Narnia Review
I went to see "Narnia" at the midnight showing last night with a bunch of friends. Because I got off work late and was tired, I didn't show up until almost eleven, but that turned out to be fortuitious. The local news team was there, interviewing people who were there for the midnight showing. The producer snagged my friend Kaelin and I,and we were asked why we didn't dress up in costume. I could have told her that we weren't here to see Lotr or Harry Potter, and that we, as new Narnia-film fans, were still looking for good costumes to dress up in, but she decided that Kaelin was the more talkative and asked her the question. Le sigh. Anyway...
We'd originally done the "interview" outside in the parking lot, but a car alarm forced us all inside, where we did it again, this time posed artfully in front of the lady's bathroom. In defence of the news team, the door was very nicely decorated with Narnia posters. The whole theater was decorated, actually. Which was cool.
Anyway, we finally got into the theatre, and the trailers finally-Finally!!-started. Among the Disney trailers was the new POTC 2 trailer. The entire audience whooped when it started, and burts into wild cheers and applause as soon as it ended. Whee! Pirates!
And then the movie started.
How can I sum this movie up? It is incredible. Stunning. It starts out with shots of London during the Blizt, from the Luftwaft POV: bombs falling on homes and buildings. The thought crossed my mind,"How could they do that when they knew that innocent people were dying?" And then the camera enters the Pevensie home, and shows Mrs. Pevensie gathering the kids and dragging them outside into the bomb shelter. Edmund stands a the window watching until his mum drags him away, then runs back inside for a photo of his dad. This sets up Peter's complaints against him and his inability to think things through, etc. Next scene they are shipped off to the Professor.
The movie follows the book wonderfully. At one point, the kids are bored from the rain and Lucy convinces them to play hide and seek. The music here is wonderfully big band and Forties-ish, and when Lucy runs into the spare room and sees the wardrobe, it slams to a stop. A few steps and she's in Narnia. And I fell through my chair.
The whole of Narnia was perfectly done. Mr. Tumnus was perfect. The Beavers were perfect. The scenery was perfect. The music was perfect. It actually felt like you were in Narnia, crunching about in the snow and eating tea with Tumnus, and listening to Narnian lullabies. It was so stunning I cannot put it in words.
And the White Witch. The White Witch. Oh, my gosh, Tilda Swinton is my hero for playing Evil Incarnate perfectly. She's so seductive towards Edmund, giving him Turkish Delight and wrapping him in furs, and then, when she takes it away and screeches at him when he asks for more...it's like she momentarily forgot to pretend to be human. And then her reaction to Edmund and her revelation to Tumnus that Ed was the one who turned him in. Wow. Just wow.
So, the movie goes on, and the effects are so good that you forget that it's computerized. The cinematography is incredible, the costumes and sets stunning. I spent half the movie admiring the White Witch's crazy costumes. They're awesome. The digital effects are brilliant, too. The wolves look so real, and so does Aslan.
Ah, Aslan. Son of the great Emporer Beyond the Sea. After about three lines you forget that he's Liam Neeson, and he's just Aslan. Honestly, I don't think that they could have gotten any better actor for the voice of Aslan. He's strong, sad, powerful, kind, everything that Aslan needs to be. His sacrafice on the Stone Table was chillingly portrayed, his resurrection breathtaking. Brilliant.
I'm not going to recap each scene, but I will make a mention of the last battle and how brilliant it was. The White Witch was hardcore, I tell you: she was wearing Aslan's mane as a part of her garb! And she fought Florentine, with two swords. So awesome!
Oh, and I should make a mention of the Pevensie children, and the Professor. Each of those kids was perfect for their role. Edmund was a little brat who redeemed himself amazingly well; Lucy was a joyful and loving child; Peter was brave and concerned for his family; Susan was loving and the voice of reason. And the Professor was played by the wonderful Jim Broadbent, whom I greatly admire and had not known was in this film. Seriously, he walked onscreen and I was all, "Hey! It's Jim Broadbent! Awesome!"
The end, with them all tumbling out of the wardrobe, was perfect. The dialogue between the Kings and Queens of Narnia on their hunt for the White Stag was fun and bright. And they're all just gorgerous. Seriously, Peter and Edmund were both soooo handsome! I think I squeed. Then they all fall out of the wardrobe, and the Professor greets them. "Once a King or Queen in Narnia, always a King or Queen in Narnia." (Except this line is given to Aslan.)
And don't leave when the credits run! They go for a few moments, and then there is a little finale scene between Lucy and the Professor that is NOT TO BE MISSED.
Now, I realize that this review is rambling and really long, but I beg you all to remember that I got four hours of sleep last night and worked all day, so I'm a little frazzled. Bottom line, this movie is incredible. I'm defintely going to be seeing it again. Many times.
