Chronicles of Narnia Discussion

[GimelMartinez]

http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/images2/narniapostert.jpg

Release Date: 12/09/2005


Starring:
Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Rupert Everett, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Dawn French, Jim Broadbent

Directed By:
Andrew Adamson

Production Company:
Walden Media

Distribution Company:
Walt Disney Pictures

Special Effects Company:
Rhythm & Hues

(From: IGN)

[Gandalf´s Father]

I can´t wait to see this film. I was a big fan of the books when I was a kid. I´m a little skeptical though. The book is difficult to adapt. Reminds me of how I felt in 1999 when I was waiting for the Lord of the Rings. But the director is no Peter Jackson.

[Werewolf Girl]

It's interesting that I haven't heard anything about this film yet. Does anyone know any details?

[mecha superior]

Click (http://filmforce.ign.com/narnia/)

[Ken Savage]

Im really looking forward to this, i was given the first two book for xmas last year and i loved them. Yes they are overly simplysitc and yes they have some heavy religous tones but they are beautfully written and really draw you in. Plus they already have a bit of a "cinematic" feel to them so i think this could be a winner.

[Lucy Sky]

I am also looking forward to this. As a kid, I loved hearing my parents read me these books, and just thinking about them brings back a flood of memories. Just a couple of questions - does anyone know who James McAvoy will be playing in the film?
Also, it might just be my imagination, but when I was younger I thought I remember seeing something like a tv special or a miniseries about the Narnia books. Does anybody else remember something like that or am I just making it up?

[Charlie Brigden]

There was a BBC miniseries in the late 80s.

[Indifferent]

While I'd like to remain optimistic about this, the fact that the guy who made the Shrek movies is directing, coupled with the rumor of Evanescence doing the soundtrack, doesn't help much. Then again, I really doubted that the director of Dead Alive could pull off LOTR.

[imported_Floydian_Trip]

Haven't heard about this til just now. I've always wondered how the BBC mini-series was but since they stopped in the middle of the series I never bothered to watch them. I love these books. I've read them many times since plowing through them a first time at age 9. I think they can easily be adapted to great effect in this day and age. After what P.J. did with TLotR I feel anything is possible. Then again it could turn into another childhood favorite of mine, Battlefield Earth, and be a horrible adaptation. Not sure about the director but then I doubted P.J. as well and he showed me up. This just vaulted to my most anticipated film.

[Alki Dave]

There are 8 books right? I think I made it to Prince Caspian when I was a kid and got a little bored of them. Does somebody remember the overall plot of the entire series?

[DaveC]

Haven't heard about this til just now. I've always wondered how the BBC mini-series was but since they stopped in the middle of the series I never bothered to watch them. I love these books. I've read them many times since plowing through them a first time at age 9. I think they can easily be adapted to great effect in this day and age. After what P.J. did with TLotR I feel anything is possible. Then again it could turn into another childhood favorite of mine, Battlefield Earth, and be a horrible adaptation. Not sure about the director but then I doubted P.J. as well and he showed me up. This just vaulted to my most anticipated film.

they did 4 of the 7

The Magician's Nephew x
The Lion the With and the Wardrobe y
The Horse and his boy x
Prince Caspian y
The Voyage of the Dawn Tredor y
The Silver Chair y
The Last Battle x

So you could say that they only got half way through or you could say that they made it most of the way through the cinematic books.

[The Prankster]

Those are the logical ones to do. Magician's Nephew and A Horse and His Boy feature different characters for the most part. And the Last Battle is one of the most unintentionally depressing and nasty endings to a series of kid's books ever.

[AJ Blood]

No. The end of THE LAST BATTLE is one of the greatest things, ever. I was literally weeping with joy at the beauty of it all. If you want me to explain further, we should probably start a spoiler thread somewhere.

[D. Richard]

WETA strikes again... making geeks everywhere wish they lived in another world. I am beginning to see Richard Taylor & Co. as the key to fantasy epics. If or when The Hobbit gets under way, I'd be perfectly ok with it being P.J.-less as long as WETA was doing the effects.

[Telemachos]

The Narnia series were childhood favs of mine, and while of course I'm interested in the film version, I'm not convinced of Andrew Adamson yet. There's a world of difference between making 2 snarky, self-referencial CG movies and a very UN-self-referencial, un-self-conscious children's adventure fantasy. Technically, obviously the films are in good hands.... but there is no HEAVENLY CREATURES in Adamson's quiver (nor the screen-writers') to convince me. I remain sceptical.

[CryOpenupthesky]

if anyone is interested...

apple.com has a behind the scenes look at WETA's work on the SFX...looks pretty damn impressive.

[anyname]

http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/images2/narniapostert.jpg

Release Date: 12/09/2005


Starring:
Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Rupert Everett, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Dawn French, Jim Broadbent

Directed By:
Andrew Adamson

Production Company:
Walden Media

Distribution Company:
Walt Disney Pictures

Special Effects Company:
Rhythm & Hues

(From: IGN)


I almost don't know anything about the Narnia seris But The Lion, witch and the wadrobe is not the 1st in the series. Am I correct?

[Jared Melton]

I almost don't know anything about the Narnia seris But The Lion, witch and the wadrobe is not the 1st in the series. Am I correct?
yes, it is...that's all you need to know, really...the series is kinda wacky...

The rest of the books are "eh"

I like the Witch's pad though. There's so many people just...hanging around.

[Matt Ocallaghan]

I thought a book called The Magicians Nephew was first in the series?

[Greg Clark]

The Magician's Nephew, chronologically, is the first book, but this series was not meant to be read chronlogically. Lewis started the series with Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, and Magician's Nephew was actually the 6th book. The current publisher, however, is a giant collection of fucking morons and decided to rearrange the series chronoglically, because they thought kids would be too dumb to figure them out. As a result, a lot of things become reduent or confusing (the revelation as to where the lamp post came from is ruined if you read Magician's Nephew first, as is many other events in Horse and his Boy and The Silver Chair).

