Narnia: My Take

So I watched Narnia yesterday with my lovely wife, my four kids, and my 9:15am popcorn.  A lot of folks are blogging the heck out of this movie and I'm not going to try to do anything fancy or long.  But I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts, both good and bad.  If you are going to watch the movie, I encourage you NOT to read on.  Experience it for yourself first.

**Spoilers Coming**

Over the last three weeks I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to the kids.  We enjoyed it very much.  And if you have never experienced a movie after reading the book, it's definitely a different experience.  I think it makes enjoying the movie (for an adult) much more difficult.  Plus, as we read I tried to imagine how the movie would handle certain things, and that led to some satisfying elements, but also some disappointments.

1. Characters: Both Lucy and Tumnus were played very well.  Brilliant.  Edmund was good, Susan was just okay, Peter was fine, the Beavers were fun, Father Christmas was better than I expected, Maugrim was pretty good, the White Witch was pretty good, and the professor was just right.  Some of the characters were a bit overdone, I thought (Susan sticks out to me here), but generally speaking the characters were good. 

2.  Effects: The effects were fine.  There were times when they looked a bit more fake than they needed to, but that isn't a big surprise.  I expected that from the very first teaser I saw months ago.

3. A Few differences between book and movie: Rumblebuffin was missing, at least in character.  There were a few random giants.  When they fled the Beavers' house they left through a tunnel, which was a nice addition for a movie.  There were plenty of other differences, but these stuck out to me.

4. What I didn't like: Edmund's insatiable desire for Turkish Delight (after the first bite) was missing.  He wanted more, but he just looked selfish.  The point was the White Witch's food could never satisfy.

The connection between the kids (or anyone else) and Aslan was poorly done.  When Lucy and Susan are laying on his dead body and just distraught (which was good), it wasn't developed enough ahead of time.  For example, in the book when Mr. Beaver said "Aslan is on the move" it's followed by some great description of what happens inside the kids as they hear this news.  They "felt something jump" inside them, "Peter felt brave and adventurous," and so on.  Someone needed to develop the heart-leaping aspect of hearing about and knowing Aslan, but it was missing.  This was the biggest disappointment for me.

One thing that I was looking forward to most other than seeing the general plot unfold was the roar of Aslan after resurrection which bent the trees.  Why was this not included?  From the book...

"And Aslan stood up and when he opened his mouth to roar his face became so terrible that they did not dare to look at it.  And they saw all the trees in front of him bend before the blast of his roaring as grass bends in a meadow before the wind.

I also thought they missed a great opportunity to show Aslan (Lucy and Susan aboard) running through the trees and such.  They showed this, but it was stunted.  From the book...

"That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia."

One last thing, the narration quality of the book was missing.  And so it became the adventure of four kids rather than the adventure any kid can have.  I feel Lewis intends a more universal, YOU can find Narnia.  You can be a king.  You can have adventure and be brave and just, etc.  I wanted the movie to make me go home and start looking for branches in the back of my closet, but it didn't so much.  It could have been done better, I think.

5. What I liked: It was nice to see what Turkish Delight looks like, though I'm still not sure it looks all that delicious.

I liked how we saw a close up on the face of Aslan when he was executed.  I didn't like the book at this point.  He seemed to die too fast in the movie, but for a kid movie it needed to be fast I suppose.

For all the problems in developing the Aslan-children connection, I liked how Lucy and Susan were portrayed after the killing of Aslan, laying on him for some time.  The broken stone table was well done also, shaking the earth.

For the absence of the battle in the book, the movie needed it.  It was done pretty well, though Edmund looked pretty clueless the whole time. 

Side note: Liam Neeson has become quite the redeemer.  Oscar Schindler (purchases Jews), Qui-Gon Jinn (rescues Anakin), and now Aslan (saving Edmund and Narnia).   Hmmm.  I liked his voice with Aslan.  If it would have been Matthew Broderick (The Lion King) I would have walked out. :)

My overall take is this: If the book didn't exist and the movie came out, I would be telling everyone of great, redemptive kids movie that everyone needs to see.  And so I cannot help but to promote it and encourage everyone to go.  It's good.

