Well, weilding swords, and why is this what--14 yr old?--boy going to command an army better than Very Capable Looking Centaur Dude?

I'm glad you loved BBM so much. I'm eager to hear what you have to say about it. I loved it quite a lot, but perhaps not as far as the best in the past 5 years or the saddest ever. I'm going to do a post on that one tomorrow...

The movie ends exactly like the book (there's some minor changes in Professor Kirk's dialog to hint more strongly at the fact he's been to Narnia himself, (which, of course, Lewis hadn't thought of yet when he originally wrote the book) but that's it. And yeah, I always thought it must have been weird and strange, but I guess the implication is that their Narnian memories quickly become dreamlike to them when they're back in England.

And yes, they do go back, a year or so later their time, to discover that hundreds of years have passed in Narnia. (Lucy and Edmund go back yet a third time before Aslan tells them they're too old.)

I very much liked that the movie hinted at causes for Edmund's behavior, something the book mentions only once in passing. But when I was a kid, reading the books, that never bothered me. Nor did the comparative lack of explanation for why the children were special to Narnia. When we're kids, we naturally assume we're the center of the universe. If we go to a magical kingdom, of COURSE we'll be the long-prophecied hero. Almost all kids-go-to-magic-country books are like that.

I think you're right about their Narnian memories becoming dreamlike (just as they're Earth/English/real life memories are forgotten after just a decade or so in Narnia)--that must've been how I explained it to myself when I was reading the books.

So sad to be told you're too old! I don't remember the books very well at all.

I do love the way that very opening scene gave us sympathy for Edmund. I also liked the fact that Peter was hard on Edmund, which did garner the latter a little more sympathy. I felt as though the author really favored Peter over the others in the book, but didn't feel that way in the movie--he had his own faults, just like each of the other children.

And you're completely right about how this would've made perfect sense to a kid. I read the books in high school, and quite liked them, but I knew I would've enjoyed them more when I was little. I felt the same way about the movie.

My Dad's a clergyman - Episcopalian (retired) and has the entire collection of the works of C.S. Lewis, including The Chronicles of Narnia, the Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, etc. etc. C.S. Lewis was - to our Dad - a Christian writer first and foremost, and I was less interesting in reading Narnia in my childhood as a result... I liked my fantasy straight up but I preferred Science Fiction. So I didn't read The Lion, The Witch and The Wordrobe until my son came along at which point I could enjoy the story without feeling hammered by the iconry.

“God do I still wish I could’ve felt more sympathy with Edmund, and figured out why, exactly, these kids are so special to Narnia.”

I suspect it has something to do with the idea that the even humblest human is the Master of God's creation (Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve... sheesh) - fit to lord it over on the lesser beings but that's just my suspicion. That, sadly, plays into the Christianists' hands and I think part of the reason I get twitchy by how many Christians are slathering praise on this movie as a tool for conversion and proseltyzing. Not that I'm cynical or anything...

I'm glad to get impartial reviews, because I haven't seen it yet, and want to know if it's worth $10.50 and the cost of popcorn, or if I should wait until it comes out on DVD.

It wasn't until after I read the books that I found out there was supposed to be so much Christian symbolism. I truly didn't think about it much when I was reading them...seems weird, now, because there's so much.

As to the humblest human being Master--I could see that, except first the kids weren't all that humbel (heh) and second, wasn't Aslan supposed to be a Christ figure? So all the other animals are lower than humans, but the lion is higher? Or what?

I did like the movie though. It's easy to watch without feeling preached at. I think they were careful about that--they don't even use the word "Christmas" when Father Christmas shows up (which I thought was rather silly. Almost like they were too careful). If you enjoyed the story with your son, you'll probably enjoy the movie. Just don't hope it's better than the books (which I was secretly hoping for!)

I think maybe it's not exactly that the kids are special to Narnia, as that this is the story of THESE KIDS' Narnia. That maybe there's a Narnia waiting for any kid who can muster up the faith/wonder to get there, and each Narnia needs that specific kid. (Lucy had the faith/wonder, and made it real and available to her siblings--proselytising, as it were.)

Aww, I like that thought. Reminds me of "The Neverending Story," where it was very easy to imagine there were whole dream kingdoms existing because of and for you.

Thanks for the happy imaginings, they make me feel better.

I loved the books so much when I was little but the movie was just...eh. Then again, there was a baby behind my friend and me that sounded like a demon baby so it was kind of distracting.

I read an (humor) article once about how adults' IQs drop when they have children. There's plenty of evidence; for one thing, their vocubularies just go to all hell. What is this gah goo goo gah? But the most telling thing is that they bring babies to movies. And restaurants.

I like how Narnia is a movie little kids can enjoy, because that's what it's supposed to be (though I went when I hoped few kids would be around). But babies are another thing altogether. There was one at the theatre the other night and it just drove me nuts. Why don't the parents leave if the kid is crying and ruining it for everyone else?

/rant

As for the sequel... yes. They're doing Prince Caspian next, where all four children go back to Narnia. All actors from the first have agreed to play in the next. It's slated for Xmas '07.

I find it funny about the references to Christian Mythology... Lewis himself once gave an interview where he admitted recognizing how the book and the story of Jesus matched, but that while it may have been an influence, it was not supposed to be a copy of.

That makes more sense to me, actually. To hear some people tell it, Narnia's the Bible with centaurs. But to me, it was just a story with some weird things like Christmas and "daughters of Eve" thrown in. I do see some of the symbolism, but it didn't overwhelm me when I read it.

Okay, I love The Chronicles of Narnia. Actually, I read them in elementary school, and I liked them, but I didn't understand the symbolism then. I re-read them in high school, and it was then that I loved them to pieces.
Oh my gosh! My friend and I were talking about the Queen wearing Aslan's mane at the end of the movie! Our converstion went something like this:
My friend: Then, at the end of the movie, she wears Aslan!
Me: You make it sound like it's a designer brand!
Anyway. =) I agree that the beavers didn't look the greatest, but I think they did the best job that they could. Or maybe I'm just biased. =P
I also agree with you that the centaurs (and faun) looked so much better in CoN than in HP. I wish they hadn't done CG centaurs in HP; it looks so bad (even though the 5th movie looked better, they still didn't look that great). I loved how you phrased this in your review. =)
And although I don't think the movie was better than (or as good as) the books, I think that it was pretty darn good.
Oh, and about the symbolism in CoN- I actually wrote a 5 page paper about it. It was for a class in college. =)
So yeah. I know it's probably annoying, but I'm all "go CoN!" It's probably my second favorite fantasy series, with Harry Potter being the first. I think the Wrinkle in Time series is my third favorite series. Anyway! =)

I love Wrinkle in Time!

I need to reread the series--I actually haven't read it since 6th grade.

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