Liam Neeson has a voice that could melt a glacier
I'm currently watching The Nanny on Lifetime and continuing to brainstorm ridiculous topics for my transfer application essays.
I seem to be getting into the habit of writing long movie reviews in each entry, but to be fair, I only bother to review GOOD movies that I can find plenty to ramble on and on about. For instance, I saw Wolf Creek and The Ringer, both of which were so abysmal that I'd rather not devote one nanosecond more of my life to either of them. And I saw The Producers, which I adored, but there's not much else to say about it other than it was spectacular. So, I'll get right to Narnia.
In the aftermath of the Chris Columbus era of Harry Potter films, I have learned to view cinematic adaptations of books--ESPECIALLY of the fantasy persuasion--as objects of tremendous danger. After all, Columbus's Harry Potter films were (in my mind) bloated, cheesy, boring, and juvenile. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Andrew Adamson's adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe achieved the exact opposite: a warm, genuine interpretation of one of the greatest children's books of all time.
Okay, obviously I'm crazy about C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, so much of my perceptions of the film were manifestations of years and years of reading and loving these books. While the chronology, pacing, and characterizations were almost literal translations from the page (almost every significant event occurred EXACTLY as written), I found myself being impressed by the little personal touches that the filmmakers added to enhance the script and overall tone of the story. While such additions were original and creative, they maintained the integrity of Lewis's ideas (a skill reminiscent of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings). For example, the opening sequence introduced the four Pevensie children and their mother, scrambling for the cover of a bomb shelter. As planes fly overhead, bombing the heck out of everything, Edmund dashes back into the house, retrieves a framed picture of the children's father (who, as we later find, has gone to fight in the war), and is herded back into the shelter by older brother Peter, who immediately chastises him for being disobedient. I liked this introduction for its simplicity and originality, but also because it captures the dynamic of the four siblings while alluding to a bigger, overriding theme of oppression and resistance that we see in the parable of Narnia.
The sight of four children starring in a cast mostly comprised of CG characters would ordinarily send unpleasant chills up my spine, but the young leads handled their roles with maturity and charisma. Lucy, the youngest Pevensie and arguably the emotional focal point of the story, is captured perfectly by the adorable and talented Georgie Henley, whose innocent conviction and comedic timing earn appreciative laughs and "awww!"s aplenty from the audience. The others are equally strong in their roles: William Moseley as the responsible and courageous oldest Pevensie, Peter, is undoubtedly destined for teen-heartthrob status. Anna Popplewell as second-oldest Susan is pragmatic, bossy, and kind of awesome. Edmund, played by Skandar Keynes, is appropriately snarky and petulant. He clearly suffers from some kind of middle-chld syndrome: he resents Peter for being the golden boy of the family, he resents Lucy for getting all the attention all the time, and he resents Susan for telling him what to do. When Edmund and Peter clash, it's very believable thanks to Keynes' angstiness. The four kids are each outstanding in their individual roles, but more importantly, they make you believe that they really are a family, with all the squabbles and eye-rolls and affection of real siblings.
The few other human members of the cast are worth mentioning as well. Tilda Swinton as the terrifying White Witch is unexpectedly splendid (I was having trouble picturing her in the role, but as it turns out she was perfect). With her startlingly angular bone structure and cold demeanor, she commands the screen with the authority of a classic female villain. Mr. Tumnus the faun is adorable in his little red scarf, Professor Kirke is suitably endearing and batty, and Kiran Shah (of LOTR fame) is wonderfully nasty as the Witch's dwarf chauffeur. I did fleetingly wonder why a Narnian dwarf was speaking with a heavy Indian accent, but the effort was appreciated nonetheless.
Of course, there is one human actor in this film who didn't actually appear on the screen, yet can still claim the credit for ultimately convincing a batshit-crazy Narnia fan like me that Adamson & Co. had gotten things right: Liam Neeson, providing the voice for the giant, CG lion Aslan. Not just anyone can voice a symbolic representation of Christ in the form of a talking lion, but Neeson sure can.
Anyway, good acting and Liam Neeson aren't enough to make a fantasy film like this excel. You need the best visual effects--what else will do when you have talking woodland creatures, centaurs, griffons, minotaurs, and a unicorn? Well, WETA workshop to the rescue! This is one beautiful movie, complete with lush New Zealand landscapes, gleaming armor, and fantastical beasties aplenty. Not a complaint to be found here.
I suppose the only complaint that I have for this entire film is the pair of horribly dorky socks that Edmund wears toward the beginning.
Okay, realistically, I wish that the film had expanded a little more on the children's fear of the war and of what would happen to their family. This was an interesting interpretation to extrapolate from the text and I expected to see it developed in detail while the kids are in Narnia, but it was only scratched upon. The conclusion was abrupt and surprisingly mother-less, and I see this as a grave weakness because of Mrs. Pevensie's importance in the introduction. Also, the time discrepancies between Narnia and our world aren't made explicitly clear: if I hadn't known the book, I might have wondered why the adult Pevensies became kids again when they went through the wardrobe. It's a little thing, yes, but really one of the very few things preventing this movie from being perfect in my eyes.
It was so enjoyable that I became about 10% choked up at crucial sad moments, which (for me) is a huge deal.
Rating: 5/5 stars
So that's that. Back to school in about two weeks and I'm actually excited to start learning again. And plus, this semester is "Spring" semester, which has the word "spring" in it and therefore makes me happy.
