Tonight I went to see the midnight premiere of this the newest instalment of New Zealand's fantasy movie franchise. As a true fan, I thought, I could do no less - even though, after a working week with not nearly enough sleep, it meant taking insomnia to new heights.

Now did I like the movie? To be honest, I am not at all sure. Visually, it was stunning, of course - you cannot go wrong if you bring Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and the New Zealand South Island on board. The CG work is nothing less than spectacular, the kids are cute - especially Lucy, but also Edmund, who is quickly turning into my favorite out of the four (he also looks handsomest when grown-up) - Aslan is appropriately majestic, the White Witch appropriately white, and the wardrobe is beautifully carved. So there isn't much to complain about that side of things.

What the movie seemed to lack, though, was a sort of a - well, an idea for the script, something that would hold the whole thing together and give it direction and spunk. It lacked the quirkiness and humour that worked so well in Lord of the Rings, and Shrek. It seems to fall into the same trap that made the first two instalments of Harry Potter such a cinematic disappointment - the movie stays too true to the book, and it takes itself too seriously. Though there are deviations from how the story is told in the book, they don't seem to serve any overriding purpose, exept perhaps trying to notch up the tension - such as when witch's wolf police is already sniffing at the outside of the beaver's house while Mrs. Beaver is still packing the jam.
It lacked motivation for its main characters - the White Witch is evil, yes, but why? And what constitutes her evilness? Is she frigid, childless, frustrated? Has she had a history of sorts? Why is she fighting Aslan, and Narnia? Why does she want it to be always winter, and never Christmas? She doesn't even seem to enjoy being evil. And as to Aslan - same thing here, we just have to accept that he's always good and that he would sacrifice himself for Edward. The only character that has some sort of development is, in fact, Edward - but even with him, we don't really know why he is distancing himself from his brother and sisters in the beginning, and why he would go as far as betraying them?
I suppose the movie is also trying to portray Peter's growth from boy to responsible warrior and king - but I have to say that he looks a bit helpless, and why does he keep holding up his sword in such an uncomfortable position? It's not a rifle, man, that you could point at someone to threaten them! Susan is a bit pale - why does she always want to go back, and be careful? Again, there is no motivation for her being that way. And the growth of her character doesn't really happen at all. And Lucy - well, Lucy is sweet from beginning to end, but again she doesn't seem to change much - still, her perceptiveness and compassion, in comparison with the other children, comes across well, and to me, she was the most convincing of the four children. Though why she would be pleased and smiling, rather than shocked and surprised, when she first finds herself in a snowy wood, rather than among old furcoats, is a question that I would like to ask the director very much. Of the Narnian characters, Tumnus is easily the most memorable - I also liked Mr and Mrs Beaver, but the rest of them - including, unfortunately, both Aslan and the White Witch - come across more like cardboard characters than anything else.

Well, I suppose I am spoilt and pampered by the amazing character work that was done in Lord of the Rings - where each and every one of the main characters had a clear journey and motivation - but still, I would have expected a bit more. Why set up the scene with a German air raid on London, and the family fleeing into the bomb shelter, if the trauma of war, and separation from the family, is not referenced at all later on? And much as I usually enjoy cross-references to other movies, seeing the children board the Hogwards train and being picked up by Gandalf's horse cart, unfortunately driven by the professor's nasty housekeeper, didn't really make me smile - rather, it seemed a bit helpless. And if we do have all this setup, how come the people and animals that the children encounter in Narnia, don't bear any relation to anyone in the real world? This is where the film could have interpreted the book, and this I think is what makes intelligent film making. As it is, the movie is a visually beautiful and technically superb exercise in storybook illustration, nothing less, but unfortunately, nothing more.

review written by Asni - contact me

last updated: 9 December, 2005