Even though the central cast was lined up and ready to go, the suits at Disney have pulled away from co-producing another Narnia film. Disney has broken their ties with Walden Media, at least as far as this project is concerned and will not be helping find investments and resources to continue the franchise. According to the Hollywood Reporter they are citing "budgetary and logistical reasons."

I can't say I am terribly shocked. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was not a good movie. Any charm created in the original film of the series The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe evaporated and was replaced with bellowing lines and obtuse plot points. The inability of producers to create an engaging sequel led to not only a franchise film without legs but also one with a dwindling fan base. This is a bad business model. The first film cost $180 million to make an returned over $745 million in tickets worldwide. The follow-up cost $200 million to make and returned less than $420 million. Its simple math, the franchise is on the decline.

Since the film centers on a cast who is growing older by the day, the original plan was to churn out another film by mid 2010. This critical loss to the production will obviously move that date back in the best case scenario. Most likely this move by Disney is a fatal one for the franchise. I wouldn't hold high hopes for seeing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at a theater near you any time soon.

Labels: film, movie news, Narnia

I enjoyed the first film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It struck the right chord and was a solid adaptation of a classic. This outing never finds its footing and quickly becomes little more than a dull, juvenile version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Having been away for a very long time, the Pevensie kids are drawn back into the world of Narnia where they find the land held under the thumb of the evil Miraz the Usurper, King of Narnia (Sergio Castellitto). The kids join forces with the rightful heir to the throne Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) to overthrow the cruel false king. This summary points to why the story fumbles, the kids aren't the focus, the true and false kings are. This makes the Pevensie siblings tourists in their own story. They casually questioning if Aslan will come back to save the day and prepare for war with Miraz. This could have worked if he roles of Caspian and Miraz had been fuller. The two, as presented, are two-dimensional creatures there to recite lines and distribute plot points. Caspian in particular was wanting. Actor Ben Barnes delivers his lines with what can best described as an off putting impersonation of Antonio Banderas' accent while looking blankly at the walls. Caspian should be a striking figure, a natural leader, in this production he just looks like a young actor who isn't up to the job. I'm sure Barnes is a talented actor, he simply doesn't have the presence to pull of the role. This leaves a huge hole in the production that is never addressed. This vacuum in this key role turns to be fatal. By the time the final act concludes with the obligatory deus ex machina arrival of our missing savior, the film has lost its center and the victory rings hollow.

Will children enjoy the film? Probably, although there are many scenes of violence which may disturb the younger set. Again, it is fair to cite this as being a kiddie version of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. If you think that speaks to your kids, this may be worth checking out. If you're looking to this film to continue to bold lead of the first movie, you may be left disappointed or, like many critics, pretending the film is better than it is.

Then again, it could just be me. My long suffering wife enjoyed the film and I have a thing against talking badgers.



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Labels: adaptation, film, movie review, Narnia

Short Review: Lord of the Rings Lite.


There was great concern among Christians when it was announced this film was to being made that Hollywood would water down the Christian allegory in order to fit the entertainment industry's long accepted practice of secularizing all things. Since playing down the Christian elements would not only neuter the message of the story, but also massively change the narrative, there was a great deal of trepidation prior to the details of the production becoming public. This was a reasonable concern given Hollywood’s use of Christianity as a cultural diaper for the last forty years. After all, they even secularized Jesus with the release of of Godspell, you'll notice if you actually force yourself to get to the end that, just like the play, Christ is not resurrected. Here's a hint to everyone, no resurrection - no Christ - that's how it works. When Andrew Adamson (ironic name) was brought on the write/direct many people’s concerns doubled. Will the guy who created the children’s postmodern classic Shrek be able to have a discerning eye for this overtly Christian piece? The answer is thankfully yes.

Adamson’s background in animation comes in handy throughout this film as most of the characters are indeed animated. If you are not familiar with the story, four British children, trapped in a mansion come across a wardrobe, which leads to the strange land of Narnia. There they find that the animals talk and a great war is brewing between absolute good and absolute evil. This is a war, in which, they are destined to be the central figures. The part about talking animals is what has kept this film from being produced for the longest time. The technology has finally caught up to the story and all of the animation is spotless. The animation of Mr. And Mrs. Beaver to Aslan himself is fun to watch.

Despite this brilliant eye candy, the film still lacks a coherent signature design as one finds in Lord of The Rings or The Harry Potter series. Narnia is lessened by the fact that it makes its debut in the shadows of these comparable franchises. This is troubling since it is a solid story with a needed message. C. S. Lewis wasn’t the storyteller J. R. R. Tolkein was or J. K. Rowling is today. For this reason the movie seems to be a little off step. The story and movie are more geared directly to smaller children so the narrative and dialog lacks the intelligence of Tolkien’s grand work and lacks the whimsy of something like Harry Potter. Lewis’ story is a grim one but still manages to keep itself restrained enough to be open to the minds of children. This film follows this path. For the first three-fourths of the film the images and story are mild and simple. To adults it may be a little distracting how assumptive the narrative is at times. The war in Narnia and its participants are pushed bluntly and Adamson presumes we’ll take them at face value. We don’t get to know much of the characters outside of some cursory details. This makes the story go somewhat pale during the down moments when we have to spend time with these people.

What occurs in the final act however changes everything. The war sequences and the revealing of Aslan’s sacrifice to the triumphant conclusion are wonderfully handled. The simplicity of the narrative moves from being somewhat burdensome to being a fantastic tool as the movie lays out the complicated allegory of Aslan as Christ with great ease and conviction. The film manages this important piece strongly (although, I would have been more satisfied with a better production design.)

In the end, Adamson brings Lewis’ Christian allegory alive and more importantly has brought it to a massive audience. Looking beyond my petty concerns, this is a good film that brings to the medium a beautiful and important story. This is a good rendition of the greatest story ever told.



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Labels: Anna Popplewell, CS Lewis, film, Liam Neeson, movie review, Narnia, Tilda Swinton, William Moseley

Labels: Ben Barnes, CS Lewis, family film, Liam Neeson, movie trailer, Narnia