Narnia

Power Boy · Post by **Power Boy** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:48 pm

with the first two movies out, with the 3rd on the way, and people telling me that they did and didn't like about them, I was wondering what you thought. they are my all time favorite series. my favorite books are the Last Battle (#7) and The Horse and His Boy (#3).

Post by **Catspaw** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:15 pm

I have to say that I think the books are the best, but I do love all of the Radio Theatre versions and I think the newer movies are decent. I've never really watched the older movies, so I can't comment, but they don't look fabulous enough for me to want to watch them.

Jugglah · Post by **Jugglah** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:56 am

The books are by far the best! C.S. Lewis was a genius, and his brilliant narrative gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the movies (although, the radio dramas retain a lot of that with the narrator).

The Radio Theatre versions are the next best. They are extremely faithful to the books (when is Radio Theatre not?!), and I wish the movies were more like them.

I liked the new LWW movie a lot. There were problems with it, but for the most part, it was a great adaption. Prince Caspian, not so much. It turned into a generic fantasy action movie, where you don't really care about the characters, and the plot was so twisted, it was almost unrecognizable as the story of Prince Caspian. Taken for what it was, it was a decent movie, but my biggest problem with it was the fact that Aslan was almost completely absent, and when he is around, is the movie about him? Nooo. It's about Hollywood-ized Susan and Caspian. What's up with that?

I won't even bother to say much about the old movies. Bad acting, laughable special effects, yeah. C.S. Lewis didn't want movies to be made out of his books, and these movies show exactly why he thought that. I think that now, when the special effects are good enough to make things realistic, it's ok, but it definitely wasn't back in the early 90's. When it comes to people in beaver costumes that could easily pass for roadkill, leave me out.

Please don't take anything I've said in the wrong way, it's just that I love Narnia, and I can get pretty opinionated about it when I see things that really just go against C.S. Lewis' vision and purpose for his books (for instance, dumbed down versions of his books that are tie-ins for the movies. I mean, come on! The originals are children's books themselves! Any 8 year old could read them! Ok...I'm done ranting).

Incidentally, my favorites are "The Magician's Nephew", "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", and "The Last Battle".

J-man · Post by **J-man** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:10 am

Movies are never better than the books they are based on.

I like the new movies, although I think the PC one goes a little too far from the story. It's a good movie, but there are a lot of things that would have been better if they weren't changed.

Laura Ingalls · Post by **Laura Ingalls** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:47 am

Jugglah wrote: The books are by far the best! C.S. Lewis was a genius, and his brilliant narrative gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the movies (although, the radio dramas retain a lot of that with the narrator).

The Radio Theatre versions are the next best. They are extremely faithful to the books (when is Radio Theatre not?!), and I wish the movies were more like them.

I liked the new LWW movie a lot. There were problems with it, but for the most part, it was a great adaption. Prince Caspian, not so much. It turned into a generic fantasy action movie, where you don't really care about the characters, and the plot was so twisted, it was almost unrecognizable as the story of Prince Caspian. Taken for what it was, it was a decent movie, but my biggest problem with it was the fact that Aslan was almost completely absent, and when he is around, is the movie about him? Nooo. It's about Hollywood-ized Susan and Caspian. What's up with that?

I won't even bother to say much about the old movies. Bad acting, laughable special effects, yeah. C.S. Lewis didn't want movies to be made out of his books, and these movies show exactly why he thought that. I think that now, when the special effects are good enough to make things realistic, it's ok, but it definitely wasn't back in the early 90's. When it comes to people in beaver costumes that could easily pass for roadkill, leave me out.

Please don't take anything I've said in the wrong way, it's just that I love Narnia, and I can get pretty opinionated about it when I see things that really just go against C.S. Lewis' vision and purpose for his books (for instance, dumbed down versions of his books that are tie-ins for the movies. I mean, come on! The originals are children's books themselves! Any 8 year old could read them! Ok...I'm done ranting).

Incidentally, my favorites are "The Magician's Nephew", "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", and "The Last Battle".

I agree on almost everything you said, Jugglah! $\:D/$ Although I do watch the old movies....they are rather cringe worthy though. And my favorite books are The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle.

