I can recommend the Narnia film. I saw it today and thought it was excellent - it was even more moving in parts than LotR (especially where Aslan gives himself up
), and the allegorical aspect was not laid on thickly at all.
Acting first. Tilda Swinton played the White Witch well - I don't know how all the proper kids in the sudience felt about her, they were all very quiet indeed throughout, but this big kid was scared by her.
...I think it's because she always reminds me of my aunt.... The young actors were all excellent, particularly the little girl playing Lucy; a lot of child actors can be bit 'wooden' but not in this case. I also liked Liam Neeson as Aslan, though I didn't realise it was him for some time. Did anyone else notice Douglas Gresham in the cast list? This made me think of the addition of Tolkien's great-grandson to the cast of RotK - a link to the books and the imaginations which created these worlds.
The design was very bright, although I didn't think Metro's description of the battles as being like "LotR with Fuzzy Felt" entirely fair. The film is primarily aimed at children, as were the books, and so you would not expect to see terror and gore (there was enough terror with Tilda Swinton). The winter landscapes were particularly beautiful, and the costume for the White Witch was stunning.
I can second Kuruharan that the plot did not end up going off in stupid directions, and it was simplified
just enough. The only thing which troubled me was there being mass evacuations after the blitz had started - I don't remember this in the book? Mass evacuation started a good nine months before the blitz. But hey, that's just me being pedantic....
Go and see it, it's good all round. And you might get a better seat than you would for King Kong right now.