The series should be read in this order:

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Horse and His Boy
The Silver Chair
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

Props to Disney for going with Lewis' intended order, not the bastardized rearranging.

[Jared Melton]

Props to Disney for going with Lewis' intended order, not the bastardized rearranging.

Way to go, g-dude!

[PhishMan]

I hear that....about going in the right order. Im just lookin forward to seeing something released in the near future media-wise. Im foaming at the mouth just to get a peak at a teaser!! any word on that in the near future?

[Ken Savage]

As long as the films dont become known as "Walt Disney's The Chronicals of Narnia" i will be a happy man.

[The Prankster]

The Magician's Nephew is, dare I say, the "prequel" to the series.

[PhishMan]

As long as the films dont become known as "Walt Disney's The Chronicals of Narnia" i will be a happy man.

thats not the feeling I get at all. This def has a "true" magic feel to it. i watched that featurette on the special effects on imovies this morning and was pretty impressed. made me a lot more excited. sweeeeet.

[teledork]

The ending to the Last Battle really changed how I look at life. I think it was a terrific ending. I've read a lot of Lewis (and his hero, George Macdonald), and "Further up, further in" seems to be the thing that has stayed with me at the deepest levels.

[visibleh20]

I'm writing a bit on the blog about, Mr. Phillip Anshutz, the Billionaire who is backing this film... he also made Around The World In 80 Days (the Jackie Chan version, of course, that bombed) and the Oscar winning 'Ray'.

Mr. Anshutz is a Conservative Christain Gentleman... which is interesting as so was C.S. Lewis (The writer of the Narnia Chronicle)... I think that this movie may prove to be quite good... It's good timing, in my opinion, for this material... a big screen adaption is a good idea...

I hope you guys don't mind me bringing this back for the moment... I was looking for Narnia photos at google image and saw the Chud message board...

[hughJ]

The series should be read in this order:

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Horse and His Boy
The Silver Chair
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

Props to Disney for going with Lewis' intended order, not the bastardized rearranging.

The Silver Chair is the 4th, The Horse and His Boy is the 5th^

The best way to look at the ordering of the books is that you have 1)TLTW&TW, 2)Prince Caspian, 3)Dawn Treader, and 4)Silver Chair in chronological order, involving the same/related group of characters... and then the last 3 books are kind of separate entities.

And definitely props for releasing them in the proper order. TLTW&TW is probably the simplest flowing story of the lot, by far the best introduction.

I worry for Prince Caspian though, once you narrow down the book to what physically actually takes place, you're left with a very short story that really doesn't take you on much of a journey. The BBC series was only able to make 2 x 1/2 hour shows out of it (IRC), and they didn't really leave a whole lot out. Even if they are able to creatively lengthen the story, it's still (by far, imo) the weakest book of the 7.

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

http://chud.com/news/2552

The official site is up and it's pretty cool.

See that was a joke based on the White Wi...

oh nevermind.

[ShortRound]

Yeah I checked out narnia.com the other day, definitely a very nice looking website. I'm a huge fan of the Narnia books, and hughj, Prince Caspian was actually my favorite of all the books, I think it will translate quite well to a movie, but of course I'm psyched for LTWTW for now.

[Mutant X]

No. The end of THE LAST BATTLE is one of the greatest things, ever. I was literally weeping with joy at the beauty of it all. If you want me to explain further, we should probably start a spoiler thread somewhere.


Please do so or at least PM me so that i can get the full details.

[Neal]

The only thing I'm concerned about right now is the look of the White Witch. In the books, the way that Lewis seems to describe her in both The Lion, The Witch... and The Magician's Nephew is extremely beautiful, a dangerous, sexual beauty that sort of invades innocence. In the horrid BBC production they made the Witch look like a monster, incredibly pedestrian and obvious. That is most definitely not the way to go.

Tilda Swinton... hmmm... she has a sort of strange beauty, but I hope they really turn up the wattage on her. She certainly looks very European. I would have preferred someone a little more exotic, almost Asian or Indian looking, pitch black hair and dark eyes, to drive home the feeling of a "forbidden fruit" quality about her. At the least Tilda better not be blonde in this. From some of the sketches and designs, they may have gotten this right, but I need to see a shot of her in costume to be put to ease.

[imported_T_M]

The bootlegged trailer (Shaky-Cam...sorry) (http://www.e-mafia.net/sa/NarniaTrailer.wmv)

Even though it was taken directly from a camcorder, I have to say that this movie definitely ooks nice.

[Neal]

Consider my earlier post a fanboy outburst. this article (http://www.narniafans.com/?id=237) has a picture of the White Witch and I consider my fears to be slightly diminished. Though I would have still preferred something more exotic. Tilda's looking pretty good.

[ShortRound]

Yeah I saw that picture and the other two in the issue of Newsweek that came out today. I thought that picture was alright, the picture of the White Witch that was in this mornings USA Today was fantastic, it will put you even more at ease in terms of concerns about how she looks.

[Neal]

The more I think about it, the more I see a controversy if they had gone in my direction anyway. A more Indian or Asian looking White Witch may have well brought all kinds of protests from minority groups claiming that they are being shown as evil or something like that, especially with the Christian slant of the other metaphors in the story. That would not be my intention with those choices, but I can see where the controversy would come from. Tilda is a safe choice, but it's unfortunate that it has to be that way.

[SPEEDRAZOR]

Wasn't C.S Lewis an athiest though?

[moovyphreak]

Shaky Cam Bootleg trailer is no longer available.

[Schwartz]

Wasn't C.S Lewis an athiest though?

Hmm, my online sarcasm detector readings are inconclusive, so just to be safe....No. Very No.

[moovyphreak]

The first trailer with an intro from director Andrew Adamson is now available for viewage, courtesy of Moviefone:

http://movies.channel.aol.com/franchise/exclusives/chronicles_of_narnia_movie

[Monty Underhill]

Wasn't C.S Lewis an athiest though?

He was until his friend J.R.R. Tolkien converted him back to Catholicism.

