Went and saw the latest "Narnia" film today. At first I was going to wait for the DVD rental, because from the previews it appeared that it would be overcrowded with special effects, but that was not the case. Overall I thought it pretty good, but I have a few minor quibbles.
The written stories are actually pretty short; the Narnia stores are some of the few in which the screenwriter has to actually add material to make it movie length rather than slice off portions to make it fit. That doesn't excuse the total rewrite we saw on screen. Towards the end, it really didn't make sense. A swordquest? Boatloads of people being sacrificed to a green fog? Sea serpents as monsters from the id? Really?
There is also a scene where Aslan removes Eustace's dragon body by roaring and clawing the beach. In the book, he does so by direct application. To do the former misses the point, I think, but I guess you have to adjust to modern taste.
Special effects are good. CGI is getting more lifelike with each passing day, but like most it can be uneven at times with some effects looking Amiga-ish. I also object to the inclusion of stabby at the screen segments in order to justify a 3D surcharge.
Acting was flawless. Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes returned to their roles and were able to advance their characters in a smooth and natural manner. Will Poulter was a good choice for Eustace Scrubb and he should do well in the next film. Kudos to the filmmakers for not making Reepicheep as annoying as I'd imagined him to be.
Slap an arbitrary B+ on it.
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