The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
December 11; Loews Boston Common #2
* * * ¾ (out of 4)
This is probably the huge movie that I was the most skeptical about this fall. I remember reading a number of the Narnia books as a kid. Also, the last play I did in high school, I played Peter in the stage version of this story, and it was a less than spectacular experience. If this film was going to be done right, it really needed to be done correctly. Nothing in the trailers had hooked me immediately, so I was a little nervous going in.
What caught me pretty much immediately was that they did not forget a proper introduction. So much focus has always been on Narnia that I feel like many people forget why these kids are even in this strange house: this is World War II. There are a few great character moments before the mansion is even introduced, especially for Peter. When they’re getting on the train to head to the countryside, he catches a glimpse of soldiers heading off to the front, and you can tell he feels a certain desire or responsibility to join them, one that he can’t express. You see it again during the final battle for Narnia.
The moment that made this movie for me was Lucy’s entrance into Narnia. All of the children are cute, certainly, but somewhat average-looking. There’s nothing immediately unique of defining about them. The moment she steps beyond the fur coats and into the winter forest that simply shouldn’t exist, Georgie Henley’s face lights up in a way that only a child’s can. It was the perfect visual realization of imagination. And that set the visual precedent for the rest of the film. Almost everything worked how I had envisioned it as a child, a credit to both the production team and to C.S. Lewis himself. This is a beautiful film, though clearly New Zealand.
What I liked most is that while they were clearly making a kid’s movie, but they included enough material for those of us who read the book ten or fifteen years ago. My girlfriend told me she had been waiting for this movie since she read the book many years ago, and I got the impression that many people in the theater felt the same way. They hit a great balance of pleasing the fans and drawing in new ones.
None of the performances were particularly fantastic outside of Tilde Swinton, but they didn’t need to be. This is about the story. Everyone in the film played their part in the story, and didn’t overstep. The whole thing was put together very well. This is the closest thing to a Christmas movie this year, and it beats the usual Christmas fare. Take the kids in your life, and then give them the books so they can prepare for the definite sequels. They’ll thank you for it.
December 11; Loews Boston Common #2
* * * ¾ (out of 4)
This is probably the huge movie that I was the most skeptical about this fall. I remember reading a number of the Narnia books as a kid. Also, the last play I did in high school, I played Peter in the stage version of this story, and it was a less than spectacular experience. If this film was going to be done right, it really needed to be done correctly. Nothing in the trailers had hooked me immediately, so I was a little nervous going in.
What caught me pretty much immediately was that they did not forget a proper introduction. So much focus has always been on Narnia that I feel like many people forget why these kids are even in this strange house: this is World War II. There are a few great character moments before the mansion is even introduced, especially for Peter. When they’re getting on the train to head to the countryside, he catches a glimpse of soldiers heading off to the front, and you can tell he feels a certain desire or responsibility to join them, one that he can’t express. You see it again during the final battle for Narnia.
The moment that made this movie for me was Lucy’s entrance into Narnia. All of the children are cute, certainly, but somewhat average-looking. There’s nothing immediately unique of defining about them. The moment she steps beyond the fur coats and into the winter forest that simply shouldn’t exist, Georgie Henley’s face lights up in a way that only a child’s can. It was the perfect visual realization of imagination. And that set the visual precedent for the rest of the film. Almost everything worked how I had envisioned it as a child, a credit to both the production team and to C.S. Lewis himself. This is a beautiful film, though clearly New Zealand.
What I liked most is that while they were clearly making a kid’s movie, but they included enough material for those of us who read the book ten or fifteen years ago. My girlfriend told me she had been waiting for this movie since she read the book many years ago, and I got the impression that many people in the theater felt the same way. They hit a great balance of pleasing the fans and drawing in new ones.
None of the performances were particularly fantastic outside of Tilde Swinton, but they didn’t need to be. This is about the story. Everyone in the film played their part in the story, and didn’t overstep. The whole thing was put together very well. This is the closest thing to a Christmas movie this year, and it beats the usual Christmas fare. Take the kids in your life, and then give them the books so they can prepare for the definite sequels. They’ll thank you for it.
posted by Matt S. at
2:28 PM
1 Comments:
Hey! I think you all would interested to hear about a new ABC Family movie thats's being released on DVD next week. It's called The Cutting Edge 3, and it's a figure skating movie - it's awesome! You can even win a free DVD copy by emailing cuttingedge3@gmail.com with your name and address!
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