[Neal]

I don't think C.S. Lewis became catholic. J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout catholic, to be sure. But what he did for Lewis was to bring him to a belief of God, not necessarily bend him toward Catholicism. I believe that Lewis was a Protestant.

EDIT: I watched that trailer yesterday, and nearly teared up. I didn't even have that reaction with the LOTR trailers.

[ShortRound]

Well it was about damn time! It was great to finally, finally, after years of being a Narnia fan, get to see the first trailer in a non-shaky cam bootleg fashion. Everything in the trailer looks pretty good, from Aslan to the kids to the white witch. This definitely teased many different characters and aspects of the film, so that was really cool. Looking forward to seeing what the next trailer looks like.

[Ckrisz]

Battle scenes looked a bit like the grade-school version of LOTR ... and could that field get any greener without shading psychelic? CGI Aslan doesn't really work, either.

Other than that, looks a bit generic.

[Annika]

The only thing I'm concerned about right now is the look of the White Witch.
I quite agree. The trailer looks wonderful (though admittedly I may be biased because I really want to love this movie), but she looks...washed out. I always thought she should look like Snow White, only older and crueler. So perhaps I am merely disappointed that she looks different than I imagined. But whatever the reason, I am not pleased. I hope that in a longer trailer (and, of course, the actual movie) her blondness is less distracting.

[turk128]

Great teaser and I really like the direction they are going with their designs and colors (high saturation for Narnia... mmmm).

For some reason, the glimpse of the huge polar bears pulling the W. Witch's chariot really got me stoked.

[ShortRound]

Personally, that was probably my favorite shot in the whole trailer, seeing the White Witch being pulled on the chariot by the bears was awesome. I also loved the shot of the White Witchs wolves (did they have names? I forget). I agree that the battle scenes looked awfully bright, but if they're fighting in the middle of the day, what else would it look like?

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

That really worked for me.

[Charlie Brigden]

I dunno... it probably would have seemed less underwhelming if LOTR hadn't been seen already.

[Holy Diver]

Should be interesting to see how they do the film version of the final book. Where it's revealed that all the kids had been killed in a train accident, and the whole Narnia thing was just to ease them into Heaven.

Aslan is Jesus. Narnia was bullshit. The end. ;)

[ShortRound]

What kind of reactions to the trailer have people been seeing when they go to see Star Wars? I know when I saw it a few days ago, people were loving all the good trailers, but Narnia got a huge round of applause, definitely the best reaction of all the movies, including Batman and WOTW. Made me think that this movie could be even bigger than I originally thought.

[hughJ]

Should be interesting to see how they do the film version of the final book. Where it's revealed that all the kids had been killed in a train accident, and the whole Narnia thing was just to ease them into Heaven.

Aslan is Jesus. Narnia was bullshit. The end. ;)

Hrmm.. Narnia was bullshit? Narnia was just to ease them into Heaven? I think you need to reread the last book :) Narnia was no more "bullshit" than the England they grew up in, and the world we live in today. The whole idea of the "shadowlands" was that heaven was just a *more real* version of the world we live in - brighter, more beautiful, happier, etc.

[PhishMan]

BUMP!


Any ideas as to what these guys are going to be releasing at Comic Con? Got into a discussion about it with some friends a couple days ago...should be something cool I would think. Anyone heard anything?

[Belethedheliel]

Tilda Swinton is perfect for the White Witch, IMHO, since she has a great physical representation there.

The lion (aslan) is less than ideal, but that's the naturalist/zoologist/anal perfectionist in me.

It probably won't impress me as much as LOTR, but I am really hoping it is not disappointing. The immediate area on the 'other side' of the wardrobe (lampost et al) was just as I visualized it.

[Hair-Metal Hero]

Lewis was most definitely a conserative Catholic, largely due to many lengthy discussions with Tolkien who fostered him back to the faith after many years of being a proclaimed atheist. Trust me, Senior year of college I wrote a massive paper on these two, and the Religious aspect was a major point of my piece. Read Lewis' non-fiction(Especially Surprised By Joy) and you can get a great understanding of the man and his beliefs. I went to Boston College (A Jesuit institution) and one of the more popular professors there teaches several classes on Tolkien and Lewis for the Theology and Philosophy department, unfortunately I didn't have the time to take these classes, but my friends did, and man the Prof. laid out a lot of heavy stuff judging by their notes. It still irks me I couldn't take those classes. It will be unavoidable to secularize this film, and hey, I don't want them to. The underlying religious metaphor is a key component to what makes these stories work so well, its good to see that the themes may be slightly downplayed but not neutered, its also good to see that we don't have an "Omega Code" like production on this film as well. I think there can be a balance of the Secular fantasy story aspect and the Christian allegory put forth in this work. Sorry to rant here, I'm just a huge fan of Tolkien and Lewis and seeing their works brought to life gets me amped.

[hughJ]

During the past couple months I've reread through the series, and there really are quite a few passages from the books that are nothing short of beautiful. I grew up with these books as a Catholic, and now being probably more of an agnostic, they still offer quite a spiritual experience reading through them. I still find more and more allegorical moments that I never really even picked up on when I was younger. Hopefully they remove the "lamb of god" reference (in #7) that kinda smacks you in the forehead, but other than that the books' subtext are quite gentle.

[ShortRound]

During the past couple months I've reread through the series, and there really are quite a few passages from the books that are nothing short of beautiful. I grew up with these books as a Catholic, and now being probably more of an agnostic, they still offer quite a spiritual experience reading through them. I still find more and more allegorical moments that I never really even picked up on when I was younger. Hopefully they remove the "lamb of god" reference (in #7) that kinda smacks you in the forehead, but other than that the books' subtext are quite gentle.

I read the books as a kid as well, and being rather non-religious, I really didn't pick up on a lot of the religious allegory. I'm looking forward to rereading them before I see the movie, and it will be really interesting to see how much more of it I pick up on this time through.