And I must own this soundtrack. The music is incredible. The composer is Harry gregson-Williams, the man behind the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack, and I daresay it will be nominated for an Academy Award. As was the case with KoH, this was a case of "See movie, buy soundtrack". Except that the soundtrack doesn't come out until the thirteenth. Woes.
So, that's it, I think. Thank you, and good night!
We'd originally done the "interview" outside in the parking lot, but a car alarm forced us all inside, where we did it again, this time posed artfully in front of the lady's bathroom. In defence of the news team, the door was very nicely decorated with Narnia posters. The whole theater was decorated, actually. Which was cool.
Anyway, we finally got into the theatre, and the trailers finally-Finally!!-started. Among the Disney trailers was the new POTC 2 trailer. The entire audience whooped when it started, and burts into wild cheers and applause as soon as it ended. Whee! Pirates!
And then the movie started.
How can I sum this movie up? It is incredible. Stunning. It starts out with shots of London during the Blizt, from the Luftwaft POV: bombs falling on homes and buildings. The thought crossed my mind,"How could they do that when they knew that innocent people were dying?" And then the camera enters the Pevensie home, and shows Mrs. Pevensie gathering the kids and dragging them outside into the bomb shelter. Edmund stands a the window watching until his mum drags him away, then runs back inside for a photo of his dad. This sets up Peter's complaints against him and his inability to think things through, etc. Next scene they are shipped off to the Professor.
The movie follows the book wonderfully. At one point, the kids are bored from the rain and Lucy convinces them to play hide and seek. The music here is wonderfully big band and Forties-ish, and when Lucy runs into the spare room and sees the wardrobe, it slams to a stop. A few steps and she's in Narnia. And I fell through my chair.
The whole of Narnia was perfectly done. Mr. Tumnus was perfect. The Beavers were perfect. The scenery was perfect. The music was perfect. It actually felt like you were in Narnia, crunching about in the snow and eating tea with Tumnus, and listening to Narnian lullabies. It was so stunning I cannot put it in words.
And the White Witch. The White Witch. Oh, my gosh, Tilda Swinton is my hero for playing Evil Incarnate perfectly. She's so seductive towards Edmund, giving him Turkish Delight and wrapping him in furs, and then, when she takes it away and screeches at him when he asks for more...it's like she momentarily forgot to pretend to be human. And then her reaction to Edmund and her revelation to Tumnus that Ed was the one who turned him in. Wow. Just wow.
So, the movie goes on, and the effects are so good that you forget that it's computerized. The cinematography is incredible, the costumes and sets stunning. I spent half the movie admiring the White Witch's crazy costumes. They're awesome. The digital effects are brilliant, too. The wolves look so real, and so does Aslan.
Ah, Aslan. Son of the great Emporer Beyond the Sea. After about three lines you forget that he's Liam Neeson, and he's just Aslan. Honestly, I don't think that they could have gotten any better actor for the voice of Aslan. He's strong, sad, powerful, kind, everything that Aslan needs to be. His sacrafice on the Stone Table was chillingly portrayed, his resurrection breathtaking. Brilliant.
I'm not going to recap each scene, but I will make a mention of the last battle and how brilliant it was. The White Witch was hardcore, I tell you: she was wearing Aslan's mane as a part of her garb! And she fought Florentine, with two swords. So awesome!
Oh, and I should make a mention of the Pevensie children, and the Professor. Each of those kids was perfect for their role. Edmund was a little brat who redeemed himself amazingly well; Lucy was a joyful and loving child; Peter was brave and concerned for his family; Susan was loving and the voice of reason. And the Professor was played by the wonderful Jim Broadbent, whom I greatly admire and had not known was in this film. Seriously, he walked onscreen and I was all, "Hey! It's Jim Broadbent! Awesome!"
The end, with them all tumbling out of the wardrobe, was perfect. The dialogue between the Kings and Queens of Narnia on their hunt for the White Stag was fun and bright. And they're all just gorgerous. Seriously, Peter and Edmund were both soooo handsome! I think I squeed. Then they all fall out of the wardrobe, and the Professor greets them. "Once a King or Queen in Narnia, always a King or Queen in Narnia." (Except this line is given to Aslan.)
And don't leave when the credits run! They go for a few moments, and then there is a little finale scene between Lucy and the Professor that is NOT TO BE MISSED.
Now, I realize that this review is rambling and really long, but I beg you all to remember that I got four hours of sleep last night and worked all day, so I'm a little frazzled. Bottom line, this movie is incredible. I'm defintely going to be seeing it again. Many times.
And I must own this soundtrack. The music is incredible. The composer is Harry gregson-Williams, the man behind the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack, and I daresay it will be nominated for an Academy Award. As was the case with KoH, this was a case of "See movie, buy soundtrack". Except that the soundtrack doesn't come out until the thirteenth. Woes.
So, that's it, I think. Thank you, and good night!