What Do You Hope That Narnia Films Or Series Get Right?

My biggest "must-get-right" things are the character traits of the main characters. Don't make Peter a whiny, vain-glory or Susan a love-sick puppy. Don't give Aslan lines that negate His divinity. Also, don't try to make every villain Jadis, she never got called back up in Prince Caspian even though they talked about it, she doesn't need to show up at the Dark Island either, there are other dreams that are expressly inferred without having to bring Jadis into the mix, and the Lady if the Green Kirtle was the same type, not Jadis herself.
 
Agreed, Lava. I get the horrible feeling that many movies made today from classic books try to dumb down the plot to account for modern short attention spans. Which, by the way, are not one of mankind's greater achievements.
 
And how about villainous crush or a pair of a baddie and goodie? I mean, there’s Prince Rabadash who wants to marry in Susan. He’s in lust with her, though not explicitly written in the book. He hates her for turning him down, but it makes him want her all the more. It’s a major conflict in the story.

I guess there kind of is in SC. The Lady of the Green Kirtle at one point enchanted Prince Rilian to ask her to marry him. Perhaps she knew he was heir to the throne so she may have thought that she could legally become queen was by marrying him.

I don’t really see it happening in any of other stories. Shift is an ape, so that’d be too weird. Then there’s Rishda, though I don’t see him crushing on anyone in a LB movie or series.
 
As her eventual death proved, the Green Witch was not indestructible. If she gained some legitimacy by marrying Rilian, and if she wasn't SERIOUSLY horrid as a queen, she could avoid having heroes out for her blood.
 
Then there's the thing about marketing. I think an LB movie or series could take example from Sherlock, which is a commercially successful show. It explores on friendship, not romance. Perhaps exploring on the deep friendship between Tirian and Jewel will count for something.
 
Well every time Tirian tried to make an important decision, Jewel would horn in... ;-) Thing is, he always made a good point.
 
And what about battle? Maybe not a big epic Hollywood style, but I'm sure that a new adaption will have their own take on the battle scenes. A battle scene works better for stories like LWW, PC, HHB, and LB, than it does for VDT, SC, MN, and LB.

It's most likely that the battle scene in LWW won't be focused on as much as it was in the Walden. Though just about every screen adaption of LWW actually shows the White Witch turning people into stone and Edmund breaking the wand. Maybe a way to do the battle is do it kind of like what the animated did, where while Aslan and the girls are on their way to the White Witch's castle, cut every now and then to the battle. It could help build up the tension, "Can Aslan free the statues in time?" Another possibility is have the battle in fog and we hear noise in the background. Then when Edmund breaks the wand, the fog or mist goes away.

I'm sure that a screen adaption of PC will want to include the duel between Miraz and Peter. They might cut back and forth between the duel and Second Battle of Beruna and Aslan freeing the school children and the romp with Bacchus and Silenus.

The Battle of Stable Hill will be a hard one to pull off. The dwarfs shooting the horses and the Calormenes, and a new set of Calormenes using spears. This is perhaps the most detailed battle we get in the series.
 
jasmine tarkheena said:
And what about battle? Maybe not a big epic Hollywood style, but I'm sure that a new adaption will have their own take on the battle scenes. A battle scene works better for stories like LWW, PC, HHB, and LB, than it does for VDT, SC, MN, and LB.

It's most likely that the battle scene in LWW won't be focused on as much as it was in the Walden. Though just about every screen adaption of LWW actually shows the White Witch turning people into stone and Edmund breaking the wand. Maybe a way to do the battle is do it kind of like what the animated did, where while Aslan and the girls are on their way to the White Witch's castle, cut every now and then to the battle. It could help build up the tension, "Can Aslan free the statues in time?" Another possibility is have the battle in fog and we hear noise in the background. Then when Edmund breaks the wand, the fog or mist goes away.

I'm sure that a screen adaption of PC will want to include the duel between Miraz and Peter. They might cut back and forth between the duel and Second Battle of Beruna and Aslan freeing the school children and the romp with Bacchus and Silenus.

The Battle of Stable Hill will be a hard one to pull off. The dwarfs shooting the horses and the Calormenes, and a new set of Calormenes using spears. This is perhaps the most detailed battle we get in the series.
Click to expand...
Your remarks were very focused and perceptive.
 
I think the problem with Walden's VDT was the epic climatic battle with the sea serpent. It's totally the opposite of the emotional climax in the book. Though for LWW and PC, I will give credit that while the battle scenes were intense, it was not super graphic. It didn't show any blood or gore, which would not be appropriate for family viewing.