[Neal]

http://chud.com/news/4112


Aslan looks great. Incredibly noble, Noble with a capital N, just like he should.

I don't quite get the strange ears on those gryphons, though.

[NoahtheStud]

I just hope "The Horse and his Boy" is made into a movie. That is my favorite of the books.

[ShortRound]

Didn't see all of these reported on here at CHUD, but they have a ton of new production photos that they put up last week over at Narnia Web. Some good one's of The Professor, the kids bowing before Aslan and The White Witch with Edmund. The one of Aslan looks pretty amazing, I agree they've done a great job with him.

Narnia Pics (http://www.narniaweb.com/gallery.asp?gall=25&p=4&n=12)

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

A first look at it -
http://churchofthemasses.blogspot.com/2005/10/narnia-deep-magic.html

Sounds like it's gonna be a good'un.

[Neal]

From that review:

But best of all, contrary to Peter Jackson's agenda-aversion manhandling of Tolkien's classic, here, the tone of LW&W is as close to the book as probably could have been achieved.

Someone explain that shit to me. Jackson subverted Tolkien's Christian message? Horseshit. There wasn't one.

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

Someone explain that shit to me. Jackson subverted Tolkien's Christian message? Horseshit. There wasn't one.

Some people would disagree with you. Of course from what I recall Tolkien himself said there wasn't one. But all of that aside, The Chronicles of Narnia certainly are allegories and it's important that they stay that way on film.

[Neal]

"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestation and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in purposed domination of the author." -- J.R.R. Tolkien


Not to say that Tolkien didn't infuse his basic Christian ideals into LOTR. The basics of any religion are there, though, to treat fellow man with respect, to treat nature with respect, that there is such a thing as True Evil which will always exist, and must be fought by Good, etc. But these ideas were certainly not man-handled and subverted by Jackson. All of those basic tenants are certainly present in the films, if not further expanded upon.

My basic point remains; that writer has some skewed viewpoints. She seems a little bit on the aggressive side with the notion that Tolkien's voice was somehow silenced in the movies, and that Christians shouldn't bother putting out a helping hand to non-Christians through their art. But I'm not in disagreement that Narnia shouldn't be ripped away from its messages, as certainly Lewis made much more of a connection to Christianity than Tolkien.

[Kevin Matchstick]

A first look at it -
http://churchofthemasses.blogspot.com/2005/10/narnia-deep-magic.html

From the review: "People particularly want to know if Aslan comes off as a Christ-figure, or just some warm and fuzzy magic lion. Well, I personally cried every moment Aslan was on the screen."

Cried everytime the lion was onscreen? Sounds like a Detroit football fan.

I thank you.

Anyway, that review = hilarious.

[Misfit]

The Chronicles of Movies I'm Not Going to See

[Dan Whitehead]

Do they even bother to explain how Riddick became a lion?

[Werbal_Kint]

I like how Christian groups act like they're sticking it to the man when they get any allusion to Jesus in a movie.

[Kevin Matchstick]

Be honest - how excited are you guys to see Skandar Keynes peformance as Edmund Pevensie?

[Werbal_Kint]

Not nearly as excited as I am to see Patrick Kake as Oreius!

[Greg Clark]

I'm excited for these movies purely because I love the books, not because I need to have my head thunked with the allegory. The books do have a heavy Christian subtext, yes, but it's an undercurring theme and certainly doesn't hamper my, a pronounced atheist, enjoyment of them. They're well written fantasy novels, with some fantastic morals provided to children.

This whole hoo-rah from the evengelicals is kind of a turn off to me, because I'd rather see this movie without reliving the mass amounts of churches flooding the lines, using the movie as an excuse to do recruitment duty, like they did with The Passion.

Aslan is a Jesus parable, but then again, so is Neo, and about a thousand other literary and cinematic characters. The reason Narnia gets so much noise from the devout is because they get to use Lewis as a poster boy for the converted. If the exact same books had been written by anyone else, they'd simply be regarded as classics.

[Neal]

Too true, g-dude. Good points.

[Johan Brock]

I remember watching the cartoon as a kid. It was literally word for word, save for Father Christmas being cut out.

Then I saw the BBC version...>_<

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

Aslan is a Jesus parable, but then again, so is Neo, and about a thousand other literary and cinematic characters. The reason Narnia gets so much noise from the devout is because they get to use Lewis as a poster boy for the converted. If the exact same books had been written by anyone else, they'd simply be regarded as classics.

I really don't think you can compare this to the Matrix. Narnia is strictly a Christian allegory whereas The Matrix mucks about with different religious beliefs.

I guess my question is would "anyone else" (by this I presume you mean a non-Christian) have written such a clear allegory of Christ? I'm glad that the allegory doesn't turn you off and I seriously hope that Christians don't "Browncoat" this movie. Don't get me wrong I'm sure this will blow the doors off Serenity, but I know overproseletyzing of any movie can backlash. And hey if it does do "Passion Dollars" then maybe that means we'll see the other books in film?

[hughJ]

It's really a step beyond simple allegory, as Aslan actually is supposed to be the same Jesus+God as our own. (if you believe such a thing ;))

"But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

[Neal]

Yeah I keep forgetting that myself. Aslan is literally Jesus, not a symbol. Son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea, whom I would assume to be God. And yet, Aslan is also the creator, not just a savior, of Narnia.

[Overlord]

I don't think anybody cares too much that it is a Christian allegory, so long as the movie doesn't contain an overt "become a Christian" message.

What people often forget about religion being fodder for allusion and allegory is that the Bible contains many great stories, including the story of Jesus. Heck, it's often been said that between the Bible and Shakespeare you have every plot-line ever devised.

It's only when someone tells you to take the Bible as literal truth, rather than enjoy the fables and tales it contains, that trouble often ensues.

[ShortRound]

For me the allegory isn't that important. I read the books as a kid and was unaware of the Christian allegory, I simply loved the stories. I am, however, very happy to here they are keeping the movie as close to the book as possible, I think that is important for stories as classic as this one.

