Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Edited Narnia review (491 words); full text below
If you can get past the thought of a talking beaver in an armour breastplate, you will probably enjoy the "Chronicles of Narnia". Trust me, the beaver’s actually pretty cool. Best of all is the magnificent Aslan the lion (voiced by Liam Neeson). While the filmmakers actually used a live lion, its face was computer animated to stunning effect. For the first time in a film the talking animals aren't phony. Cheers to the folks who brought it off. The first time you see and hear the malevolent wolves they might induce a shiver.
The story begins with four children being sent to a country estate in WWII England to escape the London bombings. Little Georgie Henley (as Lucy) is one of the most engaging child actors I have ever seen. She lights up the screen when she smiles and for a moment the world seems to have no troubles. She is without guile or put-on. The other child actors are also superb, but she can't help upstaging them.
One day while playing in the mansion Lucy steps into a wardrobe. Suddenly she finds herself in a snowy land of impossible beauty. There she meets Tumnus, a faun, who is almost as trustworthy as Lucy is trusting. Almost.
Brother Edmund also enters Narnia and is met by the “Queen”, who is actually the evil witch Jadis, who has condemned Narnia to a perpetual winter. Edmund is captured by the witch and held as bait for the other children. A prophesy has predicted that the four children will liberate Narnia from its eternal winter and that they will rule as sovereigns. This of course doesn't sit well with the witch-queen, so she plots to kill them.
Reams have been written about Christian themes in C.S. Lewis' works, but he doesn't hit you over the head. Aslan is obviously a Christ figure, and the fact that he sacrifices himself for the redemption of the Narnians is an obvious allusion to the crucifixion of Jesus. But there is no preaching; rather, there is a quiet undertone of "doing the right thing" throughout the story, and it is why it’s so powerful.
Lewis' own stepson, co-producer Douglas Gresham says: "C.S. Lewis' main idea about writing for children, included the theory that if a book is worth reading when you're five, it is still worth reading when you're 50." Gresham contends that he has yearned for decades to put his stepfather's works on the screen, and with this film he declares his satisfaction.
There is some realistic looking violence in the film but there is also little blood. The "hack & slay" combat looks as flesh-rending as anything in Gladiator. You just don't see any heads rolling. Because of the strong violence smaller children should stay home.
Coming up against Peter Jackson's “King Kong”, "Wardrobe" will have its work cut out to "bring home the bacon" for Disney. I don't think it will have much trouble.
The story begins with four children being sent to a country estate in WWII England to escape the London bombings. Little Georgie Henley (as Lucy) is one of the most engaging child actors I have ever seen. She lights up the screen when she smiles and for a moment the world seems to have no troubles. She is without guile or put-on. The other child actors are also superb, but she can't help upstaging them.
One day while playing in the mansion Lucy steps into a wardrobe. Suddenly she finds herself in a snowy land of impossible beauty. There she meets Tumnus, a faun, who is almost as trustworthy as Lucy is trusting. Almost.
Brother Edmund also enters Narnia and is met by the “Queen”, who is actually the evil witch Jadis, who has condemned Narnia to a perpetual winter. Edmund is captured by the witch and held as bait for the other children. A prophesy has predicted that the four children will liberate Narnia from its eternal winter and that they will rule as sovereigns. This of course doesn't sit well with the witch-queen, so she plots to kill them.
Reams have been written about Christian themes in C.S. Lewis' works, but he doesn't hit you over the head. Aslan is obviously a Christ figure, and the fact that he sacrifices himself for the redemption of the Narnians is an obvious allusion to the crucifixion of Jesus. But there is no preaching; rather, there is a quiet undertone of "doing the right thing" throughout the story, and it is why it’s so powerful.
Lewis' own stepson, co-producer Douglas Gresham says: "C.S. Lewis' main idea about writing for children, included the theory that if a book is worth reading when you're five, it is still worth reading when you're 50." Gresham contends that he has yearned for decades to put his stepfather's works on the screen, and with this film he declares his satisfaction.
There is some realistic looking violence in the film but there is also little blood. The "hack & slay" combat looks as flesh-rending as anything in Gladiator. You just don't see any heads rolling. Because of the strong violence smaller children should stay home.
Coming up against Peter Jackson's “King Kong”, "Wardrobe" will have its work cut out to "bring home the bacon" for Disney. I don't think it will have much trouble.