CS Lewis understood the horrors of war, but he wasn't a pacifist. He himself was wounded during WWI. I'm not a pacifist myself either, though war is not a very pleasant subject.

In a kids show that I watch, Liberty's Kids, which takes place during the American Revolution, the war itself isn't focused on. It focuses more on the drama, what is like for these three kids to live during that time. The challenge was, "Okay, these are kids living during the American Revolution. We have two that are journalists reporting. So how do we actually show a war?" They did a good job of it without being the main focus or a big Hollywood extravaganza. It was focused more on the drama.

As for battles in Narnia, there's the Battle of Anvard in HHB. I don't know if we're actually going to see it or will we see a glimpse of it in the pool being viewed by the Hermit of the Southern March. Maybe if they decide cut the camera back and forth between where the Hermit, Aravis, Bree and Hwin are and the battle itself, I would probably be 50-50 on it. But I don't think I would be a in favor of just showing the actual battle itself. But maybe cutting the camera back and forth would be idea. If they decide to do that, I will wait to see how it turns out.

Then the Battle of Stable Hill in LB. There is also where Rishda is trying to make up for his unbelief in Tash by hurling every Narnian into the stable and set it on fire as an offering to Tash. "He has called on gods he does not believe in, and now they have come!" This is probably the most detailed battle we get in the series. I could almost picture Tirian and Rishda dueling to near the stable done in slow motion.
 
Last edited:
I think the nice thing about doing a TV series for VDT is that they don't have to develop a through-plot. As for that, I think they really need to make sure they do the scenes at Narrowhaven right.
 
Oh yes. No need to have a fight scene with the slave traders. Now maybe they could add some tension with the slave traders, but there doesn't need to be for Caspian and his men to pull out their swords and fight the slave traders in order to free the slaves.

I think another would be is not to have the girls participate in both the Battles of Beruna in LWW and PC. It would not be fitting for Susan's character anyways, especially if her title is Queen Susan the Gentle. Though it would be nice if they could have them train on how to use their bow and arrow and dagger, if they're going to use that to defend themselves when they need to. We might at least see Lucy learning how to use a bow and arrow, since she uses that for the Battle of Anvard in HHB.

While Jill doesn't use a bow and arrow until LB, she might at least learn how to use it in SC. I think that would be a change I would accept. She could also participate in fighting the serpent in a way. That way, it could help her character arch.
 
Last edited:
The Last Battle expressly states that Jill learned all about hunting and preparing game with Puddleglum in her travels through the North.
 
~Lava~ said:
The Last Battle expressly states that Jill learned all about hunting and preparing game with Puddleglum in her travels through the North.
Click to expand...
That's true. I think it might be great if a SC movie or series actually show Jill learning how to use a bow and arrow.

Though I would like the characters to be done right as well. I think Lucy does have a bit of a fighting spirit in her. She does participate at the Battle of Anvard, but is among the archers. Does she learn how to use a bow from Susan?
 
Last edited:
jasmine tarkheena said:
That's true. I think it might be great if a SC movie or series actually show Jill learning how to use a bow and arrow.

Though I would like the characters to be done right as well. I think Lucy does have a bit of a fighting spirit in her. She does participate at the Battle of Anvard, but is among the archers. Does she learn how to use a bow from Susan?
Click to expand...
I don't think she would have had to learn from Susan. It would have been a skill both would have been taught.
 
In TLB, Jill says she got interested in archery from her first entry in Narnia and took classes on it in the interim.
 
And of course, what I hope they get right is my favorite scene, Emeth's meeting with Aslan, and not make it too cheesy.

I can almost see it could easily get cut out in a movie. I think the difficulty with that is that in The Last Battle, you deal with multiple endings or climaxes. It's a common problem in movie. The Return of the King have had to those multiple climaxes. It struggled with it, and there was a lot of criticism or fuss about it. In The Last Battle, you have the Battle of Stable Hill, then you have Rishda and Tirian in the stable, then you have Tash showing up, then you have Peter banishing Tash, then you have Tirian meeting with the other seven friends of Narnia, then you have Tirian and the seven friends of Narnia tasting the fruits, then you have Aslan saying there's nothing he could do the for the dwarfs, then you have the waking of Father Time and blowing his horn, then you have Narnia coming to an end, then you have Peter closing and locking the door, then you have Emeth telling of his meeting with Aslan, then you have "go further up and further in", then you have the reunion of the characters from Narnia's past (and there's a whole list of them), then you have exploring of Narnia within Narnia, then you have Aslan saying, "The term is over... the holidays have begun. The dream has ended... This is the Morning."

So even if Emeth's meeting with Aslan is thrown out, it might be hard to keep it in there. Though it's my hope it's included.
 
Back
Top