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

—1. Overview
—2. Reviews and Blogs
—3. Cast and Crew
—4. Photo Pages
—5. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—6. Posters
—7. Production Notes (pdf)
—8. Spiritual Connections
—9. Presentation Downloads

Well, let’s see here. Huge battle scene. Check. Fanciful creatures; some wondrous and beautiful, some hideous and grotesque. Check. A plucky band of heroes willing to stand for what’s good and right no matter the cost. Check. Wise, benevolent, self-sacrificing, powerful character representing all that is good. Check. Cunning, malicious, dark, brutal character representing all that is evil. Check. Grandiose setting with scenic back-drops. Check. Yup, looks like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has all the necessary elements to be the next epic, fantasy/adventure...except for the fact that it’s pretty much missing the epic feel one would expect from such a film. It lacks the intensity and emotional weight of a true epic and instead comes off as a sort of “fantasy/adventure lite�. In fact, “lite� is the word that I think best describes this movie. This isn’t to say that Narnia is a bad film, because it isn’t. In fact, it’s a good, faithful adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved book, but it’s a difficult film to review. Terrible movies are easy to review, as are great movies, because it’s so easy to find words to describe the experience. Average movies, however, are much tougher to review because it’s hard to properly present what one might experience upon viewing. Narnia is definitely an average movie – not terrible, but not great – and hence, it’s hard film to pin down in a review such as this.

Let me begin by saying that Liam Neeson just doesn’t seem to me like the right choice for Aslan. After all, Aslan is perhaps the most important character in this story, and the most crucial to get right, especially to appease fans of the book. However, it felt like he was in Qui Gon mode (the Jedi Master that trained Obi Wan in Star Wars Episode I) while recording his lines, which unfortunately made Aslan seem a bit tame. He definitely nails the compassion, love and wisdom of Aslan, but as for the ferocity and wildness of the famed lion, well, those elements were lacking. Both the book and film state that Aslan is not a tame lion, but he certainly seemed that way on screen. I can’t help but think that James Earl Jones would have been the perfect voice for Aslan, but seeing as he has already voiced a previous lion, that obviously wasn’t a choice. The same goes for Jeremy Irons, who I also think would have made an excellent choice. However, Neeson does do a competent job in bringing Aslan to life, and the special effects for the lion itself are top notch, so although he seemed tame, he was also still quite impressive when seen on the big screen.

The stand out performance in this film probably belongs to Tilda Swinton as the White Witch. She fully embodies this character and perfectly portrays her arrogance, grace, cruelty and malevolence. Plus, she was the only one that I really believed knew how to handle a sword. I know that Peter and Edmund are just kids, but to see them engage in a battle wildly swinging their swords about like...well like children, I was kind of surprised they weren’t instantly killed by the witch’s battle-hardened and trained creatures. Of the four Pevensie children, I thought Georgie Henley, the actress who played Lucy, turned in the best performance. The other actors did decent jobs, but for the most part, I thought their acting was a bit stiff (insert British joke here). Competent is perhaps the best word I can use to describe the performances over all. The Beavers were perhaps the most enjoyable to watch, while Mr. Tumnus unfortunately felt a bit shallow. Again, you won’t be seeing any Oscar material in this lot.

The special effects for Narnia in some places are quite good, and in a very few places, seemed to lack polish. Perhaps with finishing the DVD release of a certain other fantasy adventure series, working on an upcoming, epic monster film with a certain hairy ape, and supervising the effects for this film, WETA found themselves a bit overworked and therefore unable to give their full attention to everything. Still, Narnia comes to life on the big screen in an impressive way. Much of what is seen will delight fans of the book because set pieces so closely matches what one would imagine while reading. The creature effects for the most part are also quite good, though I’d have to agree with Lewis when he expressed concerns about anthropomorphized creatures talking on the big screen. Such a thing works well in the mind of the reader, but some how it doesn’t translate as well onto the big screen for people to see. There were also a couple points where I thought to myself “how did that guy fit into that animal-slash-monster costume, and more importantly, how can he run around like that in it?�, but those moments were few and far between.

Now, for the music. I really don’t know what to say. It was so different from what I expected that I kept alternating from enjoying it and hating it. The score has some elements that made it seem strangely contemporary for such a timeless tale, and at times it was almost jarring how it contrasted with what was on the screen. At other times it blended so well with what was going on that I didn’t even notice it was there, and still other moments the music didn’t lend the emotional punch to a scene that it should have despite its best efforts. In the end, I’m still not sure what to think of the movie score, except to say it gets the job done.

Before I go any further, let me take a moment and lay to rest any fears fans may have of certain elements being lost from page to screen. All the allegorical elements that fans desperately wanted to make sure would be included in the film are there, and not watered down in the least. The scene at the stone table is pretty much exactly what it should be, although it wasn’t quite as dark as I imagined it. Again, “lite� would be a good word to describe it. All those themes of redemption, love, sacrifice and forgiveness are displayed in the movie without compromise, but I have to wonder whether or not someone who isn’t familiar with the book or the Bible would catch them. Sure they may seem familiar to Christians, they already know the story, but for others these themes may not be quite as obvious, and the whole “gospel message� contained in this story will likely have to be explained to the unfamiliar. Still, as I said, this is a very faithful adaptation of the book, and the rumors of things being changed apparently were either unfounded or listened to and influenced some of the editing. There were some early concerns over a rumored change that switched a reference to the Emperor Over the Sea to the Four Winds, but that wasn’t any where to be seen in this cut of the film. However, whether or not the message of this movie will it the life-changing, culture-changing phenomenon many are hoping for seems unlikely.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a good movie, but something was lost in its translation from book to screen. While I still enjoy the Narnia stories as an adult reader, as an adult at the movies I wasn’t nearly as entertained. But then again, maybe I wasn’t supposed to be. This movie seems to be squarely aimed at the 8-12 year-old crowd. Anyone in that age group will find this film to be an awesome experience. Christians will be happy to know that their beloved classic hasn’t been tampered with, and in that regard I think they’ll also love this film. People who haven’t read the book may find the movie to be enjoyable and fun, but not anything special. Fans of fantasy/adventure films will be sorely disappointed by the “lite-ness� of this journey to Narnia, and may have a hard time taking it seriously. In the end, Narnia is a good film that does a competent job of adapting a beloved story, but I don’t think it will meet some people’s expectations and certainly doesn’t even begin to compare to the scale or grandeur of a certain other fantasy trilogy that was written by a contemporary of C.S. Lewis’. Enjoy the journey through the wardrobe while you can, because I have a feeling that it will not reign at the box office for long when another King vies for that throne the following weekend. When that happens, this film will quickly be pushed from the forefront of most people’s consciousness, only to be rediscovered when it returns on DVD.

—Overview
—Reviews and Blogs