Author Topic: Chronicles of Narnia  (Read 28180 times)

Offline Nathan

  • Jedi Knight
  • *
  • Posts: 4063
  • Destroying the hobby one EU figure at a time.
    • View Profile
    • The Clone Wars Unofficial Site (in carbonite)
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #45 on: October 24, 2005, 12:27 PM »
Twitter: @OKeefeNathan
Blog: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Fanboy (in carbonite since '09, back someday)

Offline Brian

  • Jedi Sentinel
  • *
  • Posts: 11749
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #46 on: October 24, 2005, 02:06 PM »
Thanks so much for the heads up Valin Kenobi, the trailer is great.  In case anyone is interested, here's a Quicktime Version as well.  I'm really looking forward to this movie, and to me, the trailers don't disappoint at all.  Its looking good to me :).

Offline Nathan

  • Jedi Knight
  • *
  • Posts: 4063
  • Destroying the hobby one EU figure at a time.
    • View Profile
    • The Clone Wars Unofficial Site (in carbonite)
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #47 on: October 24, 2005, 02:09 PM »
"Aslan is on the move" -- best line from the trailer. Probably overlooked by most casual viewers, but those of us who've read the book all recognize the significance here.

Liam Neeson -- not bad, but I found it a bit distracting to hear "Qui-Gon's voice". I'm sure that when I see the movie I'll quickly stop noticing it, but still....

That rhino running those guys over was awesome too. ;D

I don't mind what they did with the battle (expanded and elaborated), but what bugs me is the dialogue. I didn't like how everything after the Beavers scene was all packaged into nice Hollywood quips and cliches ... "If it's a war he wants, etc. etc.". :-\ Really, it looks and sounds too much like a zillion other trailers out there (on the other hand, every movie sounds stupid like that when distilled into trailer soundbites). If I hadn't read the books, I bet I would view LWW as a ripoff of LOTR and Potter, and I hope that isn't the impression the general public derives from the trailer. Honestly the Goblet of Fire trailer looks more exciting to me (I'm just speaking of the trailer obviously!).

However, I'm still really excited to see the film. Duh. :D
Twitter: @OKeefeNathan
Blog: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Fanboy (in carbonite since '09, back someday)

Offline Brian

  • Jedi Sentinel
  • *
  • Posts: 11749
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #48 on: October 24, 2005, 02:17 PM »
That's a good point, I wonder how the "general public" will look at this movie.  To people who are familiar with the book (which, when I was younger...at our school I think quite a few kids were), I think they will be looking forward to seeing it on the big screen.  Then again, if its a good movie, things will take care of itself.  I mean, LOTR came from books too (maybe a little more well known/larger fanbase), but it seemed to gain a lot of fans, and obviously, a lot of box office.  I hope it is done well, and is a fun movie for all ages.

Offline Morgbug

  • Old
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 16232
  • mmm. pemmican.
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #49 on: October 24, 2005, 10:06 PM »
Thanks for the links fellas. 

Interesting movie.  Substitute children for hobbits and it's looking similar. ;)  I wonder if we'll be getting a tale each Christmas season?
Minivans: a sign of the apocalypse.

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #50 on: October 24, 2005, 10:56 PM »
Never read the books Brent?  Lewis wrote Narnia around the same time as Tolkien and LOTR, in fact they were friends and Lewis was very much inspired by LOTR and The Hobbit.  I've said it a few times in the thread already but JRR thought Lewis was rather lazy when creating his world, and, when reading the books you can certainly see that.  He sort of made it up as he went ala Lucas and didn't have the meticulous

Definitely worth a read, good stories with heavy Christian Allegory mixed in

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #51 on: October 24, 2005, 11:38 PM »

Offline Morgbug

  • Old
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 16232
  • mmm. pemmican.
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #52 on: October 25, 2005, 12:57 PM »
Never read the books Brent?  Lewis wrote Narnia around the same time as Tolkien and LOTR, in fact they were friends and Lewis was very much inspired by LOTR and The Hobbit.  I've said it a few times in the thread already but JRR thought Lewis was rather lazy when creating his world, and, when reading the books you can certainly see that.  He sort of made it up as he went ala Lucas and didn't have the meticulous

Definitely worth a read, good stories with heavy Christian Allegory mixed in

I need a book for the flight to Florida, so this will probably be the one.  So the answer (obviously) is nope, never read it.  It seems our curriculum was somewhat different than the one you guys had.  I honestly wasn't a big reader growing up so I have only painful book memories.  No idea why, but I think over my education I must have read the entire collected works of Solzhenitsyn (sp?) ::)
Minivans: a sign of the apocalypse.

Offline Darth_Anton

  • Jedi Sentinel
  • *
  • Posts: 10672
  • Whatever
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #53 on: November 12, 2005, 10:50 PM »
This past Thursday, at 10:30pm, the last FX shot was completed and this morning (Saturday) at 10am, I was privileged to be in the audience of the first public showing of the finished film.

Wow! Did they get it right.

