Blackwolf the Dragonmaster's Diary of Magecraft

Being a Chronicle of the Inner Secrets of, and Spells of Magick as Wielded by, the Philosopher of the Internet and Unofficial Sorcerer-in-Residence of the City of New York

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Location: New York, New York, United States

As New York's Unofficial Wizard, my mission is to encourage the Mortals of Manhattan to imagine responsibly!

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Narnia Nation

Today, Mortals, your humble Dragonmaster has something to say about Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

There are many in my adopted hometown and beyond who are wagging their tongues over whether or not this movie is a kid-sized Passion of the Christ. I say, just shut up and enjoy the bloomin' movie! Besides, I think it's got a lot going for it, and I strongly suspect that my good pal, Kiran Shah, is going to steal the thunder from Tilda Swinton's White Witch. They gave Kiran a really cool, long flowing beard, even if they asked him to portray that happenin' little lackey Ginarrbrik, truly a candidate for a top slot as a charter member of Da Bad Guys! And not only that, ya gotta admit that the computer generated effects are mind-boggling!

As for the question of this movie being a miniaturized infomercial for the Christian faith, well, let's put it in this context: until now, independent, low-budget films dealt primarily with faith and values-related issues. In this case, however, for the first time, a major studio backs up the big bucks to boost up the Nazarene's on-screen popularity, but in a way that's less ultragory and more kid-friendly. My question is, is it enjoyable on its own terms as a motion picture? That for me is more paramount a question to determine than whether or not it will succeed or fail at the domestic box-office.

Besides, in 1979, I was lucky enough, as I recall, to have seen the animated version; I suspect that the Internet Movie Database has several discussions about that film. I wonder if there will be those with a fondness or a dislike for that version. I think it is all the more better if we compare this 1979 version with this new 2005 epic.

Oh yeah: there's also some 3-hour thing about this love-struck giant monkey with serious anger issues. Made by some New Zealand guy who did this thing a while back about a buncha short people on a mission to save the world from some gold bauble or something.

Master Blackwolf

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