Narnia

I finally saw “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” Friday. What a wonderful film. I’m not saying I didn’t have quibbles, because I certainly did, but these diminished my enjoyment and involvement not at all. In fact, some of the deviations from the book were perfect for the medium, such as choosing to open the film during the bombing raids instead of with the children already removed from London. I’ve read various complaints on the timbre of Aslan’s voice. Perhaps I was prepared for it to be less deep by other people’s dissatisfaction but I thought the warmth was more important than the bass rumble and I quite liked it. I was more bothered by Fenris Ulf’s voice (Maugrim, in the film), which I thought wasn’t nearly antagonizing and growly enough. There were dialog changes that bugged me, too, but really, all small potatoes. So much was just right: from Tumnus (and his scarf!) to Jadis’s scepter to Aslan’s paws to the wardrobe to the lightpost to the Professor. I could forgive that there was no green ribbon around the box of Turkish delight, that Mrs. Beaver didn’t get her sewing machine, that there was no scene between the witch and the squirrel family. By and large it was perfect and beautiful (the centaurs! the circlets! the minotaur general!). They had me enthralled from beginning to end. Sophia sat through the whole thing unafraid, which is a credit to the filmmakers.

Huzzah, Narnia!

iTunes says I was listening to Satellite by BT when I posted this. I have it rated 4 stars.