I thought it was an excellent interpretation of the book, but to a fault. In other words, I thought it was a home run, but it wasn't knocked out of the park. It's very obvious that the filmmakers went through great lengths to get it right, and it shows (although, I am disappointed one small *hint* character was left out of the film.) However, where I think the movie goes wrong is that it was made very competently, but did not go beyond that to make it special or magical. While I was blown away by what I was seeing, there were still moments missing to take it from a faith rendition to a true masterpiece, but I'm sure I'm gong to be in the minority in thinking that. I think the film will make tons of money, get good reviews and be a crowd pleaser, and deservedly so. But, after getting a film like Batman Begins this summer, a film that took that leap to masterpiece, it's a mild disappointment for me. I think in the hands of someone like Christopher Nolan or Alfonso Coarun, it would have been truly special.

As for the FX, Aslan was superb. There was one awful shot at the stone table sequence, but other than that, he was incredible.  Tomnes was another amazing example of great work, I looked hard for flaws with his legs and found none. Some of the fight sequences could have been rendered and animated better, but they are definitely passable for today's audience.

I hope you all enjoy it.


Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel - The Imperial Communique -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEfCtMv1lWhxSH-B1Scr4g
"Snark is the idiot's version of wit."

Offline JediMAC

  • Pretty in Pink
  • Retired Staff Member
  • Jedi Sentinel
  • *
  • Posts: 14572
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #54 on: December 9, 2005, 05:38 AM »
Opening Day!  Who's in?  Anyone catch the midnight showing?

We're gonna check it out at 4:15pm.  I've watched the half hour special on it on the Starz movie channel several times now, and it really has me excited about this flick.  Hopefully it lives up to the expectations, as well as staying true to the book (which I only vaguely recall anymore, so I guess that's not such an issue really).

So drop some reviews in here and let us know what you folks thought of it!

Offline Famine

  • Noderator
  • Jedi Master
  • *
  • Posts: 5050
  • Who watches The Famine?
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #55 on: December 9, 2005, 09:27 AM »
Taking the lady to see it if everything works out. The snow doesn't like me.

Kevin
The picture kept, will remind me...

Offline Rob

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 25252
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #56 on: December 9, 2005, 10:50 AM »
I saw a special on CNN or some news channel about how the creators of Narnia have hired the same promotional team that was used by the people who produced The Passion of the Christ - this was because they wanted to "cash in" on The Passion mania.

So then they showed a series of clips where they had gone around to churches to promote the movie complete with a pastor telling a bunch of little kids that the Lion represented Jesus and that it was always cold in Narnia because it represented Hell (I believe he said something to the effect of "it's always snowing and there's never any Christmas!)

Needless to say, I was very turned off by this and now question whether or not I care about seeing the movie - I'm all for people expressing their religion and what not but even if C.S. Lewis' original intent was Christian allegory, I'm not the kind of guy to line up to go out and see movies that are inherently Christian metaphor but that fail to explicitly say so until it comes time for an advertising push at Churches across the nation. 

So, are these notions mistaken?

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #57 on: December 9, 2005, 11:09 AM »
So, are these notions mistaken?

I saw the same thing on ABC News a few days ago.  Disney basically admitted that it is going to push the that angle, but stressed that type of marketing would be aimed at groups already "involved" with a religious base (youth groups, church groups, etc).

"Rice said only 5 percent of the marketing budget for "Narnia," which opens Dec. 9, targeted faith-based groups. "

In other words, they aren't bringing up the message to the "regular folks" in commercials and trailers (as they are afraid of alienating non-christians), but they are making a lot of promo info available to your local priest/minister/pastor/revenend to use with the youth groups. 

Personally, I'm going to just ignore the marketing (which is usually a good idea anyway  :P) and go see the movie.  I've read the books and enjoyed them, so I'll see the movie.

Sure, maybe some folks out there will try to use the movie to push an agenda, but that happens all the time nowadays where certain groups try to use movies to get the message across... Ep3 is anti-Bush!  JarJar is racist stereotype!  Batman Begins is right-wing agenda to exploit our fears of terrorism!

There will always be someone out there who uses a movie to push their message, this time it's just really easy to see who's going to use it and why...

Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline stormie

  • Jedi Padawan
  • *
  • Posts: 632
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #58 on: December 9, 2005, 11:39 AM »
I have heard the same. And I, too, was sort of turned off by the blatant marketing to churches.

I had already known about the intended Christian spin that Lewis put into his story, which I always thought was cool and harmless to anyone. It's just this marketing to churches that bugs me. It's as if some people need to be told it's "Christian" for them to see it. And I really don't want the Christian-right taking any type of "ownership" of this movie. If that makes any sense.

Still, my desire to see it is not diminished. I'm just a bit dismayed that people feel the need to market it as a Christian film just to get more people in the seats.

Offline Darth_Anton

  • Jedi Sentinel
  • *
  • Posts: 10672
  • Whatever
    • View Profile
Re: Chronicles of Narnia
« Reply #59 on: December 9, 2005, 12:07 PM »
I find it fasinating that the very act of marketing film to the religous crowd can turn another crowd off. Perhaps that's a mistake on Disney's part, perhaps not. C.S Lewis did not go into the Narnia Project with the intent to give Christian overtones, but once he saw that they were there, or could be used, he did embrase them to a certain extent.

But, without trying to get into a religous debate, let's not forget that those themes existed long before Christ. Even if Lewis consciously intended to use the Christian themes, a lot of these thems were invented by the Greeks.
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel - The Imperial Communique -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEfCtMv1lWhxSH-B1Scr4g
"Snark is the idiot's version of wit."