[Valesse]

I just got back from watching the Narnia movie for the first time, and in my opinion it really has nothing on Lord of the Rings. C. S. Lewis' world was quite... original, I'll give it that. The idea of climbing into a wooden wardrobe past a few fur coats and into a snowy forest is something I can see myself dreaming about, but the story and scenes given to us by the film made me feel like taking out a religious text and making a check list.

I know that C. S. Lewis did base the story line on the Bible, but I was rather hoping that the magical wonderland appeal wouldn't be so easily shot down. Lord of the Rings really gave us these... allusions, and by gosh I have been spoiled! Tolkien didn't do any of that. He wrote in a letter, even, that there is no allegory in his series... Middle-Earth was entirely his own creation which made the story seem so purely whole. I didn't find myself searching for anything (other than those pesky deleted scenes, thankyouverymuch PJ).

Moving on: the acting was fine in both -- considering their ages and career lengths, but I couldn't STAND how much just...breathing there was in Narnia. Did anyone else feel like some lines were scraped just so the cast can collectively hyperventalate in the climax for five minutes? Elijah Wood has an interesting squeak on his part, so it never really got boring... just annoying.

Being a thespian I pick up on technical... "issues" a lot and won't put them down. The Witch's dress, for instance, appeared to have been made out of crackling grey/heat sensitive sillyputty in my eyes, and her eyebrows were NEVER made fully apparent. Kate was at least made slightly less repulsive even with her random green-wind scene in Lorien. ...Oh I shouldn't have even started on costumes, I'll rant like a mad woman.

I actually really, really liked the soundtrack for Narnia better than the Lord of the Rings one. Sure, it isn't John Williams (or at least I don't think it is) but there is really something mystic in the hallow notes that spoke to me and gave the world of Narnia it's shape.

In all... I'm not -that- impressed. Lord of the Rings really changed my opinion about the stories... Before I had seen the Fellowship I utterly refused to read anything by Tolkien (this is a super secret confession... thats why its on a public forum) and I really am not kidding when I tell you that two people had to CARRY me into the car to see it. Since then I have obviously been hooked. I really don't see that happening here with Narnia. I might read the books, but it doesn't look all that hopeful. There just wasn't enough "mphft"! here for me.