The Chronicles of Narnia are the greatest children’s books ever written. But it is unfair to call them children’s books. The morals and ethics and stories they teach and tell are meant for people of all ages. One thing about the adaptations of these books into movies have done is keep C.S. Lewis’ teachings intact. The analogies to God and the many Christian aspects of Aslan and these characters are apparent. And that, in and of itself, is a reason to watch these movies. They aren’t just for entertainment; they are here to help teach us as an audience to be better as humans.
The first film, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, may have its flaws here and there, but they are few. Some dislike the child actors, some dislike the battles because they are not as cool as those of the PG-13 or R battles, but considering how many terrible child actors are out there and hat this is a PG film meant for little kids, the actors and the battles are good. The pros of this film far outweigh the bad.
The four children actors, Georgie Henley (Lucy) and Skander Keynes (Edmund) and Anna Popplewell (Susan) and William Moseley (Peter), are all good in their own way in this film. Considering how many terrible child actors there are out in film and television, these four did a good job. William Moseley (Peter, the whiny boy) is the weakest link of all of them, but that, to me, isn’t as apparent until Prince Caspian. The other three, especially the surprising Georgie Henley as Lucy, are great with their adult co-stars.
Where these movies really shine are the adult actors and the voice talents, with the likes of Liam Neeson and Ray Winstone and Rupert Everett doing the voices for Aslan and Mr. Beaver and Mr. Fox. Tilda Swinton is exceptionally charming and scary as the White Witch. James McAvoy is really loveable as Mr. Tumnus. A+ across the board.
Prince Caspian is where the films take a turn for the worst. The screenplay writers did a great adaptation for the first, but something went wrong and the second one fell short in both characterization and plot. Just like the first, the adult characters were all marvelous, some of them, yes even I, never heard of before. The younger actors were not directed well enough to be as good as they originally were. They botched Peter’s character and nobility from the books, added unnecessary battles that could have all been avoided if they had kept to the book, and ruined the look of the perfect Aslan from the first. And Mr. Gregson-William’s score for this one was almost a complete rehash of his previous work.
And now we get to the most recent installment. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was as visually stunning and nigh perfect as the first. Where this film lacked was in the special effects. The new actors and old actors alike were all good, especially young Will Poulter who plays the newcomer Eustace Scrubb (he actually sounds like an adult; a child not just talking like an adult, but sounding like one). Fans of the book will be glad to know the majority of the events are in this one, but in a different order. Elements were left out, but not to the quantity as Prince Caspian had. This one was a good addition to the series, maybe better than the first. Fans will enjoy it.
Next: The Tourist
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