Time-Out for Faith
Believe what you want.
Know this.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion Witch, and the Wardrobe was an 85 page book written nearly three score years ago. PBS did a version of the first three in the late ’80’s. And now, the first serious attempt has been made to recreate a story that enchanted me since the late ’80’s.
The attempt worked. TLMEK has been VERY excited to see this movie since the first trailers started making their way out at the end of summer. She has read the books 6.02214 x 10 ^23 times, and I warned her:
“Please don’t be disappointed if the movie doesn’t live up to your gianormous expectations.”
Boy, do I feel silly. This movie was excellent. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, but the story was told well. True, Clive can be a little dry at times, and the movie took awhile to take off, but as soon as we got all four children through the wardrobe, I was enchanted. Here’s why…
1) The actress playing Lucy was adorable. I wanted to take her home in a very baby-fever sort of way. Of course, TLMEK and I would have to move to the UK, so our little Maggie ( 
) would grow up British.
2) The CG was MUCH better than I thought it would be. Talking animals are talking animals, but it didn’t feel as clunky as I was expecting. They were not over the top; nor did they did not take away from the movie. I hope this means that we’re turning the corner of just-having-special-effects-for-special-effect’s-sake and learning how to integrate them more.
3) The story stayed close to the oringinal, and resident archivist TLEMK said the changes were neglible enough that she didn’t feel slighted. (ARE YOU LISTENING HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE? Stop, I know 85 pages versuses 700 pages is a lot different.)
4) Have a I mentioned how cute Lucy was? It hurt my heart. It may have grown three times its regular size.
Walden Media has optioned all seven movies, and most reviews expect the movies to get better as Narnia establishes itself, just as the ‘Arry Pottery Barn movies have.
So, go out and watch this movie.
Believe a little.
Have some faith in myth, and suspend reality for a bit.
We could all use a little of that every now again.
RSS Trackback URL 9. December 2005 (22:55)Filed under: General, Music and Movies, Chomping on Books
6 Comments»
Cindy
10. December 2005 | 20:32 hPerhaps you could shed some light on why the news networks seem to be obsessing over the Christian, Jesus figure subtext going on in the story - I read it many moons ago, but I don’t remember anything like that. The news says they are marketing the movies to the Christian population… did you guys pick up on that at all?
Ness
10. December 2005 | 22:17 hC.S. Lewis was a Christian writer, and his entire Narnia series is laden with Christian allegory. Because the movie is so faithful to the original book, it makes perfect sense that the movie has the same Christian themes. However, you only notice them if you know to look for them. I first read the series when I was 7, and had no trouble making the connection between Christ and Aslan, and the other themes in the books. Just ask my mom. “Oh! So Aslan gets killed by an evil witch on a stone table to save Edmund? Then he rises from the dead? Gee, I think maybe I’ve read this story in some other much bigger book!” I am actually annoyed with the media (and normally I’m on their side) for making it seem like the film makers are peddling movies to the Christian base. I feel that if any of the media had actually read the book, they would realize that to take away the “Christian” themes, would essentially take away the entire plot of the book. It seems strange to me that there is so much criticism of the movie, yet no one is criticising the great C.S. Lewis for putting such themes in his books in the first place. If the author hadn’t put it in the book, the film makers wouldn’t put it in the movie. I apologize for the rant, but the Narnia books are near and dear to my heart. I hope the film makers contiinue to be faithful to the original series.
Tony
10. December 2005 | 22:35 hHeh.
I didn’t know the books had Christian allegory when I read them the first time, which was when I was around ten.
In fact, I didn’t know they had any allegory until I met TLEMK, and she mentioned it.
Easiest way to check is to go back and read them. I don’t think the movie went over the top with it, but like Ness said, the movie stayed pretty true to the book.
Because the books are famous for their allegory, I can see how they would be marketed to a Christian base. I did not want to see this movie because of this; rather I went to see it because it’s fantasy, and a childhood favorite. Either way you decide to look at it, it was a good book/movie.
Beth
12. December 2005 | 20:57 hRemember when Passion of the Christ came out in theaters? It was a huge blockbuster; there is a rather large base of Christian viewers out there who rarely go out to the movies because their content is undesirable to them. So, let’s assume for a moment that they were marketing to Christian viewers…..What’s wrong with that? I mean, you know there are movies marketed to young viewers, old viewers, liberal viewers, conservative vierwers…..why not Christian viewers?
To anybody looking for a more detailed analysis of the parallels between Narnia and the Bible, there are several excellent books on the subject.
Ebjournal Revisited. » Monsieur’s Madcap Movie Madness Montage…
29. December 2005 | 23:07 h[…] True, I saw this movie before break came, but what you may NOT know, gentle readers, is that I went and saw it again, with my sibs, whilst my mom was off cavorting ( cavort, cavort! Anyone?) in Africa. It was still good. You can read more about it here. Grade: A- because it’s geared more for kids, and I’d seen it once. But dang if Lucy Pevensie ain’t the cutest thing I done ever seen. […]