[Johan Brock]

Even if it was released in May, that trailer is still giving me goosebumps. It's a Disney movie and yet...no trace of any Disney fingerprints at all. Scary.

[ShortRound]

My friend just showed me the interactive Narnia map that came out this weekend(?)

http://movies.aol.com/movie_exclusive_the_chronicles_of_narnia/map

A bunch of cool features. I'm so much of a Narnia nerd I actually enjoyed seeing them draw out the paths each of the children took in their travels around Narnia.

[Kevin Matchstick]

I'd be lion if I said I was looking forward to this one.

[The Prankster]

I really don't think you can compare this to the Matrix. Narnia is strictly a Christian allegory whereas The Matrix mucks about with different religious beliefs.

That's a bit too simplistic. Narnia is all about the Jesus, yes, but what Lewis did that made it so interesting was that he tied in a lot of stuff that's usually associated with "Pagan" mythology--satyrs, giants, dryads, witches (I can't remember if there was an actual minotaur in the book or if that's an invention of the movies)--and used it as a series of metaphors for Christian principles and ideas. It's similar to the Arthurian mythos in that sense, the Arthurian cycle being a big part of Lewis's inspiration (especially with "Prince Caspian").

Anyway, it's just interesting that Lewis was obviously very comfortable with, and even loved, the kinds of pagan trappings that modern day fundamentalists freak out about. But that comes from his background in Medieval studies, in which the pagan was much more intertwined with the Christian. Look at Tumnus, for example--he's clearly a seductive figure who leads Lucy astray, but he's not EEEEEVIL or demonic. I believe he even redeems himself somewhat.

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

Oh I agree, it's great that he used elements of fantasy in his world. And you're right Tumnus does redeem himself and is shown grace.

Yeah I keep forgetting that myself. Aslan is literally Jesus, not a symbol. Son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea, whom I would assume to be God. And yet, Aslan is also the creator, not just a savior, of Narnia.

Well I don't think Aslan is "literally" Jesus, but is clearly a Christ figure. And don't forget that Jesus in Christianity is the creator as well as the savior.

John 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

[hughJ]

Well I don't think Aslan is "literally" Jesus, but is clearly a Christ figure. And don't forget that Jesus in Christianity is the creator as well as the savior.

It's still allegorical of course as the book is fiction, but if we're only talking about the fictional world of the book, (Earth, Narnia, etc included) it's made pretty clear that Narnia's God+Savior and Earth(Christianity's) God+Savior are one and the same being. (Seeing as Aslan refers to Jesus as "me.")

[hughJ]

I'm really underwhelmed by Liam Neeson's voice for Aslan :| (shown in the new trailer) Aside from being imo way too recognizable, it just doesn't seem to carry the strength needed... maybe just needs some getting used to.

[Straxboy - An Anthony Hickox Film]

I wonder if people who don't love Jesus will feel the same?

Talk about sticking it to 66% (http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.gif) of a potential fellow audience. There's perspective. And stigmatising/marginalising/separating something that's supposed to give off a universal message. "Fuck you, Muslims, this pictures ours !"

I hope things don't get saturated come release time.

[ShortRound]

hughj, I was a little concerned at first, but I actually think it sounded pretty good in the trailer. I imagine hearing him over the course of the movie we'll adapt to the voice pretty quickly.

[JakeWasHere]

I forget exactly how Lewis explained it, but once he started pulling together an overarching plot for the Narnia books (somewhere between thinking up the image of a streetlight in the middle of the woods and thinking up a gigantic lion), he started to think of it in this way: If Jesus were sent to save not just one world but two, the other one being completely different and containing all the ideas of human mythology, how would He go about it and in what form would He appear? Hence the idea of Aslan...

[Slater]

New commercials are calling the book an epic.

It's maybe sixty pages long. If that.

[Matt Goldberg]

New commercials are calling the book an epic.

It's maybe sixty pages long. If that.

208 pages in paperback, bitch!

Which was about 207 pages too long.

[ShortRound]

For those that haven't read any Narnia reviews yet (not sure if there have been any comprehensive reviews of the full film, this is the first one I've seen). Lot's of praise for the CGI, Mr. Tumnus, the wolves and the battle scene.

Narnia Review (http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=21845)

[Kevin Matchstick]

Another recap of the reviews: wardrobe, Christ, kids with broadswords.

[Misfit]

I heard it was Narniawesome.

[Kevin Matchstick]

I'm not familiar with the book. Is the lion the mane character?

[Misfit]

I'm going to the theater to get in lion.

[Jason P. Thompson]

I'm not familiar with the book. Is the lion the mane character?
I almost fell for this one.

Goddammit.

[Nick Nunziata]

I found it to be excessively mediocre but not for the reasons I expected.

[Johan Brock]

IGN's review...
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/674/674222p1.html

[TheCynic]

that review sums the movie up decently.

the effects are mostly great, but some of the animals do look photorealistic and some dont. its a bit distracting. and aslan doesnt. hes really close, but still looks cartoony.

mediocre all in all. the kids were really bad.

[Gorille Verte]

Dunno, as great of an admirer as I am of all things Lord of the Rings related and fantasy film in general, I just can't get behind this...though I did read and enjoy at least one of the books as a kid. I guess I'm turned off by the Focus on the Family Seal of Approval that seems so firmly in place.

[PhishMan]

i spoke with a few friends who caught a prescreen and they thought it was amazing...im still very much looking forward to seeing it. i cant buy this mediocre business...i just wont. heh.

[Gabriel Williams]

The Guardian's critic likes it (http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_Film_of_the_week/0,4267,1655499,00.html).

I particularly like the dig at Mel Gibson. And the one at Margaret Thatcher.

[Mattimus]

Yeah, caught a midnight showing...the CG was very uneven, the beavers were well done and Aslan looked good, but the wolves were about as bad as in "Day After Tomorrow."

Anyone else get the vibe that Mr. Tumnus wanted to screw Lucy? Those looks they exchanged...ewww.