Your beaver line is funny - I have this slumber sack thing that I wear in the winter. Whenever I wear it, my dad calls me "Mrs. Beaver."

KODY 105 · Post by **KODY 105** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:09 am

I loved the Narnia books, and I loved the first movie! I haven't seen the second one yet, so I can't take a declarative stance until more information has been garnered. The movie was great, and every time I get a chance to watch it (I don't have it myself; I watch it at my friends' houses), I do. I haven't heard the radio theatre version either. I have heard bad (not morally, just cheesy-type bad) things about the BBC movies made decades ago. Maybe I'm not a media type guy...

Trent DeWhite · Post by **Trent DeWhite** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:11 pm

Yep, the books are the best. Back when I was in eighth grade, I took a literature class that was dedicated solely to the Chronicles. Although I haven't read through one of the books in several years, I still remain an avid fan of series and will continue to support the films regardless of whether or not they're 100% faithful to the books. We even have the DVD collection of the old BBC adaptions, which were great to watch... when I was seven or eight.

You know something's wrong when the beavers look like human-sized bowling pins!

I picked up the complete set of the Radio Theatre versions a couple years ago, but I still haven't heard them all yet. I'll probably get to them... eventually. The problem is that I've tried listening to the dramas during plane rides, but I inevitably fall asleep halfway through the show.

Jugglah wrote:Prince Caspian, not so much. It turned into a generic fantasy action movie, where you don't really care about the characters, and the plot was so twisted, it was almost unrecognizable as the story of Prince Caspian. Taken for what it was, it was a decent movie, but my biggest problem with it was the fact that Aslan was almost completely absent, and when he is around, is the movie about him? Nooo. It's about Hollywood-ized Susan and Caspian. What's up with that?

I can't argue with you about the whole romance they had going between Susan and Caspian. That was completely unnecessary in my mind. But I wasn't nearly as bothered with the lack of Aslan in the film. In fact, his absence made the message of the story that much stronger. Consider what happened when Peter didn't follow Aslan or when he was too impatient to wait. Very little went right until Aslan appeared. The spiritual implications that follow are rather significant, especially for believers! Things don't usually work out too well when we start believing we can do things apart from God. I think Lucy said it best when she reminded Peter, "...or did you forget who really defeated the White Witch?"

So would I have liked to have seen more scenes with Aslan? Yes. Do I think his absence hurt the film in any way? No. I would hope that it merely emphasized the point.

King Butter Turtle · Post by **King Butter Turtle** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:15 pm

I can't coment on the books, 'cause I don't know how to read (that's a joke, by the way). But, I like the old movies better than the new ones (well, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I haven't seen Prince Caspian) strictly because of the beavers. For some reason, I like actors dressed up in cheap beaver costumes a lot better than all that modern camputer graphcs. That new stuff just doesn't do it for me.

Power Boy · Post by **Power Boy** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:46 pm

Catspaw wrote:I've never really watched the older movies, so I can't comment, but they don't look fabulous enough for me to want to watch them.

they aren't very good you don't need to watch them, although they are pretty accurate to the books. i also agree with most of the beaver comments.

King Butter Turtle · Post by **King Butter Turtle** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:50 pm

Power Boy wrote:
Catspaw wrote:I've never really watched the older movies, so I can't comment, but they don't look fabulous enough for me to want to watch them.
they aren't very good you don't need to watch them, although they are pretty accurate to the books.

Well, go ahead, ignore my comment. Some friend you are.

Power Boy · Post by **Power Boy** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:56 pm

King Butter Turtle wrote:
Power Boy wrote:
Catspaw wrote:I've never really watched the older movies, so I can't comment, but they don't look fabulous enough for me to want to watch them.
they aren't very good you don't need to watch them, although they are pretty accurate to the books.
Well, go ahead, ignore my comment. Some friend you are.

well, sooooooory

Trent DeWhite · Post by **Trent DeWhite** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:59 pm

Calm down, kiddos. Let's not get feisty. $\:D/$

Does anyone have a favorite character or scene from the Chronicles?

