The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
By: Arsalan
|
Let the epics begin! The potential big 3 of this holiday season started rolling out with Potter in November. Harry Potter had the backing of 3 previous films behind it and Kong has 2 remakes and a director who is on a roll. Our third potential blockbuster of the year is the newcomer ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’. ‘Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ was a movie that had a long title and turned out great. One can only have high hopes for Narnia if the above turns out true.
 Adapted from the novel
by C. S. Lewis, Narnia is a magical land filled
with lots of CGI characters and of course, Turkish
delight. It also plays host to a battle between
the forces of good and evil, the outcome of which
has already been prophesized. The white witch,
played brilliantly by Tilda Swinton is the leader
of the forces of evil who sets out to make sure
that the prophesy is never realized. At the other
end of the spectrum is Aslan the lion, played
brilliantly by a powerful graphics processor whose
agenda is the complete opposite. Caught in between
are 2 sons of Adam and 2 daughters of Eve AKA
4 kids, who must either choose to side with Aslan
and fulfill the prophesy or enjoy a white winter
with the witch for the rest of eternity. The part
of these 4 kids is not played brilliantly at all.
At best, their acting could be regarded as mediocre.
For anyone looking for Christian imagery or symbolism, there isn’t a lot but what you do see onscreen is quite obvious. The sons and daughters of Adam and Eve is really in your face and the sacrifice from one pure being to save the rest of his fellow brethren is very difficult to miss. But for those worried about the film turning into a trip to the church, worry not. The film does not, in any way, force you to follow it with a Christian doctrine in mind.
 While
it is my belief that the film falls just short
of being an epic, it is still a great movie with
great visuals, excellent score, some great art
direction, and acting and directing that is satisfactory.
The problem that Narnia faces is not uncommon.
For a project such as this where the fan base
is large and the anticipation levels are high,
the filmmakers usually have few choices. They
can go all out, take a few risks and find themselves
worshipped (Peter Jackson) or humiliated (many
names come to mind here) or they can take the
safe approach and deliver something that is very
good but slightly underwhelming, at least for
those who know little about the story such as
me. This is sad really as there are moments all
over the film where you want to experience a bit
more excitement but it’s never to be found.
But what allows this film from falling into a pool of boredom though is the
world itself that has been created. You’ll notice
a lot of CGI in this film and I personally think
that WETA this time round has outdone itself,
not only in terms of the computer generated characters
but the numerous models that they have created
as well. I spent most of the time marveling at
the beavers, Aslan, and a fox on screen, trying
to absorb the fact that none of those characters
or animals have existed in any shape or form.
Add the excellent cinematography to it, and the
appeal each character brings to the screen, CGI
or otherwise, and one will soon forget the lack
of excitement that I mentioned before.
And then there’s Tilda Swinton. She really is the villain of all villains personified. Last month’s Harry Potter gave us a Voldemort who didn’t do much nor did he have a presence. The Rings trilogy gave us a villain who had no physical form. Narnia on the other hand has a witch who is the ultimate bad guy (girl?).
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe may not be the perfect start to a potential franchise but a very promising one. Stories catered towards children do bring a bit of blandness with them due to the more simplistic approach required. Few films are able to get over this (points to PIXAR) but many falter and fail (shakes a finger in the direction of DreamWorks). But if you’re willing to look beyond the issues and allow yourself to get immersed in the world of a children’s book, there is a real treat here that deserves the attention of anyone who is a fan of movies.
Grade: A-
Have something to say about the article? Sound off at our forum.
Click here to read Arsalan's other reviews. |
