Disney won't make the Third Chronicles of Narnia film

[The Master of Tarquin Hill]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

I'm not surprised but I am disappointed.

I think Walt Disney himself would frown heavily upon the decisions the company he founded has been making over the last many years. They're just another megacorporation who doesn't care about their products or audience, only how much money they can rip out of their pockets.

The fact that they were a major force for why Pushing Daisies has been cancelled -- which is particularly fascinating since ABC's other executives seemed to want to keep it going despite its current numbers -- says it all for me. This Narnia news is just icing on the cake.

Not to mention the way that Disney treated Kim Possible by trying to keep the show to 65 episodes only.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Dude, the movie didn't work, just like a certain Trek film that everybody hates. Deal with it.

And magic in the defense of good is not a questionable practice, except to Christian fundies whose knowledge of the world is limited to the Bible.

 

[Kolrad]

I'm surprised at some of the responses. I didn't care for Wardrobe. I thought it was just going through the motions and there was never anything to attach your emotions to or to care about. It just went from A to B to C and The End. On the other hand, I really liked Caspian and plan to buy it, and I rarely buy movies these days. I thought it was much better and I could relate to the allegories.

I agree with you! I thought that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe came off as a pale reflection of the story in the book; it included the key events, but almost all of the charm in Lewis' narration was lost. The character development the filmmakers tried to work in for Peter was clumsily done.

With Prince Caspian, it seemed that the filmmakers felt a bit more free to take ownership of the task of telling the story, perhaps because the book's structure (most of it in flashback) almost demands changing how you tell the story as a movie, and perhaps because Prince Caspian is not the favorite book of many fans. So they felt more free to change some things about the story, and I think the movie was improved because of it, particularly in terms of its character development. Crucially, I felt that the movie mostly remained true to the spirit of the book, in much the same way that Peter Jackson's LOTR films did. I think that Prince Caspian ended up being much better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because of it.

It's really too bad if they end up not being able to make Voyage of the Dawn Treader; I was impressed at the attention to detail in Prince Caspian, to the point of showing the empty chairs in Miraz's chamber, a nod to the 7 Telmarine lords who had left the kingdom and sailed east, which sets up the premise for the next book. I don't think that was even mentioned in Prince Caspian, so it shows the filmmakers were thinking ahead.

 

[Ultimale]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up. Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Assuming you're being serious, I completely agree. You're right on, brother.

 

[Trent Roman]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Dude, the movie didn't work, just like a certain Trek film that everybody hates. Deal with it.

And magic in the defense of good is not a questionable practice, except to Christian fundies whose knowledge of the world is limited to the Bible.

Master of Tarquin Hill is being sarcastic. No thinking person could genuinely hold such an opinion.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Neroon]

Let's all take care to keep this focused on the film and not on personal opinions about certain religions. We have too much sects and violence, anyhow. (lame, yeah... but work with me alright?)

 

[Ultimale]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up. Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Dude, the movie didn't work, just like a certain Trek film that everybody hates. Deal with it. And magic in the defense of good is not a questionable practice, except to Christian fundies whose knowledge of the world is limited to the Bible.

Master of Tarquin Hill is being sarcastic. No thinking person could genuinely hold such an opinion. Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

You're incorrect, sir. I am quite the thinking man, but I firmly believe what the gentleman wrote. There is an obvious anti-Christian sentiment in our culture today, specifically, in the liberal media. Surely you, a self-proclaimed thinking person, can see this?

 

[Ultimale]

Oh...missed the comment about ignoring the religious aspect of this discussion.

 

[Neroon]

Oh...missed the comment about ignoring the religious aspect of this discussion.

No, not necessarily. Context is everything.

The caution is to focus on the film, the subject of this thread. That includes avoidance of critiquing the religion itself or its adherents. Those discussions, legitimate as they may be, are for TNZ or possibly Misc.

 

[Othello]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

LOL

When a film based upon a christian theme/author fails, isn't the success you hoped etc it's always the "LIBERAL MEDIA" to blame and not the fault or the writers, directors, etc making a poor product etc.. etc.. The "free market" is only free to you people when the results are what you agree with and when they don't line up to what you want to see it's always someone else's fault. There have been many LEGITIMATE critiques of the film, all of which you ignore, and all you want to do is blame the "liberal media" for it's failure. Maybe if more people like you put your money where your mouth is and went to see the movie it might have done better.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Dude, the movie didn't work, just like a certain Trek film that everybody hates. Deal with it.

And magic in the defense of good is not a questionable practice, except to Christian fundies whose knowledge of the world is limited to the Bible.

