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sanalithSo yesterday, Mike and I and two of our friends went to see Narnia. Yes, I know we're rather behind the times, but we were having a difficult time coordinating schedules, and then we kind of forgot about it, and...yeah. But anyway, we finally saw it.
So, anyone seen the BBC miniseries that came out probably around 10 years ago? Anyone? Well, it was good. Damn good, if you ask me, so that was my basis for comparison. To be honest, modern adaptations haven't really been impressing me very much lately, so I honestly expected to come out thinking, "Yeah, it was good, very pretty, etc. etc., but not as good as the miniseries." Imagine my surprise when I found out I was rather wrong.
First off, I thought the casting was excellent. The four children were almost perfect for the role, though I'll admit something about Lucy struck me as rather odd. Maybe she was a bit too childish? In all the other versions I've seen/read, she was young, but very smart, and and sometimes she just struck me as a little too "girly." But other than that, I was quite satisfied. I absolutely *loved* Peter and Susan. Jim Bradbent as the Professor was supurb, with that hint of lunacy accenting his incredible brain power. My only complaint was that he didn't get enough screen time. James McAvoy made a spectacular Mr. Tumnus. I adored the scene when he first met Lucy, and the addition of the dungeon scene where he discovers Edmund's betrayal was an incredibly nice touch. My one rather large disappointment was Tilda Swinton as Jadis. She played her more like a queen than as a witch, and seemed a little too calm and serene for my tastes. I didn't really get into her character until the final battle at the end, where I thought she did really well. I dunno...in all the other versions she was just a lot more menacing and cruel, and she just didn't strike me as a really good "bad guy," I guess.
I thought all the voice-acting was spectacular, and I especially loved Michael Madsen as Maugrim. I spent the entire movie trying to figure out where I'd heard his voice before, but when I checked his screen credits, I didn't recognize anything. Ah well...at any rate, I think he had the best voice. Liam Neeson of course made a wonderful Aslan, although, if I'm being honest, sometimes I found myself thinking that it would have been better if they hadn't used such a well-known actor. Aslan is supposed to be this mysterious, Christ-like figure, and I occassionally found it distracting when images of Qui-Gon popped into my mind while Aslan was speaking. It took some of the magic away. Still, in terms of sheer voice-power, it was a good choice. Probably only James Earl Jones could have done better, if we stick with famous actors.
By far, my favorite characters were Mr and Mrs Beaver. This adaptation gave them a humour and a relationship that far surpasses any that I've known before. Their antics and their banter had me in stitches throughout the whole movie. My favorite line of the whole movies was probably during the scene when the ice on the river was breaking up and Mr Beaver was crossing first to see if it was steady, and the ice was slowly breaking under him:
Mrs Beaver: You've been sneaking second helpings, haven't you?
Mr. Beaver: Well, you never know if your next meal's going to be your last. Especially with your cooking.
And when they were getting ready to flee from Jadis' police:
Peter Pevensie: What are you doing?
Mrs. Beaver: Packing food. You'll thank me later. Mr. Beaver gets cranky when he's hungry.
Mr. Beaver: I'm cranky now!
And really, the entire movie was filled with snarky bantering like that, so I must say, the script itself was absolutely excellent.
The FX were spectacular, although with ILM working on it, I didn't expect anything less. The snowy scenes were just lovely, and when spring finally came, everything just seemed to come alive with it. The CG animals themselves were breathtaking. Aslan alone should win an award. His eyes just sent kind of a tingling down my spine, like being in his presence just automatically made you feel safe and warm. And the phoenix during the battle! Absolutely astounding. The battle itself was probably the best scene visually, with the two armies clashing on the hill. That was the scene that made me think, "Yeah, *this* is why I'm soooo glad I got to see it in a theatre." Oh, and we must not forget the music! The score was breathtaking, and even though I generally hate Alanis, she just a wonderful vocal number during the credits. I may have to snag the soundtrack at some point.
There some scenes I missed that either weren't included in the movie or were cut shorter, such as a discussion between Aslan and Peter on battle tactics and courage before Aslan goes to sacrifice himself to Jadis. I alsp thought the talk between the Professor and Peter and Susan about Lucy's "insanity" was done better in other versions, and the same holds true for Aslan's explanation of Deep Magic after his resurrection. However, I think the writers did an excellent job of adding new scenes, such as the Blitz in the very beginning, the scene on the ice as the water was breaking up, and the aforementioned dungeon talk between Tumnus and Edmond. I also loved the addition of the fox character. He and the Beavers played really well off one another. This version also had the best battle scene, hands down. So really, I suppose it was a nice give and take.
