Narnia

It was the weekend, there were two big new movies out, both suitable for kids, what else were we going to do? It had to be a double bill with a slap-up meal inbetween - my idea of heaven and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Of course, the success of the day does depend on the quality of the movies, and though I had high hopes I also had hidden fears of being let down... The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe means so much to so many people of different generations - I certainly remember reading it at school and then continuing the series on my own at home, full of awe and wonder; a special kind of magic existed in C. S. Lewis' books that didn't exist anywhere else, they were unique and very very special. A big burden for a new film to bear. Certain details would be crucial: a realistic sense of period and place, good child actors and, most importantly, Aslan - he must be huge, overwhelmingly powerful and commanding, yet ever gentle, a tough goal for CGI... So, the movie unfolded and, yeah, I enjoyed it - at no point did I find myself cringing in horror at what had been misinterpreted, but neither did I get shivers down my back at the glory of it. Everything was just OK, adequate rather than spellbinding - the kids were fine, though often wooden, the effects were fine, but I'd seen better, the story was faithful, but somehow uninspired, and Aslan was bearable, but nowhere near perfect. By the end credits I'd come to realise that what we had here was something made specifically for small children coming to the story for the first time: the target age was set very low, with little thought to all of us who had grown up with it in our heads. A shame for sure, that something with such potential comes away as merely average. I'll watch it again, probably enjoy it again, but somewhere in a lot of people's heads there is a better version still waiting to be made. 6.5/10 Kx