[Johan Brock]

Time for me to let this out of my system.


1.) It is indeed an amazing movie. Don't be fooled by the PC crowd.

2.) The kids CARRIED the film on their shoulders. Not Oscar-worthy, but they were excellent performances.

3.) Yeah, Tilda Swinton kicked ass.

My nitpicks would be that the tone is surprisingly visceral, C.S. Lewis himself would have been shocked. And yes, the CGI was pretty uneven, but it was never distracting.

This definately made my night.

[TheCynic]

what is amazing about it besides the special effects? how are the kids 'excellent performers'? are you kidding me? if you want to give it to lucy and edmund, ok, i disagree, but ill give it to you. but the older two? jesus, the trees gave more powerful performances.

[Richard Dickson]

I enjoyed it. I was sort of anxious waiting for all them to get to Narnia already, but once they did, sure it's not LOTR but it's a fun ride. Some of the background CGI was spotty in places but all the lead characters were solid, especially the beavers, Aslan, and the fauns and centaurs. And that final battle, while a far cry from what's in the book, was pretty spectacular and imaginatively constructed. Yes the two younger kids are the stronger presences, but I don't think there are any performances that sink the film.

I saw it with my significant other who has been a fan of the books since she was five and she devoured the whole thing.

[Johan Brock]

Peter and Susan did fine, and if that makes me almost nuts, fine as well.

Edit: Now I know why that dwarf was familier, he was Elijah Wood's stunt double!

[Richard Dickson]

Oh, and regarding the Santa Claus appearance, I was leery of how this would play on film, but they pulled it off perfectly -- he's never referred to by name, and his design avoids anything remotely traditional (to American audiences, at least). Beyond the white beard and the reindeer-powered sleigh, he's just a jolly old guy bearing gifts, and the scene is absolutely charming.

[Sharpel007]

Way better than I expected, CGI was way better than the trailer led you to bielieve, although I must admit I still prefer the BBC animatronic lion

Much more violent then I thought it would be, the Gregson -Williams score kept making me think of Black Hawk Down though, but I must say I give Disney props for going with Zimmer or Williams

Peter looked and acted like a younger clone of Heath Ledger

Susan was alright, but then again thats the books fault

Edmund was good

but Georgie Henley as Lucy carried the whole bloody movie

Tilda Swinton was as previously mentioned pitch perfect

the only thing I really disliked was the animation on the wolf's mouth which was completly jarring

considering this was directed by the guy who made shrek, i was quite amazed at the camera work

3.65 out of 4

[Neal]

I had a similiar reaction to the first time seeing this as I did from the first time I saw LOTR. Being so familiar with the books, seeing the scenes in my mind played out was simply jarring and there's no way I can make a decision on whether it's good or not. It was certainly exciting, sometimes a little cheesy with its earnestness, but the final half-hour was breath-taking. But I need to see it again to get a solid opinion.

[Johan Brock]

Didn't Devin say he was going to post a review soon?

[Ratty]

Very well done. The only patently "fakey" effects shot were the two girls riding on Aslan, otherwise most of the CG was spot on.

Tilda Swinton could not have been more perfectly cast. She owned the movie and gave it a real sense of menace.

Was I the only person who thought the lead wolf was voiced by Michael Madsen? I swear it sounded just like him. Not according to the credits, though.

[Sumeragi]

I found Narnia to be unexpectadly awesome. Of all the nit picks I have with it though, it's that they left out the scene in the book where the witch comes upon some animals having Chirstmas dinner and turns them all to stone. It was one of my favorite parts as a kid, and I was suprised it didn't make it into the movie. Luckily Tilda Swinton still manages to make the witch menacing.

[Richard Dickson]

I found Narnia to be unexpectadly awesome. Of all the nit picks I have with it though, it's that they left out the scene in the book where the witch comes upon some animals having Chirstmas dinner and turns them all to stone. It was one of my favorite parts as a kid, and I was suprised it didn't make it into the movie. Luckily Tilda Swinton still manages to make the witch menacing.
I'm pretty sure the group of animals they stumble upon with the beavers was meant to be a nod to that scene.

[Johan Brock]

When the beavers are showing the children the huge valley of the stone table, did anybody see the Pride Rock resemblence..?

[Mattimus]

When the beavers are showing the children the huge valley of the stone table, did anybody see the Pride Rock resemblence..?

I half-expected a red-assed baboon to come out of a corner and hit Peter in the face with his walking stick...

[Richard Dickson]

Box Office Mojo has the Friday take at $23.9 million.

[Ckrisz]

I'm the biggest secular humanist liberal there is and I really enjoyed the hell out of this film. There were no big evangelical moments in the movie that I could recognize.

The last battle was badass as hell. Very LOTR in the speed and violent feel of it. Excellent stuff.

I agree with those who say that the older kids didn't really hold up their end, especially Susan, who brought nothing to the role. The kids who played Edmund and Lucy were excellent. CGI was a bit spotty, but nothing that really took you out of the film.

[Johan Brock]

There were no big evangelical moments in the movie that I could recognize.

I don't think C.S. Lewis would go that far. ;)

[jrdavis82]

I really dug this film......it's no lord of the rings but it was never meant to be....I know it's supposed to be a "family-friendly" film, but i really wanted some more character development in it, it just seemed like a whole chunk of it was missing or something, I really wanted to learn more about some of the supporting characters.....i'm just nitpicking......hopefully in the sequels to come they will flesh out some of the other characters and make it longer so it feels a little more "epic".....Other than that excellent battle scene at the end there and I really don't see why most people say the CGI was shoddy, it looked great to me, but then again i was really engrossed in the movie.....

[Slater]

So. Fucking. Bad.

[Richard Dickson]

Well that was enlightening.

[yoda1]

So. Fucking. Bad.


I. So. Agree.

And. Don't. Understand. What. All. The. Fuss. Is. About.

[Johan Brock]

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. (shrugs)

[Richard Dickson]

A $67 million opening weekend, the second-highest December opening of all time.

