Narnia.

[changeling]

Apparently, S---- and I are the only people in the world who didn't like the new The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.


Here are my impressions:

OMG DULL.

Where was my Edmund bespelling? And his internal conflict?

That's not a Stone Table, that's a Stone Podium.

*cries* Why isn't Tilda being awesome? She's just being blah! WTF is wrong with the script??

Since when is Tumnus in jail? Why would the WW do that, when she can save wear and tear on jail cells, not to mention fewer bills for stale bread and water when she can just crucio be-stone him?

Lucy's too fond of the delightedly surprised expression. Nothing you say can make that better.

I love how Peter can stave off the WW in a sword fight, when he only picked up his sword two minutes ago. How crap is she?

Why isn't the WW attempting to kill Edmund with her knife before he's rescued? How ineffectual.

What was up with the extended hide-and-seek/cricket sequences when it was actually all about the OMGHIDEFROMTHEVISITORS-Stately Homes of England type doohickey? Wouldn't that have made the whole thing faster?

Oh, look! It's the fighting bit from The Two Towers! Any minute now, Aslan will appear over the ridge on a white horse, backlit.

I seem to recall Lucy and Susan being more useful in the battle scene. Not much, given Lewis's belief in the Place of Women, but some. Lucy's supposed to be a regular Florence Nightingale, but without the sewers.

I should hope that Susan wouldn't miss, particularly at that range.

Where was the children's hypothermia after the dip in that river???

I wish Mr Beaver was a furry hat, too.

THE END.

Oh - and I'm especially disappointed, because I actually liked the trailers I saw. Sadly, I spent the latter half wishing it were over because I was bored. I almost want to try to watch it again to see if I can work out what all the fuss is about, but I'm not that rich. Perhaps when it comes out on DVD. Meanwhile, as everyone who speaks to me knows by now, I want to watch the BBC version again, with all its crappy animated flying skulls.

Comments

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

Where was my Edmund bespelling? And his internal conflict?

How do you portray internal conflict on film? I thought his reasons for hating Peter and betraying his family were a lot more believable in the film than the book.

Since when is Tumnus in jail?

An excuse to use some more, because his Tumnus was so sweet :)

Lucy's too fond of the delightedly surprised expression. Nothing you say can make that better.

Agreed. But then, Daniel Radcliffe is too fond of the open-mouthed grin and Emma Watson is too fond of worried eyebrows, and they're older and (I presume, possibly wrongly) more experienced actors. So. *shrug*

I seem to recall Lucy and Susan being more useful in the battle scene. Not much, given Lewis's belief in the Place of Women, but some. Lucy's supposed to be a regular Florence Nightingale, but without the sewers.

Eh. From my recent reading, they turn up in time for Aslan to stop Jadis from killing Peter by jumping on her and then 'the battle was all over in a few minutes after their arrival'. As for Lucy tending to the wounded, all the book says is 'for the next half-hour they were busy - she attending to the wounded while [Aslan} restored those who had been turned into stone.' So...pretty much what happened in the film, except that Aslan told Lucy to leave Edmund and help the others before he actually woke up, in the book. Much more sympathy for Edmund in the film.

*shrug* Of course, you are entitled to your opinion, but I think it's possible that childhood fondness for the book is making a lot of people (and you're certainly not the only people who didn't like it!) forget that, while it is a good story, it's no more flawless than the film. Then again, I hadn't read the book for about fifteen years before I saw the movie, and didn't actually remember the 'changes' that were made for the film (having since reread the book and rewatched the movie, though, I think they were pretty small and reasonable as changes go, compared to a lot of other book adaptations that are going around).

I didn't personally have a problem with it looking like LotR-Lite; I expected it to. Hell, they were both filmed in the same not-very-big country and the creatures and weaponry were by Weta Workshop in both, so it's hardly surprising; also, both stories were written at a similar time, by similar men, and are fantasy adventures with a strong Christian theme, so it's not much of a stretch for them to end up as similar movies!

That said:

Where was the children's hypothermia after the dip in that river???
I wish Mr Beaver was a furry hat, too.

Yes, I was annoyed enough by that to grahh at the person sitting next to me in the cinema (thankfully, someone I knew, otherwise it could have been embarrassing *g*). And the Beavers were terribly annoying. It wasn't a perfect movie, but I still enjoyed it (and, of course, you're perfectly free to say you didn't, and why).

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

An excuse to use some more, because his Tumnus was so sweet :)

That should, of course, read: "An excuse to use James McAvoy some more, because his Tumnus was so sweet :)" whoops. I went to look up the actor's name and then forgot I'd left it out before I posted the comment. *is dork*

[watersusurrus.livejournal.com]

I think I should note before I begin that this is also a response to D---'s post and not just your comment I also hate dislike the book (mostly because I can smell a Moral Story About Good and Evil and the Souls of Men about a bigillion miles away and I hate them. Also on my hit list: Heart of Darkness (Conrad) and whatsit with the pig killing Lord of the Flies (What'shisface))

How do you portray internal conflict on film?
I think it's possible to do. We got all of those shots of Edmund not speaking but clearly thinking nasty boy thoughts. (It's all the way through it, he's normally standing out of the sightlines of his siblings. Of course I can't remember an example!) And then when got shots of him looking very guilty about selling Tumnus out for sweeties etc. I think alot of it would have to do with how well the director set up our context for the shot ...

