I always knew that this movie would either be very, very good or utterly atrocious. The source material needed to be treated with great care to make a great film. Fortunately, Andrew Adamson (of Shrek fame) has succeeded with great aplomb, and made an outstanding movie, which was fun from start to finish.
First, let’s get the tiresome debate out of the way. Yes, there’s overt Christian imagery. It’s nothing besides, say, The Last Battle, but yes, the parallels between Aslan and Jesus are there for all to see. But it doesn’t bother me in the least. If a story is enjoyable, I couldn’t care less what the sources are. It’s not going to change my mind one bit on the subject of Christianity, and I would happily watch a fantasy full of the influence of any other religion.
Right, now that’s out of the way, a brief summary. The four Pevensie children are evacuated to Professor Kirke’s mansion during the war, and come across an old wardrobe that takes them to the kingdom of Narnia, where they discover their destiny in the battle between Jadis, the white witch who dominates the land, and Aslan, the saviour and rightful king, whose return coincides with the children’s arrival.
Lewis’ books have never been great favourites of mine, though I quite like them. The characters are flimsy and twee, the plot is slung together carelessly, the central McGuffin is a prophecy (the most hackneyed of plot pivots), and there are some really naff magical items thrown in purely so that a contrived circumstance can be brought about for their use. Plus it’s always been a bit of a Godzilla vs Bambi storyline: no-one ever stands a chance against Aslan. So Adamson does the very best thing he can do, which is to take everything way over the top, but do it with such conviction and sincerity that it wins you over. This isn’t to say that there’s no humour. The film is genuinely funny, with the humour based mostly around sibling squabbles and absurd surprises in the fantasy world, though Dawn French and Ray Winstone’s beavers were also surprisingly funny, with a genuine rustic warmth and familial affection to their performances.
But not only is it funny, but it’s actually very cool, the last thing I would expect from an adaptation of Narnia. The direct influence of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films is obvious, with stunning New Zealand scenery, impressive CG-based battle scenes (very sanitised, though you’ll barely notice), a swoopingly melodramatic score and lots of noble posing from the warriors about to do battle, and even some of those in its midst. The aesthetic isn’t perfect, with much of the CG and makeup looking a bit iffy, and sure to date fast, but for the most part, the film is gorgeous. An absolute feast for the eyes. From the breathtaking charge of the armies to the stillness of frozen Narnia, everything is beautiful.
The acting is top-notch, particularly with such young actors. I thought I was going to find the Pevensies very annoying, but actually they were perfect. Lucy was a sweet but normal sort of girl, instantly likeable. Edmund was portrayed much more sympathetically than usual, to the point that everything but his final, decisive visit to the Witch seems understandable or owing merely to ignorance, and he did well to convey a sense of lasting compunction even without much material to show for it. Susan was a bossy know-it-all who actually seemed like a bossy know-it-all, and Peter wasn’t quite as perfect as he is in the books, being subject to self-doubt, weakness, and actually being a bully who was perhaps more at fault than Edmund was. All the kids have more character than they do in the book. It’s very obviously done, with great ‘Character development’ signposts, such as in the opening scene in London (watching the film in Finchley Road, by the way, meant that mentions of Finchley prompted some cheering in the audience), but these moments made for better characters overall, and it was neatly and briskly done, which is to be commended.
Other great performances came from Tilda Swinton, whose Jadis was suitably regal and two-faced, and who really knows how to strike a great ‘I’m an evil queen’ pose, Rupert Everett, whose fox seemed to be a new addition but managed to be memorably sardonic yet heroic even with only a couple of scenes, and James McAvoy, who was perfectly cast as an amicable, rather vulnerable Mr Tumnus. Liam Neeson reprised his ‘guiding elder’ role yet again, but his voice suited Aslan nicely, and it’s a role he plays so often because, well, he’s good at it!
But the winner here wasn’t the acting, and certainly wasn’t the plot, which was pretty ropey and occasionally caused a cringe (I’m surprised Father Christmas wasn’t cut, and though they did well with his look, it was still rather dubious). It wasn’t even the characterisation, which impressed me with its slickness. No, the real reason this was so enjoyable was the setpieces. The eye-candy. The sheer exuberance of escapism fantasy allows. We’ve got giants and centaurs and minotaurs and gryphons. Why not chuck in some rhinos and boars and cheetahs and everything else? It was a feast for the eyes, and the plot essentially served as a vehicle to get us to the next exciting bit. Lewis through the Hollywood Blockbuster lens. And it looked very good from where I was sitting. Thumbs up.
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