Saturday, December 11, 2010

Narnia

So I was sitting in my kitchen last night reading some Dinosaur Comics and listening to some Rob Paravonian (I recommend both if you enjoy laughing) when in walks Taylor. He is on the phone with Holly Belnap asking if we (me and my adopted roommate McKay) would like to go with them to Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I didn't really have anything else to do, so I inquired as to the price. $11.50 was the answer I got. Too steep for me. Narnia movies are simply just not worth that much money to see. I graciously declined the offer and settled back into my comics. Then the trouble started.

The girls (yes, plural: Holly Belnap and Hailey Allred) came over to go see the movie. Apparently Taylor had not relayed my disinclination to go because they immediately asked if I was going when they came in the door. I told them I didn't really want to go in the first place, and the price reinforced my decision to not attend the film. They pointed out, however, that Wynnsong gives a student discount, and they pleaded with me to join theem. Like a fool, I acquiesced. They practically began singing praises to me, for reasons I am still not clear on, but they assure me they will make known unto me when I turn 18. "Why not," I thought to myself, "if it makes them so happy for me to do this simple thing?" How very, very foolish of me.

If you have ever read and enjoyed C. S. Lewis's book Voyage of the Dawn Treader, do not go see this movie. It was pure torture to me, as Hailey can attest. Honestly, with this book, I can understand taking some creative liberties with the story. As Lewis wrote it, it doesn't exactly fit itself well to cinema unless you have absolutely superb actors (which they don't) and are appealing to a more refined moviegoer (which they definitely do not do). I didn't expect to watch the story of the book unfold before my eyes on-screen, but the way they altered the story was absolutely criminal. Even then, however, I might have enjoyed the experience had it actually been a good film. But it wasn't. The first two Narnia films were actually surprisingly good, albeit not great. Dawn Treader is not so. With the exception of Eustace Scrubb, the acting was subpar. The special effects did not live up to the standards of today's modern movie world. All in all, it was a pretty bad movie; a complete letdown after the first two.

I don't often recommend not seeing a movie. Even Harry Potter movies, if you are a fan, I would not tell you to not watch. I sometimes advise waiting for a film to go to the dollar theaters before viewing, but I hardly ever would say to not watch a movie at all. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, however, is bad enough that I really do commend you to not waste your money and two hours of your life to see it. It just isn't worth it.

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