I seem to be getting into the habit of writing long movie reviews in each entry, but to be fair, I only bother to review GOOD movies that I can find plenty to ramble on and on about. For instance, I saw Wolf Creek and The Ringer, both of which were so abysmal that I'd rather not devote one nanosecond more of my life to either of them. And I saw The Producers, which I adored, but there's not much else to say about it other than it was spectacular. So, I'll get right to Narnia.
In the aftermath of the Chris Columbus era of Harry Potter films, I have learned to view cinematic adaptations of books--ESPECIALLY of the fantasy persuasion--as objects of tremendous danger. After all, Columbus's Harry Potter films were (in my mind) bloated, cheesy, boring, and juvenile. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Andrew Adamson's adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe achieved the exact opposite: a warm, genuine interpretation of one of the greatest children's books of all time.
Okay, obviously I'm crazy about C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, so much of my perceptions of the film were manifestations of years and years of reading and loving these books. While the chronology, pacing, and characterizations were almost literal translations from the page (almost every significant event occurred EXACTLY as written), I found myself being impressed by the little personal touches that the filmmakers added to enhance the script and overall tone of the story. While such additions were original and creative, they maintained the integrity of Lewis's ideas (a skill reminiscent of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings). For example, the opening sequence introduced the four Pevensie children and their mother, scrambling for the cover of a bomb shelter. As planes fly overhead, bombing the heck out of everything, Edmund dashes back into the house, retrieves a framed picture of the children's father (who, as we later find, has gone to fight in the war), and is herded back into the shelter by older brother Peter, who immediately chastises him for being disobedient. I liked this introduction for its simplicity and originality, but also because it captures the dynamic of the four siblings while alluding to a bigger, overriding theme of oppression and resistance that we see in the parable of Narnia.
The sight of four children starring in a cast mostly comprised of CG characters would ordinarily send unpleasant chills up my spine, but the young leads handled their roles with maturity and charisma. Lucy, the youngest Pevensie and arguably the emotional focal point of the story, is captured perfectly by the adorable and talented Georgie Henley, whose innocent conviction and comedic timing earn appreciative laughs and "awww!"s aplenty from the audience. The others are equally strong in their roles: William Moseley as the responsible and courageous oldest Pevensie, Peter, is undoubtedly destined for teen-heartthrob status. Anna Popplewell as second-oldest Susan is pragmatic, bossy, and kind of awesome. Edmund, played by Skandar Keynes, is appropriately snarky and petulant. He clearly suffers from some kind of middle-chld syndrome: he resents Peter for being the golden boy of the family, he resents Lucy for getting all the attention all the time, and he resents Susan for telling him what to do. When Edmund and Peter clash, it's very believable thanks to Keynes' angstiness. The four kids are each outstanding in their individual roles, but more importantly, they make you believe that they really are a family, with all the squabbles and eye-rolls and affection of real siblings.
The few other human members of the cast are worth mentioning as well. Tilda Swinton as the terrifying White Witch is unexpectedly splendid (I was having trouble picturing her in the role, but as it turns out she was perfect). With her startlingly angular bone structure and cold demeanor, she commands the screen with the authority of a classic female villain. Mr. Tumnus the faun is adorable in his little red scarf, Professor Kirke is suitably endearing and batty, and Kiran Shah (of LOTR fame) is wonderfully nasty as the Witch's dwarf chauffeur. I did fleetingly wonder why a Narnian dwarf was speaking with a heavy Indian accent, but the effort was appreciated nonetheless.
Of course, there is one human actor in this film who didn't actually appear on the screen, yet can still claim the credit for ultimately convincing a batshit-crazy Narnia fan like me that Adamson & Co. had gotten things right: Liam Neeson, providing the voice for the giant, CG lion Aslan. Not just anyone can voice a symbolic representation of Christ in the form of a talking lion, but Neeson sure can.
Anyway, good acting and Liam Neeson aren't enough to make a fantasy film like this excel. You need the best visual effects--what else will do when you have talking woodland creatures, centaurs, griffons, minotaurs, and a unicorn? Well, WETA workshop to the rescue! This is one beautiful movie, complete with lush New Zealand landscapes, gleaming armor, and fantastical beasties aplenty. Not a complaint to be found here.
I suppose the only complaint that I have for this entire film is the pair of horribly dorky socks that Edmund wears toward the beginning.
Okay, realistically, I wish that the film had expanded a little more on the children's fear of the war and of what would happen to their family. This was an interesting interpretation to extrapolate from the text and I expected to see it developed in detail while the kids are in Narnia, but it was only scratched upon. The conclusion was abrupt and surprisingly mother-less, and I see this as a grave weakness because of Mrs. Pevensie's importance in the introduction. Also, the time discrepancies between Narnia and our world aren't made explicitly clear: if I hadn't known the book, I might have wondered why the adult Pevensies became kids again when they went through the wardrobe. It's a little thing, yes, but really one of the very few things preventing this movie from being perfect in my eyes.
It was so enjoyable that I became about 10% choked up at crucial sad moments, which (for me) is a huge deal.
Rating: 5/5 stars
So that's that. Back to school in about two weeks and I'm actually excited to start learning again. And plus, this semester is "Spring" semester, which has the word "spring" in it and therefore makes me happy.