I was fine with Mr Beaver. I loved how he and his wife were so loving with each other. There have been quite a few loving, but arguing couples in cinema. This was one of the better ones. His surprise that the siblings hadn't heard of Aslan or the prophesy is also fine. When you imagine a group of people who are destined to rule, you don't expect them to be so ignorant of the world.
" It is as if a real Aslan/Christ is so far-fetched and unbelievable that we have to somehow dumb Him down so the rest of us unbelievers can understand it. Aslan acting somewhat puzzled and asking how this could happen, when He hears the news of Edmund's betrayal."
Firefly, Aslan questioning them is similar to the questioning of Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. It wasn't about a need to know, but a need of them to confess.
"The movie, accordingly, leaves the uninformed viewer thinking that the four Pevensies GREW TO ADULTHOOD without ever seeing EVEN ONE other human being anyplace in the Narnian world."
Copper, this would be hard to portray in the movie. There are noi humans apart from the Pevensies even mentioned, which was a plot point. It would have been weird to have humans at the end when in the beginning, Tumnus didn't know that Lucy was a human and was so surprised that she was.
I can't think of any way to add humans to the movie without it seeming odd.
As for the fan-fics, I still love to imagine Lucy having gotten married and gone back to the real world with her young daughter. Let the confusion and hilarity ensue.
MrBob