So to be clear, I did enjoy the movie very much.  We will buy the DVD when it comes out.  And the movie, for it's weaknesses, is completely worthwhile.

Comments

[Mike Noakes]

I enjoyed the movie. Some of my friends and I went last night after work to the theater on Westport Rd. I was very excited! I have read the books many times since I was a kid, and I always thought that they would make a great movie, other than the TV ones that have already been done.

Some stuff seemed cheesy and just not well done. The ice castle was great to look at from a distance, but when it was shown up close... I have played video games with better graphics. There were a few creatures I though were made poorly. A feww little flying things at Aslans execution, they kinda' creeped me out.

But overall, I loved the movie! A couple of my friends thought it was cliche, but I thought it was amazing when the white witch had just been killed and Peter gets up (with everything going by so fast, but he and Aslan were going normal pace) and Aslan said "It is finished". wow. I thought, could it get any more obvious?

Anyways, I have recommended the movie to many people, I think that it is an excellent experiance and good for all ages.

[Megan]

Without reading too much of your post as we are planning to go in a couple of weeks, would you say your kiddos handled the movie well? We've been reading through the series with ours as well, almost finished with book 6 and were planning to take them, but I've read on some other blogs that they thought it would be too scary for their kids.

What was your take? (And if this is posted above, my apologies - just didn't want to read it too much before watching the movie...)

[Marty Duren]

We saw it at the first showing on Friday and I really liked it. I've never read the books, but thoroughly got the redemptive parts. At least I think I did...

Steve, I thought it did briefly show Lucy and Susan riding on Aslan, but I may be in error there. I truly loved the 4 thrones at the end, it reminded me of Jesus' words, "To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, even as I overcame and sat with My Father on His throne." But then, I tend to be rather enthralled with that aspect of our redemptive future.

[Steve McCoy]

Marty, I wasn't saying they didn't ride on Aslan, but that the description of what that was like in the book and what came across on the screen were very different. Lewis wrote that it was the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia. Then explained in detail. The movie misses much of the detail and therefore loses what could have been a great movie scene.

Megan, I didn't find very much that would be questionable for most kids. Our 2 1/2 year old was there and loved it. Never scared.

[Marty Duren]

Ok, I'm with you...my weakness from not having read the book. Glad you guys had a good time.

Next up: Kong!

[Justin Taylor]

Steve,

Thanks for the helpful review. (I haven't yet seen it.) It'll be interesting to see the extended version on DVD, and to find out what got left on the cutting room floor.

JT

[Mark Perry]

Steve, just got back from seeing it, and the most disappointing part to me was the lack of deep love between the kids and Aslan. Lucy was wonderful,Edmund was what I expected, Susan wanted to go home, and Peter acted like a wimp. I also had a hard time with kids in battle; I didn't think it worked (the Hobbits were more believable). I still enjoyed it. The part I enjoyed the most was Aslan breathing life into the stone statues (especially in light of Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places).

I appreciate your blog; keep up the good work!

[myles]

a rich film, beautiful through and through. i liked how the four kids had such different personalities, which really for me fleshed out the various ways in which people operate with Aslan.

did anyone else catch what the White Witch said as she was about to kill Aslan: "Now, the Deep Magic will be satisfied!"? an interesting twist on how evil operates, as trying to fulfill what both good and evil know.

[Sled Dog]

Wow, Steve, we share many of the same observations! Especially Edmunds desire for the turkish delight. He just didn't seem as enraptured by it as I felt should be portrayed.

The most distracting element of the movie was that there we're 5 or 6 shots that looked as if they were lifted right out of LOTR. And did you notice a bit of The Matrix when Peter was sword fighting with the White Witch. In other words, it seemed to me that the director borrowed some imagery from other films. They should of had a watch dog on that.

