Then you would all know me as AslanFan or NarnianFan or some odd thing like that and I'd obsess over lions like I do dragons.
Anyway, I'm just getting home from seeing
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe and I must say I am stunned...and a little dissappointed.
Why for art thou stunned?
99.9% of the movie was just spectacular--the scenery, the computer graphics, and--most of all--the battles. If you've seen the movie or read the book or don't care about spoilers, pm me for more details.
Aside from the final battle that decides the fate of Narnia (nothing in the movie can top that), the best piece of CGI animation is Aslan himself. For obvious saftey reasons--and for reasons a real lion can't look a 17 & 18 year old in the eye without having to look up--Aslan is all CGI and they did a DAMN GOOD JOB since he looks so real. Of course there was a fox and some wolves, but they weren't as good as Aslan (and at some points, CGI wolves were replaced with the real things)
Then there's the morphing job that is excellently done. Oh! And it took me nearly the whole movie to figure this one out! Jadis (aka the White Witch) has a little dwarf servant named Ginarrbrik. Ginarrbrik is played by Kiran Shah who also played Blunder in
Legened. Kiran has an unforgettable voice so when he spoke as Ginarrbrik I knew that I had heard the voice before--but because of all the makeup I didn't know who it was until near the end of the movie when I said to myself, "Holy cow! That's Blunder!"
And for all maybe five minutes you see Professor (Diggory) Kirke, he's funny as hell. (maybe not to someone who hasn't read all 7 narnian books...) Also, having Liam Neeson do Aslan's voice was perfect!
Why for art thou dissapointed?
I know they're just kids and I shouldn't expect too much, but when little Lucy was crying--not all out bawling like she does a couple of times, but when a tear or two is called forth to spill down her face--I couldn't help but think she looked like she was laughing.
Then there was Mr. Tumnus. Was it just me or did he come off as gay half the time and the other half try to get into Lucy's pants?
Also, as much as I like Tilda Swinton (she played Gabriel in Constantine), I really don't like her with a bad wig and black contacts. I'm sure they could have found someone better to play Jadis.
And, as much as I understand why it was done, Aslan didn't have near enough the same attitude he did in the book. (Some times Aslan was growling at the kids)