On the other hand, I don't think film!Edmund was given any reason to feel conflicted. His family was always beastly to him. I totally believed that he'd be happy to give it all up to live in a palace and have his beastly siblings wait on him. He's a child, and he probably do not take the offer very seriously or afford it much reasoned thought.

because his Tumnus was so sweet
Although I dispear of the smut fandom will write of Lucy/Tumnus.

Emma Watson is too fond of worried eyebrows
Emma Watson needs botox. Seriously, I'm so glad someone else has noticed. I have to struggle not scream everytime I see her and her damn wiggling eyebrows.

didn't personally have a problem with it looking like LotR-Lite
We didn't mind either, we just missed having the wonderful effects backed up with a plot we were involved in. I personally felt distanced because of the Christian message in it, because as I said so politely above I find such themes (Ultimate Good vs Ultimate Evil in the battle for Man's Immortal Soul) generally boring. I left the cinema to go to the bathroom, and when I got back I said to D--- "Ah, we're up to the torture of Christ by the Romans, are we?". I'm a bad film goer, shhhhh ...

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

The BBC series (which I do keep harping on because I haven't seen it in years and therefore is more perfect in my memory) actually had Edmund talk to himself. A second Edmund, which was clearly his conscience, sort of stepped out of him and told him off, and he justified himself. There was just far more Edmund-love in the series.

Emma Watson needs a-slappin', and nothing will make her irritating Hermione nor her use of pink acceptable. *looks askance* I am usually able to suppress these feelings, though. Most of the time.

*nods* Even though I re-read The Lion ... in 2005, it seems to entirely have dropped out of my head again and I can remember hardly any details. And now I can't find my family's copy so I can't try to read it again!

Believe me, I know the book is very flawed. It wasn't even disappointment or anything like that; it was boredom. Beyond and above my own nit-pickings, I found myself deeply bored by the whole movie, which surprised me because I had expected to enjoy it. I'm rather envious of those who enjoyed it. Good luck to you.

[melusinehr.livejournal.com]

I didn't like it either. I spent almost the entire movie murmuring "Dick" or "Bitch" to myself whenever Peter or Susan opened their mouths. Many of the things I didn't like were straight out of the book, but I hated the centaurs and thought most of the changes were annoying and nonsensical, which didn't leave me with much. And the two friends I saw it with hated it as well.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I seem to remember Peter being a lot more stern-but-fair than that. And Susan being, well, likable.

thought most of the changes were annoying and nonsensical
Yes, yes, yes!

Bah. Awful movie.

[watersusurrus.livejournal.com]

Yay! A post!

[dorukai.livejournal.com]

Hrm.

Urge-to-see-it-waning.

Oh well. Not that I was expecting all that much of the movie - I'm not that big a fan of the books.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of people apparently liked it.

I think I'm a bigger fan of the BBC series than I am of the books, though I did enjoy re-reading TLTW&TW this year.

[daharja.livejournal.com]

Since when is Tumnus in jail? Why would the WW do that, when she can save wear and tear on jail cells, not to mention fewer bills for stale bread and water when she can just crucio be-stone him?

*snorfles*

I thought that was a bit odd too. But more than anything, I kept hearing, whenever Susan flashed on the screen, Peter voice saying gravely: "Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia." (book 7)

That's what you get for wanting to wear lipstick!

[jolly-oddness.livejournal.com]

And acting like a...*gasp*...adult in general!!! Yee gods!

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Please tell me you've read Gaiman's "The Problem with Susan". It just sums up that feeling so well.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Apologies, I mean "The Problem of Susan".

[jolly-oddness.livejournal.com]

No, I've not read it. Finding any Gaiman is impossible, I swear it. I may order it in; is it really wonderful?

[daharja.livejournal.com]

*snorfles*

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. I forgot to note that in. Every time I saw Susan being obnoxious, I kept thinking that it was setting up "The Problem of Susan" (now a short story by Neil Gaiman).

[jolly-oddness.livejournal.com]

You are the second person to comment on the averageness of the film. Now I am not worried about being underwhelmed, but sort of resigned to it.

I've never actually read the book, I know the end part of the series, and that is all. I also read them when I was really young so the whole religious morality and symbolisism didn't really bother me so much.

Bother, bother, bother. I was wishing it was brilliant.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Same. You pretty much echo my feelings about this movie.

[spirail.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* i diddnt like it either... for all thoes reasons...but mostly becauser they made it into a "kids film"...or at least one where by ther clearly diddnty respect the intelligence of the audience. If i had an eye twitch, it woudl have been twitching in this movie every 2 mins.

Tell em the book is better, because after i saw this i thought..."omg, i never want to read this book"

[watersusurrus.livejournal.com]

Add meeeeeeeeeee to 5am_something!!

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Done!

[watersusurrus.livejournal.com]

Once you have created the invitation, you have to go back through and *send* it. Have you done this??