Just watched Narnia (Possible spoilers)

[Umbran]

2) The second thing I really noticed was because of a debate over at the Hero game forums. Someone had complained about how the children were nice throuogh the film to all the animals, but were hunting the stag at the end. Only problem was none of us could remember for sure if the siblings were armed when chasing the stag. On a second viewing, I noticed that none of them even carried any weapon, much less had their weapon prepared to use on the stag.

And, if you look outside the movie (specifically, at Lewis' The Magician's Nephew), we are clearly told that some animals in Narnia are just animals. The talking ones are special, and are not supposed to go around behaving like their speechless cousins.

Which makes sense - otherwise we'd have any carnivore in Narnia having to eat another sentient, which isnt' so nice.

 

[Captain Tagon]

And, if you look outside the movie (specifically, at Lewis' The Magician's Nephew), we are clearly told that some animals in Narnia are just animals. The talking ones are special, and are not supposed to go around behaving like their speechless cousins.

Which makes sense - otherwise we'd have any carnivore in Narnia having to eat another sentient, which isnt' so nice.

That was also covered over there as well. And the fact that the mice who freed Aslan weren't sentient, but were granted sentience later on.

 

[Storm Raven]

I'm not a parent, but I personally don't think any child under age 8 ought to see this movie unless the child is very mature for his/her age. I was with a couple who brought their 7-year-old son, and he got restless by the end, although I'm not sure what he thought of the violence. He isn't usually allowed to see anything violent. I thought the battle scenes were quite visceral, even though there is no blood. And seeing another child risk injury might disturb some children I suppose.

My kids, aged 6 and 7, loved the movie.

As to the religious allegory argument, I've never really bought that one. I read the book for the first time a couple of weeks ago, being fully aware of all the discussion, and really didn't find the religious aspect at all obvious. But every reader gets out of a book what he/she puts into it; naturally our own beliefs color what we perceive.

You don't have to "buy it". The religious message in the books is intentional - C.S. lewis intended for Aslan to be a Jesus figure, and the sacrifice on the Stone Table to parallel the sacrifice on the cross and so on. As has been said before, the fact that humans are referred to as "sons of Adam" and "daughters of Eve", and that the White Witch's rule over Narnia is illegitimate because she is descended from Lillth and a giant (Narnia needs humans to rule over it, just as humans are given dominion over all living things in Genesis). The book is so dripping with religious symbolism that it is hard to go more than a page or two without something cropping up.

 

[Firebeetle]

2) The second thing I really noticed was because of a debate over at the Hero game forums. Someone had complained about how the children were nice throuogh the film to all the animals, but were hunting the stag at the end. Only problem was none of us could remember for sure if the siblings were armed when chasing the stag. On a second viewing, I noticed that none of them even carried any weapon, much less had their weapon prepared to use on the stag.

If I think of anything else I noticed the second time around I'll be back.

In the book Tumnus informs them that the White Stag will grant you wishes if you catch it and they decide to do so. Hence the lack of weapons. This is not explained in the movie at all.

 

[Captain Tagon]

In the book Tumnus informs them that the White Stag will grant you wishes if you catch it and they decide to do so. Hence the lack of weapons. This is not explained in the movie at all.

True. But again we were debating what happened in the film. A couple people thought they remembered Susan having her bow with an arrow ready in that scene.

 

[ssampier]

If anyone finds some good Narnia wallpapers at 1280x1024, especially any showing Peter in his armor, let me know. Finding stuff like that has become an exercise in frustration and spyware.

Sure. Are these close to what you're looking for? I could only find 1024 x 768 screen resolution.

http://www.freewallpapers.to/movies/narnia1b.htm
http://www.cheathappens.com/showwp.asp?wp=1633&n=3

 

[Damon Griffin]

The harrowing of Hell (w/Narnia spoilers)

INow I've been a Christian my whole life, but I've never heard once about Christ going to Hell after being crucified. May I ask which translation of the New Testament that's from?

This would be a reference to the "harrowing of Hell", the Catholic notion that in between His death and resurrection, Christ descended to rescue souls held captive in Hell since the beginning of the world -- a proposed answer to the question "If believing in Christ is the only path to salvation, what about everyone who died before He came?"

There is no good consensus, AFAIK, regarding the origin of the notion of the Harrowing. The word harrowing was apparently first used on that context around 1000 AD, but the story can be traced back to the apocryphal Acts of Pilate or Gospel of Nicodemus, written between the 2nd and 4th Centuries AD.

We now return you to our discussion of Narnia...

I loved this movie. Very little was changed or left out, in comparison to, say, The Lord of the Rings films (but of course LWW is a much shorter book than any of Tolkein's trilogy.) I was a bit miffed at the change of Fenris Ulf's name, for no reason I could see; and I was disappointed that Aslan's rescue of the petrified creatures at Jadis's castle was (visually) limited to Tumnus. Not only is Rumblebuffin not properly introduced (as has been previously noted here), but we miss out on the other lion -- the one Edmund drew spectacles and a moustache on. That lion is seen later on, but never heard; in the book Aslan makes an offhand reference to "us lions" and the rescued lion is running around exclaiming "Did you hear that? He said us lions! Us lions! Aslan and me!" and the poor fellow is no help at all getting the creatures organized to move out. Fortunately there's a sheepdog.

I very much approved of the use of the dryad to send a message from Susan and Lucy at the Stone Table to Peter and the Narnian army. It clarified the earlier statement that "even some of the trees are on [the White Witch's] side."

Like some others here, I missed the Christmas party with the animals; and I had mixed feelings about the characterization of the fox, and of the revisionist meeting between Edmund and Tumnus in captivity. I thought both worked very well, but I always have reservations about any revision of text that might have been unnecessary, and I'm still making up my mind about whether these revisions were.

Inward and upward!

 

[Damon Griffin]

Silly Narnia merchandising

Wonder if there will be the usual board game adaptations, Clue, Risk might be cool, Narnian Monopoly? (groan)

I kid you not, I have already seen an ad for Narnia Stratego. Bleah!

 

[WayneLigon]

Sure. Are these close to what you're looking for? I could only find 1024 x 768 screen resolution.

http://www.freewallpapers.to/movies/narnia1b.htm
http://www.cheathappens.com/showwp.asp?wp=1633&n=3

Thank you! Those will do very well

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I was a bit miffed at the change of Fenris Ulf's name, for no reason I could see

Eh? What'd they call him in the movie?