I wanted to see this! We'll have to wait for DVD.

CynthiasSocks said:

how come, hon? you don't want to go see it on the big screen?

word out is that it ain't that good.

I liked the books.

Natisse said:

Drew. There's a lot that we couldn't do for many months. But all that's almost back to normal. We have $30 in movie passes that we need to use before the years up so we'll get to one soon.

But we planned on seeing this one on the big screen.

I loved the books when I was young and was totally in love with Aslan but I read The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe again last year and was really disappointed. It had been exciting to read as a child but I've grown up now and it seemed more simplistic than I thought it would be.

I will probably see the film though, because I think it will translate really well onto the big screen (the TV series they made around 10 years ago was fantastic).

From the trailers I've seen, the snow queen looks really nasty and manipulative.

CynthiasSocks said:

has it been and gone there, then? I'm a little confused ...and yay for things getting back to normal hon

Reincarnate said:

the roles are PERFECTLY cast! it's brilliantly made, brilliant acted... AWESOME!

Natisse said:

I will see it - I remember the snow queen as being exactly as I've seen her on the trailers. I hope they've done Aslan well - I really want to believe he's real.

Reincarnate said:

oh my god Aslan is PERFECT!! you would SO think he's a real lion same with all the animals and creatures!!! it's SO GOOD Kiren you've gotta see it!

Natisse said:

eh er It seems that it's playing in theaters in the States too! Looks like we're going to see this on the big screen!


I'm so high!

Natisse said:

Now I know that Aslan's real, I'm definately going - I didn't want to be disappointed if he came across wrong. I'm getting excited now

Reincarnate said:

I was a little worried too about Aslan... but he's absolutely perfect he's wonderful just like I remember it's all so perfectly done! I want to go back and see it already

CynthiasSocks said:

OHMYGOD just saw your avie!! ...and woohooo yay glad you're going to get to see it on the big screen

Natisse said:

haha ... you should be doing PR for the film ... you've convinced me to go and I was really uncertain about it - I can't wait now!

Reincarnate said:

from the moment it started I could tell it was going to be spine-tingling and right till the moment it finished it was ...it's amazing

as I said I'm a LOTR absolute fantatic (ask anyone that knows me well lol ) but this, well... this is definately a new equal-favourite ever shall we say

GOTTA see it people!

Natisse said:

The avie is who I'd like to be!


I saw the preview before we saw Star Wars so I thought it came out round at time. Here I was thinking all the hype was about the dvd release!

Thumbs up. But some personal thoughts (some SPOILERS)...

Pros:
1) The casting was brilliant. Tilda Swinton as the White Witch, in particular, blew me away. I've been in love with her for at least the last 10 years. She is one of the most mysterious and underrated actresses out there, and she was an absolute diva in this.

2) Aslan's animation was awesome. Very realistic, and the voice selected for him was perfect -- authoritative, but not scary; serene, but not lethargic.

3) Wonderful message, and a great intro to children of the underlying Christian theology. Particularly, the repeated, yet subtle, commentary on the power of faith was heartening.

4) Despite the Christian allegory, the film is not at all dogmatic. People of all faiths -- or perhaps none at all -- will likelyenjoy this film as a great family fantasy/adventure film.

Cons (and please forgive me):
1) In that this is a message meant for all people, you mean to tell me that in all of Narnia there exists no fantastical humanoid creature that doesn't look Caucasian? I've seen stagings of this story in the past (the BBC production of it, for example) and the wider representation of people was greatly appealing.

2) Why, amid the otherwise total abscence of an ethnic minority aesthetic, did the White Witch have dreadlocks!?! Granted, they looked awesome, but damn -- did they have to be only on the single-most evil character in the story's universe?!

3) The pacing was a bit too brisk. I understand they had to truncate the entire book into 90 minutes, but it felt somewhat rushed. (More on that later.)

4) Some of the biggest scenes were anticlimactic. (SPOILER ALERT) When Aslan first appeared, he just walked out of a tent. Couldn't we have seen the kids walk into the tent to find Aslan, his back initially turned, regal, backlit and sitting in meditation/prayer or something? Then he might slowly turn around so that we could see his amazing, warm golden eyes for the first time.

Next, When Aslan was ressurected, he lay there for a bit, the girls walked away in despair, the altar suddenly cracked, Aslan disappeared for a few seconds, and then suddenly reappeared -- the same boring size -- right then and there. No buildup or payoff whatsoever. Why not something AMAZING!?!? Why not let him be gone for a longer, more hurtful, period of time, only to return at a key moment in battle absolutely ENORMOUS, perhaps with a crown on his head and ready to seize his kingdom?

Lastly, When Aslan took out the White Witch, he simply pounced on her, they locked eyes, and then he apparently killed her with a single bite. That's cool, and it's in keeping with Aslan's merciful characterization, but geez, couldn't we at least have him descending on the White Witch in slow motion as she screamed in terror? I know this had to be kid-friendly, but I think they could have gotten away with a bit more of a victorious, if bloodless, moment.

5) The epilogue was cheesy. And though they were setting up for subsequent movies, it came off more as a silly afterthought.

6) Some of the CGI was fake-looking. Aslan looked awesome, as did the griffins and especially the phoenix. But the CGI shadows in the snow (incidentally, with no steam rising from the characters' breaths ), the superimposed images of the children on the elevated land bridge, some of the beaver animation, etc. just left me unimpressed.

...Overall, I liked the film. I just think given the budget, the time and the hype, it could have been slightly better executed.

As for the franchise, I just wonder if people will continue to support it. Far more people know The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe than C.S. Lewis' other books, so I have a feeling that although these films will inspire people togo and read his stuff in preparation for subsequent installments, the less-than-diehard audience will taper after this. Also, I think if they wanted to do a franchise, they could have done it with just this one book. They could have, for example, killed off Alsan near the end of this movie, made the battle longer and more protracted, interspersed narratives from some of the other books, and culminated in a HUGE blowout final battle in the third film, where, Aslan finally returns, shining, HUGE and ready to claim his Kingdom! I think this would have been better, if somewhat unfaithful to the books. People would be in absolute tears cheering and going nuts -- especially the younger audience who'd have grown up with this saga.

Just my opinion. All in all, though, a good experience for both kids and adults.
[Edited 12/10/05 17:53pm]

I can't wait to see it.... so I didn't read your thread

Good Movie.
Best production so far for The Lion, THe Witch and the Wardrobe.




A few problems I had:


(SPOILER ALERT)

1) THe movie didn't build forward momentum. In LOTR "The Two Towers", the book meanders and seems almost aimless (which book's have the luxury of doing), but the movie had difinate forward momentum. The battle at Helms Deep was obviously the climax. With Narnia, the dialogue keeps talking about the eventual battle with the white witch, but you don't actually "feel" it until the battle begins. It was a great battle (remember, this is a PG rated movie), but could have been more grand.
Either way, I think this will make a great prelude to additional movies. I just wonder why it was 250 million in the making?

2) Even though children are the protagonists here, the animated creatures had more emotion. I know they're just children, and they were prety good. But they're performances needed a little more "umph".

3) When riding on the back of Alsan, and he appeared to be running many times faster than a normal lion, it would have been nice if the Lucy and Susan's hair would have reflected wind blowing against them. Instead their hair just stood still--it gave the effect of a bluescreen performance.

AsianBomb777 said:

I agree. Where was the punch?!


Agreed again. Some of the special effects in the film were just amateurish given the budget. And, though it might have been hokey here, I'd have liked to see Aslan fly in this scene, truer to the book.