Shortly after Christmas, I went with my dad and my brother to see The Chronicles of Narnia. I read four of the books this past summer, and I couldn't wait to see the movie. If you have seen it, I hope you enjoyed it at least as much as I did. The cinematography was impressive, and the young actors playing the main roles did a fantastic job (especially little Lucy).
If you haven't seen it yet, do go . . . but try not to sit near any children (unless, of course, they are yours). There is an interesting dynamic at movies like that. Despite rather mature themes, a scary bad lady, and violence, it is, overall, a children's movie. So, yes, there will be children in the audience. I have no problem with that. In fact, I enjoy hearing their giggles and delight during movies I enjoy in much the same way they do! However, in Narnia, we just happened to sit in front of The Expert of All that is Narnia. I figure he was about . . . oh . . . eight or nine. He was very familiar with the books, but, alas, his friend next to him was not. SO, we were treated to a running commentary throughout the entire movie. We got to hear all about where the lamp post came from in the first book and how the big guy in brown was "Father Christmas, or as WE know him, Santa Claus." And when his friend asked, repeatedly, what was going to happen, Mr. Expert would sigh with exasperation (enjoying every minute of it, I'm sure) and answer, "You'll SEE." You might ask why we didn't move. That's just me, I guess. It takes a lot to get me to get up during a movie and change seats. I sat there thinking, "At least he's not kicking my seat." And I have to say that I was impressed with not only this child's knowledge of the books but also his interest in them. Any child who reads is a friend of mine. I just don't want to sit near my new little friend in a movie again.
I can certainly relate to the Minotaur's aversion to movie theaters (http://ironlabyrinth.blogspot.com/2006/01/movie-theatres.html). However, there are movies that you pretty much have to see, at least once, on the big screen, and Narnia, for me, is one of them. You have to weigh the benefits of seeing the movie larger than life, with brilliant color and sound, with the risk of harassment by other audience members. These movies usually draw the largest audiences, however, (think Lord of the Rings), and therein lies the paradox.
Narnia was worth it, despite the chatterbox behind me. Let me know what you think.
7 years ago
We also saw Narnia... and are huge Narnia fans dating back to the early 1980s when our parents read them to us for the first time! I loved it—so well-cast, such good effects, such a great lamp post scene. Just as I had imagined it. My only two complaints: 1. The wolves were the only characters in the whole movie that didn't have English accents. ?? Why?? and 2. I thought the witch's army was a little bit too Lord of the Ringsish. I did not envision it that way in my head. Other than that... fantastic.
ReplyDeleteAt least you had someone halfway intelligent blathering through the movie... I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha last weekend with some friends and the people sitting next to me talked throughout the whole movie, and it was only at the halfway point did they realize it was in JAPAN, not in CHINA. It was as close as I ever came to punching someone in the nose. Heh.