The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Before I discuss the film, I must first discuss the source material. Beware C.S. Lewis fans, you probably won’t like this. First of all, let me say that this is a good story, and I like good stories. It has scope, imagination, and heart. Whether all of that comes across onscreen- we’ll get to that. I thought I remembered reading it when I was younger- for school- but maybe my memories betray me here. That said, I would like to go back and read it, however, as I did after watching “The Lord of the Rings” (which I had never read), and hope to one day with the “Harry Potter” books.
But I didn’t just bring up the book first to bring in my own personal experience with it. The real reason was to mention an issue that I find I have with the story Lewis told that is important to understand in why it lacks the hold for me “Rings”- by Lewis’ good friend J.R.R. Tolkien- “Star Wars,” and “Potter” have had with me. That issue- invariably- is the story’s much-discussed religous undertones, which lead to Disney- who’s distributing “Narnia”- hiring the same marketing firm that found success promoting “The Passion of the Christ” to the faithful. I have no problem with underlying religous ideas at the heart of fantasy stories- the three sagas mentioned by me above all have them (yes, even “Potter,” which has taken heat from religous groups as being evil), and I love all of them. The difference, however, between those- save for the heavy-handed touch by George Lucas in “Episode I” of introducing the idea of Anakin Skywalker as a “virgin birth”- and Lewis’ creation is that their religous ideas remained undertones, while Lewis- who was devoutly religous- lays them out for everyone to see. This is the story Lewis wanted to tell- “Wardrobe” is essentially a fantastic variation on Christ’s story- and I can accept that. But he lays the symbolism on too thickly for my taste (the children at the center of the story are said to be the “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve,” the Lion Aslan clearly represents Christ, and the White Witch Satan, though in the beginning she may be more the serpent that tempts Eve in Eden), proving his friend Tolkien’s rationale on why he prefers applicability- which depends on what an audience brings to the work- to allegory, which is what Lewis created (though the notion that he never intended it to be read as such suggests he may not have realized it). I have to agree with Tolkien on this front. That this is implicit in Lewis’ book is not the fault of the movie, just one reason the story didn’t fill my imagination the way Tolkien’s, Lucas’, or J.K. Rowlings’ have.
With that said, the other reasons are fully the responsibilities of the filmmakers behind “Narnia.” Like I said, this is a good story, and it’s a story well told by the filmmakers. For those of you who don’t know, “Narnia”- and “Wardrobe” in particular- tells the story of the Pevensie children- Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)- who are sent off to live in the country during the airraids of WWII with a soft-spoken professor (the endearing- and too-briefly-seen- Jim Broadbent) and his pushy caretaker. During a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy discovers a wardrobe that acts as an enterance to Narnia, a mythical land of talking animals, centaurs, fauns, and other creatures not usually seen in this world. When all of them find their way into Narnia, they are told to be the prophecized siblings who- with the help of Aslan (the lion voiced with characteristic nobility by Liam Neeson)- would rid Narnia of the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton, who plays mythic evil with a little bit of subtlety (in the beginning) and a whole lot of grandstanding (at the end)), put an end to the 100-year Winter she has brought to the land, and sit upon the thrones of Narnia forever. Like I said, it’s a good story.
At 140 minutes, while I didn’t do any watch-checking, I didn’t feel the momentum I have with the best of the recent fantasy epics. Similarly, while I felt the characters were developed well-enough, a little more background would not have hurt matters. The children are all engaging, but I didn’t feel like we found out as much about their pre-Narnia personalities as we should have; they all seemed more archetypal than fully fleshed-out. For instance, to use the least “Spoiler-ish” example, what makes Peter doubt his own abilities to lead so much? I understand where Aragorn was coming from in “Rings.” Same with Harry Potter and his magical abilities in “Potter.” And I see the reason Anakin’s arrogance gets the best of him- and what caused it- in “Star Wars.” But I felt I was getting just the bear hints of character development in “Narnia.” Like I implied in my “Potter” review- didn’t “Lord of the Rings” show that audiences will sit through 3-hours of a damn good adventure epic? Isn’t it time other fantasy franchises followed suit?
I wonder how much of that has to do with who’s telling the story. Even before “Star Wars,” George Lucas showed a bold vision with the underrated “THX-1138.” Ditto Peter Jackson pre-“Rings” with the brilliant “Heavenly Creatures.” And Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cauron, and Mike Newell all showed a knack for live-action fantasy and feeling- though not always at the same time- before their “Potter” outings. This leads me to my first area of concern going into “Narnia”- its’ choice of director. The man behind “Wardrobe” is Andrew Adamson, who is making his live-action debut after a career as a visual effects man (“Batman Forever”) and director of CG-animated fairy tales (he codirected the “Shrek” films). I wish he had proven himself in the live-action arena first before undertaking such a massive project. Visually, the film is a delight, with sweeping vistas and- mostly- believable fantastic creatures (some of the effects work by “Rings'” house WETA Workshop- and others- is a disappointment compared to the other big effects films of the year) that create a fully formed visual universe- the type of accomplishment you’d expect from an animation director of Adamson’s talent (and the classic, first “Shrek” at least proves that). But I didn’t feel transported. I didn’t feel so much swept away to Narnia as taken there by a tour guide on their first day on the job. Adamson has admitted a love for Lewis’ world, but I don’t feel it. Not the way I did with Jackson and Middle-Earth. (Sorry I keep bringing other franchises up; it’s the only way to express my disappointment.) From the moment I saw Hobbiton, I wanted to live there. With Narnia, I was waiting to discover it. I kept thinking- after leaving the theatre- what the film would be like would be with a more established filmmaker. My choice would’ve been Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland’s” blend of fantasy and reality would’ve been a perfect lead-in to “Narnia”). I don’t mind that Adamson has a love for the material- dealing with such a venture almost requires it, but what’s love when you don’t have the directorial muscles- yet- to display it in all its’ glory? When that happens, you’re left with the feeling I had after “Wardrobe”- the feeling of a flat- but fantastic-looking- fairy tale that should have soared.
