A review by Steve on December 8th, 2005 of
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
 Evil Has Reigned For 100 Years... | |
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Cast and Crew | |
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Director | |
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Writer (Screenplay) | |
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Aslan (Voice) | |
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White Witch | |
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Lucy Pevensie | |
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Edmund Pevensie | |
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Peter Pevensie | |
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Susan Pevensie | |
First of all, it's good, worth seeing. Secondly, it's not as good as Lord of the Rings. Thirdly, how DARE you compare it to Lord of the Rings! Well, that was the revelation I had while watching it. It's a perfectly obvious and natural comparison, and I found myself participating in it. But eventually it dawned on me that if I was looking for something comparable to Lord of the Rings in Narnia, I was destined for disappointment.
I was a big fan of the Narnia books, yet never got into Lord of the Rings, so I was very excited when I heard that this tome would get its big-budget due. And although I really loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy (as I experienced it through the films), I still believe that Narnia is the stronger, better story. But more important that arguing which is better is to understand the critical points in which they are different. First of all, I think it is safe to say that Narnia is fantasy, while Lord of the Rings is science fiction. The distinction lies in the fact that Lord of the Rings, especially when you include the Silmarillion, weighs so heavily on creating an incredibly detailed world, where every fact about every iota's history, culture, ontology, characteristics, and so on, is available. That's an obvious parallel to SF classics like Star Trek. Meanwhile, Narnia is much more about the myriad of stories and events that take place in this world, and how they all interconnect. Obviously each story is very strong in both ways, but the fact that they do diverge towards their respective emphases makes them brothers living right across the border from one another.
So, the fact that Narnia is more fantasy means that the beauty will only be revealed when all the books are taken together... in other words, when all the films are made. When we see how Edmund continues to redeem himself in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, or when we find out how The Professor has a personal connection to Narnia, or when we see the magnificent things Aslan does in 'The Last Battle', all of that will fortify the story taking place in this first story... so long as the filmmakers pay attention to those all-important ties.
But I guess this has hardly been a review of the film. So let me go strictly by it now: Most importantly, the movie suffered from too many overly dramatic or emotional moments. All to often were are made to stop and think about how good or bad someone feels at a given moment, and it is tiring, as well as stealing attention away from the story. I blame Disney for that one. Also, I think the movie suffered, when compared to Lord of the Rings, by not having any veteran actors who can be trusted to make the most out of a character. All the children were just fine, but it made me realize how much Ian McKellan and others bring to my viewing experience. But overall the film was great. It was lovingly told and painstakingly true to the book. The visuals were spectacular, and CGI has never looked so good (Aslan plays some amazingly subtle and complex facial expressions).
So, go see and enjoy, but remember that there is so much more to be told, even within this story.