The Joys of Narnia

OK. I've watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe twice now. So the reviews are in.

Great Moments in the Film or Why Michael is an Emotional Wreck:

*The bombings in England. This totally reminded me of my mom growing up in England. I always imagine her hiding in a cupboard at the end of a hallway. I started to well up, being thankful for mummy.

*The Professor's Home. Amazing to look at inside and out. At second viewing I couldn't help but imagine this being the writing room.

*Lucy. The cutest Lucy ever. One of the most pure characters on film in awhile. More over Dakota Fanning. Lucy is one of those great characters who embodies a lot of the characteristics we strive to have. She is so pure and genuine in who she is: When she is fearful she calls out to her brother, when she is sad she cries, when she is happy she throws snowballs and frolics, she runs up and hugs the professor even though he is thought to be untouchable. She is honest with who she is where she is. She never tries to be more than she is, and for that she is perfect. (Plus how cute was she with her little cup and saucer at Mr. Tumnis' house!!)

*The moment Lu first steps into Narnia. The snow, the trees... You can almost taste the crisp air. It was breathtaking.

*The moment when Lucy put faith in what she believed. The choice was obvious, and she had that child-like faith that so many of us try to have. This was so great, and yes more tears came.

*Ed getting his first taste of Turkish Delights and the first AMAZING shot of the White Witch. While everyone loved Peter, I really liked Ed cause he had this little speech impediment which was cute (just like Lu), and he had a progression to make during the story. He was organic and developed, but not to the point of disbelief. The transformation was believable and caused simple scenes like him holding a sword to be rich.

*The realistic fighting and bickering that took place between the kids. It never really came to an emotional conclusion which I loved. The kids all loved each other, but they treated each other as brothers and sisters would: Pointing out flaws, faults and errors of judgment in each other, while balancing it with an obvious devotion and love for each other.

*Aslan. At times when he is standing on a cliff talking to Peter, you feel as though--Wow this is a lion. The little bits of scruff and fragments that fly around when he breathes give him a realistic element.

*The battle. The flying creatures were GORGEOUS to me. Their feathers were realistic, and gave movement to the screen. Tears.

*The Centaur was hardcore. The two sword pull out made me excited.

*The White Witch's total domineer was PERFECT. She was arrogant, powerful, not totally human seeming, strangely pretty yet a dark side of ugliness in her, and had the coolest clothes and even cooler hair. Her best scene is when she is approaching Aslan at the camp. There is such stifled fear in her eyes, and understanding of her shortcomings.

*The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. Crowns, growing up, and the stag!

Overall, Narnia followed the story nearly perfectly, with only a few minor changes that didn't cause fans of the book to throw tomatoes at a first viewing (reference the Harry Potter review on The Goblet of Fire). The books probably translated better to film because they are more concise and simplistic in plot (i.e. no House Elves running around making food in the kitchens). Walden and Disney would be wise to put out more Narnia films, 'cause me like-y.

Grade: Full Spaghetti Dinner
(see previous posting for grading policy)