Ok, enough rambling now. It was a great movie, definitely one of the best adaptations I've seen in a long while, and I highly recommend it.
So, anyone seen the BBC miniseries that came out probably around 10 years ago? Anyone? Well, it was good. Damn good, if you ask me, so that was my basis for comparison. To be honest, modern adaptations haven't really been impressing me very much lately, so I honestly expected to come out thinking, "Yeah, it was good, very pretty, etc. etc., but not as good as the miniseries." Imagine my surprise when I found out I was rather wrong.
First off, I thought the casting was excellent. The four children were almost perfect for the role, though I'll admit something about Lucy struck me as rather odd. Maybe she was a bit too childish? In all the other versions I've seen/read, she was young, but very smart, and and sometimes she just struck me as a little too "girly." But other than that, I was quite satisfied. I absolutely *loved* Peter and Susan. Jim Bradbent as the Professor was supurb, with that hint of lunacy accenting his incredible brain power. My only complaint was that he didn't get enough screen time. James McAvoy made a spectacular Mr. Tumnus. I adored the scene when he first met Lucy, and the addition of the dungeon scene where he discovers Edmund's betrayal was an incredibly nice touch. My one rather large disappointment was Tilda Swinton as Jadis. She played her more like a queen than as a witch, and seemed a little too calm and serene for my tastes. I didn't really get into her character until the final battle at the end, where I thought she did really well. I dunno...in all the other versions she was just a lot more menacing and cruel, and she just didn't strike me as a really good "bad guy," I guess.
I thought all the voice-acting was spectacular, and I especially loved Michael Madsen as Maugrim. I spent the entire movie trying to figure out where I'd heard his voice before, but when I checked his screen credits, I didn't recognize anything. Ah well...at any rate, I think he had the best voice. Liam Neeson of course made a wonderful Aslan, although, if I'm being honest, sometimes I found myself thinking that it would have been better if they hadn't used such a well-known actor. Aslan is supposed to be this mysterious, Christ-like figure, and I occassionally found it distracting when images of Qui-Gon popped into my mind while Aslan was speaking. It took some of the magic away. Still, in terms of sheer voice-power, it was a good choice. Probably only James Earl Jones could have done better, if we stick with famous actors.
By far, my favorite characters were Mr and Mrs Beaver. This adaptation gave them a humour and a relationship that far surpasses any that I've known before. Their antics and their banter had me in stitches throughout the whole movie. My favorite line of the whole movies was probably during the scene when the ice on the river was breaking up and Mr Beaver was crossing first to see if it was steady, and the ice was slowly breaking under him:
Mrs Beaver: You've been sneaking second helpings, haven't you?
Mr. Beaver: Well, you never know if your next meal's going to be your last. Especially with your cooking.
And when they were getting ready to flee from Jadis' police:
Peter Pevensie: What are you doing?
Mrs. Beaver: Packing food. You'll thank me later. Mr. Beaver gets cranky when he's hungry.
Mr. Beaver: I'm cranky now!
And really, the entire movie was filled with snarky bantering like that, so I must say, the script itself was absolutely excellent.
The FX were spectacular, although with ILM working on it, I didn't expect anything less. The snowy scenes were just lovely, and when spring finally came, everything just seemed to come alive with it. The CG animals themselves were breathtaking. Aslan alone should win an award. His eyes just sent kind of a tingling down my spine, like being in his presence just automatically made you feel safe and warm. And the phoenix during the battle! Absolutely astounding. The battle itself was probably the best scene visually, with the two armies clashing on the hill. That was the scene that made me think, "Yeah, *this* is why I'm soooo glad I got to see it in a theatre." Oh, and we must not forget the music! The score was breathtaking, and even though I generally hate Alanis, she just a wonderful vocal number during the credits. I may have to snag the soundtrack at some point.
There some scenes I missed that either weren't included in the movie or were cut shorter, such as a discussion between Aslan and Peter on battle tactics and courage before Aslan goes to sacrifice himself to Jadis. I alsp thought the talk between the Professor and Peter and Susan about Lucy's "insanity" was done better in other versions, and the same holds true for Aslan's explanation of Deep Magic after his resurrection. However, I think the writers did an excellent job of adding new scenes, such as the Blitz in the very beginning, the scene on the ice as the water was breaking up, and the aforementioned dungeon talk between Tumnus and Edmond. I also loved the addition of the fox character. He and the Beavers played really well off one another. This version also had the best battle scene, hands down. So really, I suppose it was a nice give and take.
Ok, enough rambling now. It was a great movie, definitely one of the best adaptations I've seen in a long while, and I highly recommend it.