Perron · Post by **Perron** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:01 pm

1: The books are the best.
2: The radio dramas are excellent
3: The BBC movies are pretty good, they don't capture all of the details, but I think they do a fairly good job of it.
4: The new movies are, in my opinion, entirely different from the books. They're okay as movies, but they hardly follow the books at all.

Power Boy · Post by **Power Boy** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:24 pm

Trent wrote:Does anyone have a favorite character or scene from the Chronicles?

my fav is the scene in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace was turned back from a dragon into a human. it's the only scene where lewis hinted at salvation. also, the radio dramas were what got me on to Narnia. that's the one vote for them. me.

Perron wrote: 4: The new movies are, in my opinion, entirely different from the books. They're okay as movies, but they hardly follow the books at all.

to a degree i agree. but going straight to the books doesn't always make a great movie. they have to take some creative license. also, everything that is made has to go through Douglas Gresham, Lewis' stepson, the co-producer. if he doesn't like it, it won't get made. so, i like the movies, though not as much as the books or the radio dramas.

Double post combined...please use the edit button in the upper right corner of your post if you have more to say. Thanks! ~HB

JD · Post by JD » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:29 pm

He double posted

I liked the books bests. $\:D/$

EDIT those mean mods change something as soon as I say it

LizzieG · Post by **LizzieG** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:21 pm

Except for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe some years ago, I haven't read the books yet. My first introduction to Narnia was in a set of abridged audiobooks, but the radio dramas gave me a much more complete (and entertaining) look at the stories - particularly The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I only remember the LWW BBC movie, and even then my memory has been reduced to several sketchy mental pictures. So I can't comment on them, except to say that they didn't leave much of an impression.

I was very excited when I heard of LWW's debut as a big-budget production, and I haven't been disappointed. Sure, there are differences, but I think that they do a good job of capturing the spirit of the books - especially for a secular production company - and of reviving mass interest in this classic series.

I think my favorite book will always be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, though Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Horse and His Boy are also great.

Trent DeWhite · Post by **Trent DeWhite** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:30 am

Power Boy wrote:my fav is the scene in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace was turned back from a dragon into a human. it's the only scene where lewis hinted at salvation. also, the radio dramas were what got me on to Narnia. that's the one vote for them. me.

That scene has always been a personal favorite of mine, too, because it's such a powerful illustration of transformation we need to go through in order for God to work in and through us. And it's impacted me personally since there have been a couple "dragons" in my life that God has had to strip off of me. But the most poignant scene in the Chronicles for me is definitely the moment when Aslan sacrifices his life for Edmund. What an incredible picture.

Hannahjiejie · Post by **Hannahjiejie** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:40 am

Trent wrote:
Power Boy wrote:my fav is the scene in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace was turned back from a dragon into a human. it's the only scene where lewis hinted at salvation. also, the radio dramas were what got me on to Narnia. that's the one vote for them. me.
That scene has always been a personal favorite of mine, too, because it's such a powerful illustration of transformation we need to go through in order for God to work in and through us. And it's impacted me personally since there have been a couple "dragons" in my life that God has had to strip off of me. But the most poignant scene in the Chronicles for me is definitely the moment when Aslan sacrifices his life for Edmund. What an incredible picture.

Those stories also have created poignant memories in my childhood, and again now. They were so well done, and I remember my dad explaining Aslan's sacrifice for Edmund, and the fantastic transformation of Eustace to me when I was a child.

Chandler · Post by **Chandler** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:44 pm

Have to say the books are best—without the books, we wouldn't have the rest!

The old movies, well... people have addressed those.

The Radio Theatre versions are very well done, imho, and rather closely follow the books. Only real complaint is the casting for Aslan.

The new movies are terrific as well. What they lack in accuracy, they make up for in other ways. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Arwen · Post by **Arwen** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:30 am

Yeah, I love the books better than anything, and I loved the old movies when I was younger. Then there was several years where I hadn't watched them, and when I had the chance again I was excited...until I saw them. Then it was like: "I LIKED that?!"

The radio dramas are INCREDible...way better than any of the movies. The new movies are OK, but they just don't capture the heart of the books.

Long live books and radio drama!

The Town of Odyssey

Narnia

What do you like better?

Narnia

Re: Narnia