How about the previews! Can't wait for Shayamalan's Lady in the Water, and the one with John Heder (Napolean Dynameite) and David Spade...

[Ben]

Did you catch the White Witch's armor during battle? She was wearing what I assumed to be Aslan's mane, and her little gold head dress was in the shape of a lion's head.

She clearly wanted to be "like God."

[Danielle]

A Turkish Delight comment, I bought some once and it was so nasty to my American taste buds! I don't know if it's a British favorite or something when Lewis was writing, but it wasn't anything like I imagined it from reading Lewis.

[Toby]

I cried in the movie (I know...)

I thought Aslan was well done, and I kept thinking "he is more like Jesus than what I was taught Jesus was like."

Kinda like when Isaac's wife saw him face to face...a lot better than the stories.

I wish it were good stewardship for me to see it again...lol

[Jameswife]

I cried too, but more because part of the innocence and wonder died during the movie. I agree with pretty much everything, critical or praiseworthy, said about it. So why did I weep? Because the one conversation that captured my heart as a child and made me KNOW beyond any doubt WHO Aslan really was, was not even attempted. It was the one after the battle, between Lucy and Aslan and then Lucy and Susan... and in the spirit of the film, I'll leave you to find it for yourselves.
I don't think I'll go see the next one, if they do it. I don't want any more 'wonder' stolen from my childhood.

[Jeff L]

This is my first attempt at blogging anything...so here goes. I saw the movie with my wife this past weekend and we both left the theatre with the same feelings about the movie.

While we both like it, there seemed to be some things left undone or undeveloped. The character of Aslan for one and like others have said, the relationship with Aslan and the children for another. We both felt that the White Witch was down very well and Lucy...well I think she should have her own spin-off. She was delightful. I had been expecting a LOTR type movie and so was very disappointed in that it seemed this was a "knock-off" of it instead of something more.

Having said that, like Steve I enjoyed it overall and will be buying it once it is out on DVD. There are several books, as I am sure most know, in the series and hopeful there will be more movies from them. Perhaps even Peter Jackson will do one or two.

[Ashlee]

RE:"It was nice to see what Turkish Delight looks like, though I'm still not sure it looks all that delicious."

Turkish Delights are nasty!!! I brought back some from Turkey b/c it only seemed appropriate but no one liked them. Yuck!

As for the movie, I also would give it a good review. I also wish there had been more Aslan before his sacrafice to develop that more. However, as it was, there were kids sobbing in the theater, so maybe it was sufficient.

It was MUCH better than the TV version I watched many years ago. Movies are never up to par with a book, so I didn't expect that. Anyway, thanks for the review. I'll have to write one too.

[Adam L. Feldman]

posted my review a few minutes ago.

i can't believe that none of you are talking about the wookie that made its way into narnia!? am i the only one who saw him!?

[Paul]

To me the weakest part of the movie was the development of Aslan. In the book, when the children first meet him he is the most amazing creature they've ever seen. That doesn't seem to be brought out at all in the movie.

On a theological note, there was a recent comment on another thread (one about Tony Jones) about different atonement theories. While this movie (and the book) both have a strong allusion to substitution, did anyone else notice the equally strong allusion to ransom? The debt that was paid was paid to the white witch and that is who Edmond's life was bought back (ransomed) from. I thought that was a good example of how one atonement theory is incapable of giving a complete view of what happened in the atonement.

[Joe Thorn]

Saw it, liked it. Took the youth at church to see it, and then my 4 year old daughter. I am eager to see how each movie progresses and hopefully improves. I agree with almost all that has been written, but will add Aslan's voice was not at all how I imagigined it (as much as I dig Liam Neesom, it was weak), nor was the wolf's. Beaver's voices rocked.

It was not as good as it should have/could have been, but it was not as bad as I expected it to be.