A fabulous, epic, fantasy adventure for children. This no-nonsense, serious children's movie brings to the screen an amazing fantasy experience along with an important substantive content, much more hard-hitting than the Harry Potter series. There is cold wickeness of a nature not seen in the more carefree Harry Potter series (that may still see a darker side in future Potter movies), of heart-wrenching betrayal, of intimate tenderness and connection much missing in the lastest Potter movie. Personally, one of the best movies of the year.

I just watched it with my family, and I enjoyed it. I don't want to get into a Potter comparison because I actually liked Potter IV slightly better, but I'll say that this film has a more mature plot and subtext, that's for sure. I was surprised how well the kids acted, and also by the blending of them with the CGI talking animals. Of course, the fact that it's a spiritual parable will cause some, such as me, to be moved. But it could piss off others who enjoy being pissed off. My grade is a solid B, but I think it may be too intense for some children.

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Mark f posted:

I just watched it with my family, and I enjoyed it. I don't want to get into a Potter comparison because I actually liked Potter IV slightly better, but I'll say that this film has a more mature plot and subtext, that's for sure. I was surprised how well the kids acted, and also by the blending of them with the CGI talking animals. Of course, the fact that it's a spiritual parable will cause some, such as me, to be moved. But it could piss off others who enjoy being pissed off. My grade is a solid B, but I think it may be too intense for some children.

Your observation that Naria had "a more mature plot and subtext," "how well the kids acted,"how well...the blending of them with CGI talking animals," don't really seem to be compatible with your solid B be rating. All that is left from your commentary is that the "spiritual parable" and "may be too intense for some children" are the only comments remaining to suggest why you didn't give this movie a higher rating.

Something seems to be missing here.

What's missing is the fact that I rarely give out As. I haven't got more than 150 movies which I currently give A grades. That's out of over 20,000 different films. A B from me is probably at least an A from most people. So, if it makes it any easier, go ahead and bump up my grades or just ignore them.

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Mark f posted:

What's missing is the fact that I rarely give out As. I haven't got more than 150 movies which I currently give A grades. That's out of over 20,000 different films. A B from me is probably at least an A from most people. So, if it makes it any easier, go ahead and bump up my grades or just ignore them.

Let's see that's like seeing more than one movie a day for fifty years. Oh.

Yeah, I've wasted my life, but I have a wife of 18 years, a daughter of 14 years, some film reference book credits, and a lot of movies watched. I've actually watched at least 35,000 movies, all anally recorded in a journal, but with all the repeats, I usually try not to overhype. Thanks for doing the math!

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Mark f posted:

Yeah, I've wasted my life, but I have a wife of 18 years, a daughter of 14 years, some film reference book credits, and a lot of movies watched. I've actually watched at least 35,000 movies, all anally recorded in a journal, but with all the repeats, I usually try not to overhype. Thanks for doing the math!

Wasted life? What are you talking about!?!? A wife and no divorce? A daughter 14 years old. Are you out of mind? You've been watching too many movies!!!

The knowledge and the special depth you bring to any film discussion is invaluable. You have brought intelligence to many hours of a unique and important mass medium discussion that has had a profound impact on American society.

Since I knew the story I found myself always waiting for what was going to happen next. I think for having to stay true to a book this film did a fine job.

I think that the actors for Tumnus and Lucy both did great. The most powerful scene for me was the two girls crying over dead Aslan.

Now for the problems I had with the film. I didn't like the battle scenes. I thought that the need for Peter to kill the wolf was frightening. To become a man you must be able to kill. I don't like that idea and how the focus of the book and film was on violently defeating the Queen.

The worst aspect of the movie for me was portraying the ultimate good as male (Aslan) and the ultimate evil as female (the Queen). The worst scene of the movie for me was Aslan jumping on the queen and seemingly killing her. It seems crazy that today we would have a movie where the climax of the film is a male (hero) jumping on a female (villian) and killing her. Did anyone else have a problem with this?

Are you implying that drama cannot have a scenario where a female is the villain and she's defeated by a male hero without it being implicitly sexist? That's putting a straitjacket on drama.

I think there's a difference between a movie's content and it's message. If a movie's message is overtly rascist than I think people would and should frown upon it. So I think that this movie or rather the book written by C.S. Lewis had an overtly sexist message especially if looked at allegorically. If Lewis made his God figure male and his satan figure female without giving significance to their gender than that would be different. But, because Lewis was part of Christian tradition that has long discriminated against women it makes me think their was significance for the gender of hero and villian.

Here's my question. If a movie's message is overtly rascist or sexist should we not question why such a film is made?

That being said, there should be freedom for film makers to create their art as well as freedom for people/critics to question or praise it.

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Now for the problems I had with the film. I didn't like the battle scenes. I thought that the need for Peter to kill the wolf was frightening. To become a man you must be able to kill. I don't like that idea and how the focus of the book and film was on violently defeating the Queen.

The worst aspect of the movie for me was portraying the ultimate good as male (Aslan) and the ultimate evil as female (the Queen). The worst scene of the movie for me was Aslan jumping on the queen and seemingly killing her. It seems crazy that today we would have a movie where the climax of the film is a male (hero) jumping on a female (villian) and killing her. Did anyone else have a problem with this?