[Slater]

Well that was enlightening.

Well, I could waste a lot of time writing about how fake and cheap most of the special effects looked, or the fact that nothing really happens until the last ten minutes of the film, or the way that the kids were fairly bad actors, or the way the big battle felt like a video game rather than a moment of genuine danger, or the way Adamson flubs the emotional beats and character development to the point where I can't imagine any non-Christian adult getting upset over Aslan's death, to Swinton's surprisingly bad performance, or the way that I'll forgive shitty CGI in something like Zathura but not a $200 million dollar tentpole flick, to the way that most of the supporting characters were so underdeveloped that their deaths meant nothing, to the simple fact that for a large portion of the film, I was bored and I wished I was somewhere else, but SO. FUCKING. BAD. seemed like less work.

[Micah Robinson]

Well, I could waste a lot of time writing about how fake and cheap most of the special effects looked, or the fact that nothing really happens until the last ten minutes of the film, or the way that the kids were fairly bad actors, or the way the big battle felt like a video game rather than a moment of genuine danger, or the way Adamson flubs the emotional beats and character development to the point where I can't imagine any non-Christian adult getting upset over Aslan's death, to Swinton's surprisingly bad performance, or the way that I'll forgive shitty CGI in something like Zathura but not a $200 million dollar tentpole flick, to the way that most of the supporting characters were so underdeveloped that their deaths meant nothing, to the simple fact that for a large portion of the film, I was bored and I wished I was somewhere else, but SO. FUCKING. BAD. seemed like less work.

It's so odd, because I could see how someone could make these charges against the film....and yet, I liked most of it. Meanwhile, I remembering making many of the same complaints against LOTR: FOTR.

Fantasty is such a tricky genre to get right, it seems. I thought there was some bad acting and some bad CGI, but not enough to drag down the story by a longshot. I thought it was rather refreshing, mostly.

[Johan Brock]

Swinton's surprisingly bad performance

....what movie were you watching?

[Richard Dickson]

Well, I could waste a lot of time writing about how fake and cheap most of the special effects looked, or the fact that nothing really happens until the last ten minutes of the film, or the way that the kids were fairly bad actors, or the way the big battle felt like a video game rather than a moment of genuine danger, or the way Adamson flubs the emotional beats and character development to the point where I can't imagine any non-Christian adult getting upset over Aslan's death, to Swinton's surprisingly bad performance, or the way that I'll forgive shitty CGI in something like Zathura but not a $200 million dollar tentpole flick, to the way that most of the supporting characters were so underdeveloped that their deaths meant nothing, to the simple fact that for a large portion of the film, I was bored and I wished I was somewhere else, but SO. FUCKING. BAD. seemed like less work.
Someone posts "Meh" and they get their head bitten off, so I thought we had sort of moved beyond mono-syllabic posing and decided to post actual opinions. My bad.

[Slater]

....what movie were you watching?

A shitty one.

[Nick Nunziata]

It's so odd, because I could see how someone could make these charges against the film....and yet, I liked most of it. Meanwhile, I remembering making many of the same complaints against LOTR: FOTR.

Fantasty is such a tricky genre to get right, it seems. I thought there was some bad acting and some bad CGI, but not enough to drag down the story by a longshot. I thought it was rather refreshing, mostly.

Refreshing = Derivative.

[Micah Robinson]

Refreshing = Derivative.

Nah, not at all. To me, the film was like The Bourne Supremacy. The ultimate reckoning/doing away with the bad guys/climactic battle was nifty, but not even the point of the film. It was about family and relationships, and I mostly bought the performances of the kids and their characters' relationships. I hated the oldest sister, but really enjoyed seeing the other 3 coming into their own.

Instead of a wizard, orcs, trolls, and whatever else forming into a party to go on a quest for a magical item (yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwn), it was about children torn from a comfortable life learning to forge a new one, both collectively and individually in a strange land. And unlike LOTR, there was actually a compelling antagonist to make their journey worthwhile.

I don't really care that some of the CGI was spotty, nor do I care about the ultra-obvious Aslan/Christ allegory. Did the story work? Yes. Did the characters work? Yes. All I needed.

[moovyphreak]

I rather enjoyed the film. It's been years since I had read the books or seen the BBC movie, so it was almost like being re-introduced to the characters all over again.

The strongest performances were Tilda Swinton as the White Witch and Georgie Henley as Lucy. Ray Winstone and Dawn French did a fabulous job as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and I also thought James McAvoy did good work as Mr. Tumnus, as did Jim Broadbent as the Professor.

As for the digital effects, everything was fairly solid, except for the wolves. Aslan was done very well and I'm thinking that the FX artists put much more work into him into making him as believable as possible, since he's such a central character to the story.

I also liked that the film wasn't overly long. To me, the story never felt rushed and I absolutely loved Jim Broadbent's final line. It ended the film on a perfect note.

8.0 out of 10

[Marksda1]

I thought this was a wonderful movie. It's been decades since I really read the books, but the movie was true to my best recollection of the first book in the series.

I felt the actors turned in competent performances, the girl who played Lucy was spot-on, and the White Queen was wicked! I began to buy Peter more and more as the movie went, and Edmund was seriously changed by the end. I think Susan was, as others have said, the weakest, but you know, so is that character in the book.

The CGI was not Lord of the Rings level, no question, but I never felt sucked out of the movie by anything. Maybe if I watched it a few more times, I'd be more critical on that level, but all in all, it seemed to fit the tone of the book well.

The audience I watched it with applauded. The next showing was sold out and had a line wrapped around the theater waiting for seats!

And I loved the little scene sneaked in between the Prof. and Lucy in the midst of the credits. A quarter of the audience hurrying out the doors missed it.

Ready for more Narnia!

[Johan Brock]

Refreshing = Derivative.

Boo! Bad Nick! Bad! ;)

[ShortRound]

Swinton's surprisingly bad performance.

