The screening was held in the Ziegfeld Theater, which is where the follies used to be. It is a gorgeous old theater, plush red carpet and red velvet walls, a large seating area, and a beautiful old style theater lobby.
I took my sister along with me, and we found Steven and his wife, Mary Catherine pretty quickly. They were attending with Rev. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and his wife, Kathy. Kathy used to correspond with C.S. Lewis, and read the Narnia books as a little girl, when they were still being written!
Steven introduced all of us to Mark Johnson, who is the producer of the film. Mark is a nice, easygoing guy, who was genuinely happy to meet all of us. He said he hoped we would enjoy the film.
We all did. The film is wonderful. Not only is it a good story, with a great moral and spiritual message, but it has all the elements that make it a great movie. The director, Andrew Adamson, was able to get all of the important, and some of the unimportant but fun, details into the film without sacrificing the integrity of the story. He communicated the seriousness of the story, but didn’t sacrifice the humor and fun that Lewis brought to the book. And he did it all with style and grace, and great pacing.
The film is very faithful to the book. There were a few things added to give scope to the story, but nothing was taken away. Because of this, the natural allegory is fully present, from the obvious allegory of Aslan and Christ, to the small moments, such as Aslan’s statement, “Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia” or the fact that we are called to fight, and not to fear what is before us. Or that sometimes, the powerful lion only wants to be with us.
The acting in the film is universally good. All the children were great at being children who become more mature as the story progresses and as they face new experiences. The girl who played Lucy was especially good. A cute, fun little girl, she conveyed all the emotions perfectly. You see the film through her eyes. The boy who played Peter was excellent as an older brother trying to do the right thing. His story arc, going from a boy to a man, was well handled.
Edmund was also well played. He is a multi-dimensional character, going from being disliked, to one you identify with. Susan was portrayed very well as an older girl who is turning into a woman. Susan is given a warrior’s gift, and she is a smart, reasonable girl. And sometimes, life is unreasonable.
Other characters were equally well portrayed. Tilda Swinton as the White Witch was wonderful. Menacing, and yet alluring. Powerful, sinister... she hit it right on. The other characters and voices were able to blend into the story, and seemed organic to the world that we entered. Liam Neeson was the perfect choice for Aslan. He has the gentleness, and yet also the ferocity that characterizes Aslan. He conveys perfectly (with wonderful help from the animation department as well) that he is not a tame lion. But he is good.
The look of the film is wonderful. It starts in a moody, WWII London bombing raid, moves to a Victorian English mansion, and then into the beautiful, natural scenery of Narnia, both in winter and in spring. Unlike Lord of the Rings, this film is very sunny and has alot of wide open spaces. Getting digital effects to look good in such a light-filled environment, which doesn’t allow you to hide details in murky shadows, is quite an achievement. While not always photo-realistic, all of the effects merged into the film, and combined with great characters and characterization to form a seamless whole. Tumnus’s legs are especially good, as are the centaurs and other creatures.
In all I was impressed with the film, and it left me feeling satisfied, yet wanting more. It has the potential to be a huge blockbuster. It is kid friendly, and yet entertaining for adults. It is a girl’s story (seen through the eyes of Lucy) and yet very much a boy’s story (the battle and adventure). It is truly a great, fun movie that all will enjoy.
The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe comes out on December 9th.
2 comments:
You know, you really should look into reviewing movies for at least a side line if not full employment.
I would love to... just not sure how to go about it:)
Post a Comment