Ok, my only complaint about the battle scenes are that they were too short, but you're entitled to your opinion. The thing with peter and the wolf (ha ha, like the song..) was in the book, so take it up with Mr. Lewis, but I think that was an important, though a bit hard to watch, part of the movie because it shows peter maturing into the hero Narnia needs.
Second, c'mon, it's just a children's fantasy book, it's not meant to discriminate against women. Try to imagine the battle between aslan and a king. Yeah, doesn't work as well, does it?

I think the fact that it is a children's book/film makes its message all the more important. I could see TCON being in part a statement by Lewis against feminists. However I don't want to put words into his mouth. I just know how the film made me feel.

I saw this last night. Up until the four children meet the beaver clan, it seemed a pretty enjoyable movie. I liked the encounter between Lucy and the faun, and Edmund and the Witch. It was a nice build-up to a story that unfortunately left too many unanswered questions. Never read the book(s) and didn't know much about the story going in. There wasn't enough background info on the Witch, the Lion and the Professor to satisfy me. The oldest sister, Susan (great screen presence by whoever the actress is), seemed so judgemental and harsh at times yet she's named the "Gentle" queen. I didn't think so.

I was disappointed by the ending. When the four siblings as adults revert to children, they seem to brush off the change. If they weren't concerned with what they left behind in Narnia, why didn't they return home sooner?

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crazed posted:

There wasn't enough background info on the Witch, the Lion and the Professor to satisfy me.

This epic fantasy, personally, needs no introduction and considering the wide sweep of the movie, background information on the Witch, the Lion, and the Professor was simply unnecessary for me to enjoy this wonderful movie. When I consider any evil character from any past fantasy, science fiction movie except perhaps for Star Wars which is a big exception considering that fact that the background was actually the BIG notion behind the prequels, background isn't necessary nor needed unless for some reason evil is to be portrayed as ambivalence, complex, or sympathetic. In fact, the Witch in this movie was one of the best, consistently evil, dispassionate evil characters to come off the screen lately - no background needed thank you. The Lion is simply the Lion, a Jesus-like figure. I can't imagine having a background on Jesus in this movie, it would take up half the movie. As for the Professor, he's a minor, mysterious character which for me was nicely played and maintains the additional off-balance note for future sequels.

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I was disappointed by the ending. When the four siblings as adults revert to children, they seem to brush off the change. If they weren't concerned with what they left behind in Narnia, why didn't they return home sooner?

Apparently, you didn't fathom the whole idea that this children, young adults didn't necessarily want to return home. And haven't you experienced shock and awe? To brush off can be easily explained as a natural psychological behavioral phenomenon of what most people experience when they undergo dramatic change which these people just did.

This certainly isn't the first movie that I though would have benefited with more background info on the characters. If they're planning sequels and prequels then fine, I await their arrival on dvd.

Considering the children's attachment to their mother in the film- and Edmund's risk of life to save the photo of his father- I don't fathom their unexplained change of or maybe lack of heart and concern for their parents, especially during wartime. Maybe the Lion will forgive them their thoughtlessness.

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crazed posted:

Considering the children's attachment to their mother in the film- and Edmund's risk of life to save the photo of his father- I don't fathom their unexplained change of or maybe lack of heart and concern for their parents, especially during wartime. Maybe the Lion will forgive them their thoughtlessness.

A well considered point. I suspect though if one takes into account the age of these children and what they went through, what they experienced, and the positions they ultimately obtained by the end of the movie, it is certainly plausible the most children could be easily persuaded or excused if somehow their past in another more normal life were forgotten. Your commentary sounds very close to the dilemma faced by Bastian in The Never Ending Story 2: The Next Chapter, another classic children's novel written by Michael Ende. This movie and more the book has a powerful statement of what you talk about.

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I was disappointed by the ending. When the four siblings as adults revert to children, they seem to brush off the change. If they weren't concerned with what they left behind in Narnia, why didn't they return home sooner?

What? I loved that ending. Something that the hardcore movie analysts have to remember is that this movie obviously isnt meant to be totally realistic, it's a fantasy story primarily aimed at kids, so the best way to enjoy it is to just throw questions like that to the wind and let the movie take you to narnia.
Also, I agree that a little more information on the characters would have been nice, but the director probably didnt want to make a three-hour lord of the rings-esque movie. Plus, the best way to get more in depth is to read the books.

One more thing, does anybody know if it's true that disney is making movies of all seven books? I remember a few of the other books were pretty good, but the other six probably wont be as good as L,W,&W.

I'd read The Chronicles of Narnia twice over the past twenty years (once when I was a young teen and again when I was in my early twenties) and I found the film a massive disappointment. It seemed to miss both the heart and soul of Lewis's writing, leaning more on special effects and disembodied voices. The director spends too much time getting started and not enough time showing the bonds between major characters.

I haven't been so disappointed in a film since Lucas the Hutt convinced me to go watch The Phantom Menace in 1999. (And for mostly the same reasons.)