A newbie to live-action in the director’s chair also hampers the film dramatically. Throughout “Narnia”- in particular, its’ final battle- I couldn’t help but think that the filmmaker’s watched as many epic adventures as they could and borrowed liberally from their ideas setups, camera angels and shots, and storytelling cliches that suited their needs. Now, some of the latter may be from Lewis, but they’re a distraction nonetheless. And with the exception of a key death- seen by Susan and Lucy (Popplewell and Henley do some of their best work in the movie in this sequence)- none of the violence- or “drama” in general- in the film has the emotional weight and force it requires. For that, you can thank the insistance on a PG rating (didn’t the recent rating upgrades of “Star Wars” and “Potter”- and their financial success- prove anything?), no doubt pushed by Disney, to get as many children in the seats as possible. The result is several scenes of the siblings in danger and a final battle that lacks weight or any real sense of peril. I’m not asking for full-on carnage folks (who wants to see a film as violent as “The Passion of the Christ” any time soon?), but even “Star Wars” and “Potter” manuevered safely within PG-13- nothing was too graphic- without compromising dramatic impact (they even managed to do so effectively without the 13 amended). And again, it comes down to who’s in the director’s chair, and it illustrates the difference between a novice and the confidence a live-action veteran can bring to the table. Yes, this is more of a child-friendly franchise than “Potter,” “Wars,” and “Rings” were ever intended to be, but that doesn’t mean the drama within the story should be toothless either. That’s an idea that plagues all too-many family films in recent years. That it plagues “Narnia”- which should be a classic- as well is one of the year’s biggest disappointment.
Contrary to how this review has gone, I have nothing against the idea of Adamson- a filmmaker of clear visual and storytelling gifts on the basis of “Shrek” alone- helming a film like “Narnia,” especially given his love for the material. But it’s all-too-soon in his live-action career for such an undertaking. With time, though- and maybe a bit more confidence with live-action filmmaking- I would probably be able to say that Adamson was the right man to take the reins of such an epic project.
The same can be said about Harry Gregson Williams, the film’s composer. He’s worked with Adamson before on the “Shrek” films with John Powell, and together they made sweet music for the first of those fairy tale comedies. Beyond that, he’s probably the best known of composer Hans Zimmer’s proteges at Media Ventures, the film scoring studio Zimmer runs that supports- to sometimes ridiculous degrees I’ll admit- collaboration between composers; the films they’ve worked on include most of Jerry Bruckheimer’s productions from 1995 on, while the creative team has included over the years Zimmer, Gregson Williams, John Powell (“Face/Off”), Mark Mancina (“Speed”), Trevor Rabin (“Armageddon”), and Klaus Badelt (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”). The studio is known for its’ large-scale orchestral scores, which contain a large degree of synth and percussion work, while the albums of their soundtracks may have as many as 3 or more composers credited. Several of the more experienced composers, however, have been branching out on their own though, though their work still retains that Media Ventures sound to it (Mancina left a while ago, Powell has established himself as an action ace).
Gregson Williams is one such composer, though he’s stayed at the studio. His early score work was as a Zimmer assist man on scores like “The Rock,” “Broken Arrow,” and “The Whole Wide World,” but has since been establishing himself with solo credits on films like “The Replacement Killers,” “Team America: World Police” (one of his best), “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas,” and this year, Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven” (which left me feeling like I was hearing a temp track score most of the time, though in his defense, he did have to contend with Scott using pre-existing music in the movie). Part of the reason I was so worried about Gregson Williams being attached to “Narnia” as a composer is that- with the exception of “Heaven”- nothing in his previous films signaled him as an ideal choice for such a grand, epic story. Of course, you could’ve said the same thing about Howard Shore pre-“Rings” until you realize that his dark, sinuous moods in work like “Se7en” and “Silence of the Lambs” were right at home in scoring Middle Earth. He won three Oscars for the final product.
Don’t expect such acclaim for Gregson Williams, though, and it is a shame. Like his director, Gregson William’s approach to the world of “Narnia” is derived from the work others have done (think James Horner for “Braveheart” and “Troy”- itself a derivative score- and Zimmer for “Gladiator” in particular) without really establishing a distinct musical language for Narnia itself (think Shore for “Rings,” John Williams for “Star Wars” and “Potter”). The result is a score perfectly suited for the movie it was written for- predictable and pleasing to the senses if not terribly memorable in its’ own right, though both have their moments, however fleeting they may be. I wish I could conclude this review on a higher note, a more optimistic note even, but in the end, that wouldn’t be a honest ending to a review for a movie that left me feeling like “Narnia” did as a moviegoer, which was uneasy about more trips to Narnia when I should have been finding another way in. After all, it’s a good story.
