Chronicles of Narnia: LW&W

[racquetman]

Is anyone looking forward to seeing this movie? I don't remember much about the story because I was pretty young when I saw the cartoonish version. I know the author of the books, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien (of Lord of the Rings fame) were good friends back in the day and they bounced a lot of ideas off each other.

I'm sure I'll go and see it because I like the fantasy genre of movies. Watching the trailer you can't help but notice the similarities to the LotR movies. The costumes and backgrounds and weapons look very similar. I guess they should seeing that the WETA people are working on this movie as well. I just hope it doesn't end up being a blatant ripoff of Peter Jackson's movies.

Speaking of P.J., anyone going to go see King Kong this December? Do you think that people are going to flock to this movie because it's Peter Jackson directing? Is this story worth revisiting? P.J. at least seems to be very passionate about his work. So much of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is so uninspired nowadays!

Anyway, chime in on these movies or any others that you are looking forward to seeing the rest of the year.

 

[Audioholics]

I am VERY VERY excited to see this movie. This is one of my favorite book series of all time next to Lord of the Rings.

King Kong was "ho hum" for me until I saw the trailer. He seems to have taken a unique approach to the film. I will not be seeing it in the theater though.

 

[racquetman]

I am VERY VERY excited to see this movie. This is one of my favorite book series of all time next to Lord of the Rings.

Clint,

Which was your favorite book of the series? I've heard there are plans to make all the books into movies, but I'm sure that will depend on the success of this first movie. Would you recommend these books to adults, or are they more catered towards children?

 

[jaxvon]

I think they're enjoyable for all ages. I read them as a child and loved them. However, I've talked to people about them recently and those who have read the books as adults say there is a lot more depth than is apparent (I guess a lot of allusions to WWII and such). Now I just need to find them in my bookshelf again...

 

[djoxygen]

*VERY* excited for LWW. Loved the books as a kid, and the trailers and B-T-S previews look fantastic. Tilda Swinton is awesome (c.f. Constantine) and I expect her to be wonderful as the "witch".

As far as comparisons to LOTR, I think that any fantasy epic made in the next 20 years will be compared. But with very different stories (IMO) and different writers and directors, I'm not at all worried that it will be LOTR II: Electric Boogaloo.

 

[gellor]

Which was your favorite book of the series? I've heard there are plans to make all the books into movies, but I'm sure that will depend on the success of this first movie. Would you recommend these books to adults, or are they more catered towards children?

Not sure which one is my favorite, but I'm rereading them right now. I'd have to say after about 20 years between readings, that they are still very enjoyable.

There are going to be comparisons drawn between LW&W and LOTR, but go and pick up just about any epic fantasy novel, and I bet there will be a quote or review inside the cover that calls it "the next LOTR" or "the next Tolkein." At least as far as literature goes, comparing something to the LOTR books is now sort of like saying "this gellato tastes like ice cream". (similar ingredients, different flavor and texture)

I have a feeling that any fantasy movie coming out will be compared to the LOTR movies, but mostly because they've set a benchmark of what epic fantasy can be. They don't always have to be cheese like Krull/Conan.

Anyway, I really hope that they make most of the books into movies. (Not sure about the Magician's Nephew, though...that one could probably be worked into a 10 minute "history of" segment...it doesn't add a whole lot to the series besides a little backstory on the witch and the wardrobe)

 

[claudermilk]

I'm not surprised to hear they look similar. Like Donald mentioned, Lewis and Tolkien were indeed good friends and discussed ideas with each other while writing their books. The two series were developed about the same time IIRC. Now that Jackson's LotR has set a new benchmark, I would expect any new movies to at least attempt to match it; unless of course they are deliberately being cheesy (Kull, for example).

Hopefully this will give me a reason to think about going to the movies. Hollywood is obviously out of ideas or terrified of anything remotely risky or new right now, so all we are getting is increasingly bad retreads. C'mon, Dukes of Hazzard? Yeah I watched it as a kid, but it was crappy back then too.

 

[Audioholics]

Which was your favorite book of the series? I've heard there are plans to make all the books into movies, but I'm sure that will depend on the success of this first movie. Would you recommend these books to adults, or are they more catered towards children?

I would have to say LWW is my favorite, but I really liked The Last Battle as well as Voyage of the Dawn Treader (where Eustace goes through the same sort of transformation you see Edmund go through in LWW). The Magician's Nephew is also a fantastic prelude and explains, in essence, how the wardobe came to be.

These books are perfectly suited for adults, but they are also less "verbosely" complex than Tolkien so you can read them to your children at a younger age. In terms of plot and underlying themes - they are on par with Lord of the Rings, but Lewis always seemed to be able to bring it down to the level of the common man (whereas Tolkien was a Philologist by trade).

 

[krzywica]

Are they going to make the Magician's Nephew the first movie?
I remember reading the whole collection in school some years back, and have read a few others since, Out of the Silent Planet, and Perelandra. I have found all of his work to be enveloping, I never wanted to stop reading. The storyline is there, lets see if the acting and effects will hold up to beat out LOTR for the fantasy heavyweight title.

 

[Audioholics]

They are readying release of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe on December 9, 2005.

 

[krzywica]

Hopefully they will throw a little from the first book in there, It would be interesting to see how they do the time travel area with all the million ponds, and the witch for the first time.