The Chronicles of Narnia

Late Saturday morning I was watching one of the cable news entertainment shows. I don't recall which one and honestly it's not important. The overly cheery and overly expressive female commentator was finishing up talking about a gay cowboy movie and eating pudding*, but what made me stay tuned was that she said when the commercial break was over they would be talking about King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia, both movies that I have an interest in. The first because it's a monster movie by Peter Jackson and I love monster movies, and the second because it's a mythical fantasy movie based on the beloved book by C.S. Lewis and I love those just as much. The King Kong segment was fantastic and with each spot and trailer I want to see this movie more and more. The spot on Narnia did something that few movie trailers do repeatedly. It gave me goose bumps.
"Jenne," I called out from the couch. "We're seeing Narnia this afternoon." This was a statement of fact, and not a question or request. Seeing the TV segment, interviews with the cast and crew, and an extended trailer pushed me over the edge.
"It's opening weekend and it will probably be sold out," Jenne called back.

"I'll get tickets on the Internet," I replied and it was off to the basement, only to find out that none of the threatres we go to had Internet sales as an option. Not to worry. The Muvico at Arundle Mills was showing Narnia every forty-five minutes, so it was off to the biggest, most crowded, most insane parking lot. I would not be dissuaded. We were off and we made it without incident. Sorry if it should disappoint you that I have no stories of assclowns, but the ride over, the subsequent hunt for a parking space and the purchasing of tickets were all without incident. Jenne and I got excellent seats in a theatre that was about fifty/fifty adults/kids. Jenne and I were flanked by kids, but again I have no tales to tale about assclowns or demon seeds. Everyone turned off their cell phones, the kids quieted down and the film rolled. My fears that the Disney touch would ruin Narnia were quickly put to rest. The film started off with the audience flying along with German bombers starting their bombing run over London and quickly introduced us to the four Pevensie children. From there we moved to a train station and a ride with children into the English countryside to Professor Kirke’s home. Once there it was too the wardrobe and into Narnia. Director Andrew Adamson and screenwriter Ann Peacock certainly paid lots of attention to the fantasy genre precedents set by Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings films. Narnia and its inhabitants are beautifully realized and brought to life. The film moves at a good pace and overall I was amazed at how well they adapted the tale to fit into 125 minutes. All of the key parts are there and the few things that were added (the thawing of the river and ice crossing) fit so seamlessly in the script that it could pass for C.S. Lewis' own hand. Actress Tilda Swinton was great as the White Witch. The animals, creatures and Aslan were fantastic and very believable. I didn’t doubt for a single second that all of them were 100% real, especially Aslan and he is thee character that has to be 100% spot on or the whole film would have collapsed. He is voiced wonderfully by Liam Neison. What a great choice for the voice of Aslan. The battle at the end of the film is fantastic and, if you have seen all three Lord of the Rings films, it falls between the fight at the end of Fellowship and the Battle of Helms deep in the Two Towers, with a touch of the Pellinor Fields thrown in. Very believable and all of the animals and creatures look fantastic. If you love fantasy battles, you will love this one. The only minor drawbacks for both Jenne and I were the soundtrack and a few moments in the performances of the children. The Harry Gregson-Williams score was a bit too modern sounding and did not have the majesty or sweep required for an epic fantasy. At times it reached for that, but always fell short of the musical mark. Music is huge factor in the emotional involvement of the audience with the characters, story and action presented onscreen. Each main character needs a theme, but if there was one, we never heard it. There were times when I was teary eyed, angry and happy, but the music failed to push me over that emotional edge that I so enjoy. Narnia really could have used Howard Shore or John Williams. The children did a fine job, but there were brief moments when their performances were a bit… hmm… well they were a touch weak here and there, but not to a point where they would destroy the film. I chalk it up to lack of experience and that they had to act against a green screen, which has to be really hard. All in all this modern film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is excellent and Jenne and I give it two thumbs up. This is both a film that we would see a few more times on the big screen and that we will definitely own on DVD.

*Southpark referrence.