Narnia

Went and saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this afternoon with Katherine. I really wanted to like it. I really, really, really wanted to.

And … I did.

The Story: The movie is remarkably true to story, with only the mildest of patches for more contemporary audiences. Folks expecting something quite as gritty as LotR will be a bit disappointed — Lewis’ modern fairy tale retains a child-like charm — but I was quite pleased by the result.

At that, while some of the overly cute bits get elided, there’s some nice stuff added in. Indeed, while it only takes five pages to get Lucy into Narnia the first time (I know, because I was just reading the book to Katherine last night), it takes several minutes in the movie, which starts out actually providing an explanation (and character building) as to why kids had to leave London during the Blitz (a bit of history that Lewis assumed his readers would know). There’s also a bit more given to Edmund for motivation than simple peevishness and lust for Turkish Delight, which is nice, and the character redeems himself (beyond the metaphysical redemption of the Deep Magic) by the end of the book.

For folks who read the Narnia tales (especially the first) for their Christian allegory, it’s all still here. For people who aren’t interested in that, it is certainly not hammered over the head. Indeed, like in the books, it’s simply presented and the readers are allowed to draw their own connections. It’s nicely played.

The end of the tale is modified slightly, not in any way that would offend lovers of the book, but to work with modern audiences.

Overall — I am most impressed by the adaptation of the story. My fears are definitely unrealized.

The Acting: The kids do well. Hell, I even found myself liking Lucy, which is saying something. Indeed, Lucy feels the least stereotyped character, as opposed to Peter, the reluctant leader; Edmund, the truculent bad boy; Susan, the annoying voice of reason. But they all do well. (Part of the sense of stereotype is, of course, the story — fairy tale characters rarely go more than skin deep, unless their given three movies to work in.)

Tilda Swinton, as the White Witch, plays the evil deliciously. Indeed, there was almost something disturbing about her attitude toward Edmund …

Liam Neeson is beginning to get a name for himself as a serious actor who also does all sorts of keen SF/Fantasy stuff — Star Wars, Harry Potter, and now this, as Aslan’s voice. I agree with one reviewer that I would have preferred something a bit less cultured and baritone than Neeson, but he does well enough, and he certainly doesn’t detract from the tale.

Not much can be said for the supporting characters. Mr. Tumnus is well portrayed. Ginarrbrik the nasty dwarf fills the role well. The beavers, wolves, and fox all come across nicely.

The FX: This is a movie that would never have been made without Peter Jackson’s LotR, and it shows. The mix of critters here is even broader than in LotR, though, with combos of make-up, CG, and mixes of both.

The results are sometimes uneven. Some of it is spectacular. I have never seen centaurs (or fauns, for that matter) that were so believable. Some of the monster types looked a bit too much like latex and/or heavy masks to me (the minotaurs come to mind, as well as a lot of the attendees at the Stone Table). But overall, I was impressed.

When the CG is out to replicate actual animals (beavers, wolves, foxes, leopards, tigers, and rhinos come to mind, not to mention a certain Lion), the results are a bit more uneven. The creature movement is exquisite, and the appearance usually works well, but whenever they talk, it distorts the face in way that seems almost cartoony. How you give a wolf human voice and expressions and not make it seem cartoony is, of course, a major challenge.

Much is made of the Big Battle at the end, at least in the ads, and it is pretty spectacular — if feeling strangely like a budget-rate version of the epic wars of Jackson’s effort. The numbers are smaller, and after the initial incredible clash, things move back into more rocky territory where the scope can be more limited. Still, it’s all both tremendous eye candy and effective at moving the story forward.

The overall judgment: plenty to nitpick (such as where animal feet touch the ground), but it remains nitpicking.

The Suitability for Kids: Margie was more concerned over Katherine (at 5½) than I was. I did check out some reviews beforehand, all of which said it was intense, but non-gory.

And that sums it up pretty well. All the actual violence takes place off-screen, and while some of it is pretty intense, it’s pretty much left up to the imagination. The worst, probably, is the Stone Table scene, perforce one of (non-graphic) suffering. There were also some suspenseful times, plenty of chase scenes (more than Lewis wrote, but what the heck), and some other moments that Katherine found worth cuddling up in my lap over. And, to be honest, there were some places later on when she said, “Daddy, I want to leave this movie right now.”

You can draw your conclusions as to whether I was a bad father for not following along with that statement, but by the end (and on and off during it all) she was bouncy and excited and, overall, considered the movie “awesome.” Favorite part was (a) the kids getting crowned, and (b) Aslan roaring after his return. And she’s tickled that I’ve now dubbed her “Queen Katherine the Brave.”

At 2:12, it might be long for some other kids. But overall, I’m not sorry I took her to see it.

In summary: I am seriously impressed by the adaptation. It rings a solid note between a film that will appeal to modern audiences and the spirit and magic of Lewis’ original. I give it a strong thumbs up and encouragement to see it in the theaters.