I understand some of your criticisms but am pretty shocked by this one. I was very, very impressed with Swinton's performance, and in a year with a fairly thin and weak slate of Best Actress nominees I think she is worthy of a nomination. While I wish there had been a little more emotional connection to some of the characters, I enjoyed the movie from start to finish, and found it a fun, pleasurable watch. This was 9/10 for me personally.

[Martin Savage]

A shitty one.

I thought Swinson was fine, and so was the centaur dude, but the rest...

That was 2 hours of my life I'll never get back.

But again, to each is own.

[phoenix_214]

Peter and Susan did fine, and if that makes me almost nuts, fine as well.

Edit: Now I know why that dwarf was familier, he was Elijah Wood's stunt double!
Deep. Roy.

I enjoyed it; mostly because of the nostalgic feeling I got remembering the old animated version I used to watch over and over again, and how it used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid.

The effects were fine for a fantasy movie. There have been much worse certainly, and few better, particularly where the animal effects were involved. One thing to remember on that point is that anthropomorphosizing animals will always seem hokey... because they don't actually talk. I almost prefer movies who let animals speak through creative telepathy to those who make them move their damn mouths. I imagine this will be one of the main failing points of Jurassic Park 4.

[NoahtheStud]

I was very impressed by this movie when I saw it last night. I read the books when I was a kid and I was expecting to be disappointed by the movie because movies rarely match the book, but the director did a great job bringing it to the screen.

The only special effect that took me out of the story for a moment was the fake backgound when the children were standing on the natural arch.

I would recommend this movie. I applauded with the rest of the audience at the end of the movie and that is something I rarely do.

[Richard Dickson]

Deep. Roy.
Actually, it's Kiran Shah.

[Overlord]

What was the scene introduced in the credits? I left rather promptly.

Info appreciated.

[Johan Brock]

It is night, Lucy asks the professor if she can go back to Narnia. No, says the professor, it won't do any good to go back by that route, but once a queen of Narnia, always a queen of Narnia. In fact, she may return someday.

And as they leave the shot, the wardrobe door creaks a tad bit open, revealing some bright light. And we hear Aslan's roar. :)

Edit: As much as I liked this scene, it does feel a tad sloppy to add it after the first bunch of credits, giving off a feel of anti-climatic editing.

[Slater]

I was very, very impressed with Swinton's performance, and in a year with a fairly thin and weak slate of Best Actress nominees I think she is worthy of a nomination.

Get a grip. I should get a Best Actress nomination before Swinton, and I have a cock. She was one haughty cackle away from becoming a 1940s Disney Wicked Stepmother.

Looking pissed and over-enunciating every other word isn't the same as giving a good performance. Just ask Michelle Rodriguez.

[The Prankster]

Michelle Rodriguez enunciates?

Also: you have a cock?

[Geoff Foster]

I took the nieces and nephews at the weekend. I think it drags in a couple of places and the effects are not to the standard I'd expect from such a big budget.

However, the kids loved every minute of it (I must have crashed into ten mini-Aslans leaving the theatre). I reckon they're better placed than a crotchety old nut to make assessments on movies such as this, and so I'll defer to their noisy judgement.

[phoenix_214]

Actually, it's Kiran Shah.
Well it damn well should have been Deep Roy...

[Capt. Eucalyptus]

Narnia, not an allegory. (http://thinklings.org/jared/?p=377) I read two blogs that this guy participates in and his group is pretty knowledgeable about Lewis. Just another take. Also I don't think that Lewis intended this to be a recruiting tool. It's more of a what if, along the lines of "If Narnia existed, how would Christ look in it?"

[kingcujoI]

Golden Globes:

Hollywood Foreign Press
Golden Globe Nominations

Best Supporting Actress
Scarlett Johannsson, Match Point
Shirley MacLaine, In Her Shoes
Slater, He Who Became She
Rachel Weisz, Contant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain



I could see it....

[Neal]

I saw it again yesterday to get a solid opinion and have decided that I am very pleased with it. The two younger children, especially G.H., were great. The other two were servicable. The actor who played Peter had trouble with quiet "being there" acting, but when he had to explode into some sort of rage or other heightened emotional state he did very well. There was nothing about the actress who played Susan that was really good or really bad, just a kind of blandness that was inoffensive enought to not detract from the rest of the film.

I really enjoyed the structure and how they kept close to the book. They could have just shoved all four kids in at once and had at it, but they did the smart thing with smaller visits and "is it real or not" moments before the true adventure began. I especially loved the cross-cutting in the last 20 minutes between the girls with Aslan and the battle. Well handled cuts. Definitely had an LOTR feel to it, but it worked.

Yes, I'm very happy with this.

[mpg211]

I agree. I dug the flick on many levels. On one hand the children were all varying degrees of good, though the two older kids really didn't have much to do. Tilda Swinton rocked as the white witch, while I loved the facial expressions of Aslan.

The effects weren't bad, though noticibly cg in many many instances. However, the buildup of that battle scene, and the way it played out was certainly worth. I had a geek moment when they showed the Phoenix. Awesomeness pure and simple.

[The Prankster]

Yeah, the whole "It's a Christian allegory! Run!" thing has been blown out of proportion. Lewis just sat down to write a kid's book based on some images he had in his head, like a Faun under a lamppost in wintertime, and the Christian stuff just popped in because that was his special concern. There's actually a lot of pro-Pagan allegory in the Narnia books too, which everyone seems to ignore. Lewis's worldview was wide enough to encompass both.

The movie was pretty good. I have to say, I'm really pretty deeply attached to the books from my childhood, so any movie adaptation is going to fall short. Knowing and accepting this, I was somewhat impressed that some stuff I was worried about from the trailer didn't come true. The CGI was obvious, but still pretty good, especially on Aslan. Actually, it was a good choice to have most of the creatures be all-CGI all the time, because you stop noticing. If they had gone back and forth between puppets or real animals, it would have been distracting.

There were a lot of little problems, though, mostly stemming from its treating the material the same way the Harry Potter movies did. And a couple of major problems, like the awful music. Gah.