The way I understand it, the Christian problem with witchcraft is that, by emphasizing human manipulation of the elements, it ignores the crucial role God plays in making all things happen. However, that's more of an indictment of actual witchcraft than of Harry Potter. Harry Potter would only be questionable if the people reading/watching it believed it to be non-fiction rather than a total fantasy. I don't know of anyone who thinks that Harry Potter is real. (And if someone does think that Harry Potter is real, this should alarm Christians & non-Christians alike.) Thus, Christians should not find anything morally objectionable about the fantastical wizardry in Harry Potter.

 

[Neroon]

LOL

When a film based upon a christian theme/author fails, isn't the success you hoped etc it's always the "LIBERAL MEDIA" to blame and not the fault or the writers, directors, etc making a poor product etc.. etc.. The "free market" is only free to you people when the results are what you agree with and when they don't line up to what you want to see it's always someone else's fault. There have been many LEGITIMATE critiques of the film, all of which you ignore, and all you want to do is blame the "liberal media" for it's failure. Maybe if more people like you put your money where your mouth is and went to see the movie it might have done better.

Pssst.... remember this part?

Oh...missed the comment about ignoring the religious aspect of this discussion.

No, not necessarily. Context is everything.

The caution is to focus on the film, the subject of this thread. That includes avoidance of critiquing the religion itself or its adherents. Those discussions, legitimate as they may be, are for TNZ or possibly Misc.

 

[paudemge]

I just got done watching prince caspian for the first time, and it was OK, but I kept waiting for it to "start", thinking ok, whats the real story, its not just some guy usurping the throne and wanting to kill the rightful king, then it was over.. and it guess it was.

 

[Neroon]

I just got done watching prince caspian for the first time, and it was OK, but I kept waiting for it to "start", thinking ok, whats the real story, its not just some guy usurping the throne and wanting to kill the rightful king, then it was over.. and it guess it was.

I think that the book from which it's taken is the shortest of the entire series. That probably played a role in their attempts to add material and "expand" the story. It was an enjoyable story to me personally, as the Pevensies try to unravel the mystery of what had happened in their absence. Maybe the DVD has a documentary addressing the differences between the two,explaining why they added scuh scenes as the assault on Miraz' castle and such. I haven't spent much time talking to folks who didn't care for this film as opposed to the first, save for this forum. So far, there seem to be some good possible explanations offered. Trying to pin down my own disappointments hasn't been easy, other than for the few I mentioned earlier.

 

[Kolrad]

The way I understand it, the Christian problem with witchcraft is that, by emphasizing human manipulation of the elements, it ignores the crucial role God plays in making all things happen. However, that's more of an indictment of actual witchcraft than of Harry Potter. Harry Potter would only be questionable if the people reading/watching it believed it to be non-fiction rather than a total fantasy. I don't know of anyone who thinks that Harry Potter is real. (And if someone does think that Harry Potter is real, this should alarm Christians & non-Christians alike.) Thus, Christians should not find anything morally objectionable about the fantastical wizardry in Harry Potter.

Speaking as a Christian, I think this is a very valid point. Also, I think there are actually a whole lot of Biblical themes in the Harry Potter stories. I haven't read the books, but they come through loud and clear in the movies.

For just one example, I thought the confrontation at the end of The Chamber of Secrets was rich in Biblical metaphor, for instance-- Harry being wounded by the serpent, but dealing the serpent a mortal blow-- Genesis 3:15 anyone? The hero sacrificing himself for another? Rendering evil and death "only a memory"? I have no idea if Rowling was intending these Christian themes to come through so powerfully, but the first time I saw that scene, it nearly brought me to tears.

I can come up with other examples if you give me some more time to recall them.

I'm not saying the books are some sort of allegory in which Harry is supposed to represent Christ-- in other ways, he might be a better representation of a flawed person trying to represent Christ (in other words, a Christian). Also, a Christian worldview is not the only way to look at the books-- there are many lessons there about life and friendship and following/breaking rules that people can learn from regardless of their beliefs about God. (Much the same way that someone can apply and benefit from the Biblical proverb about how hard work brings greater reward than laziness even if they don't believe in God.)

Even though C.S. Lewis's Narnia books are much closer to a plain Christian allegory than the Harry Potter books are, I'm honestly not sure which series of movies communicates a more Christian message. As I said, Lewis's narration is largely lost in the movies, and I got the impression that the filmmakers were motivated a bit more by Fantasy Filmmaking Cliches 101 (with a lot of help from the pattern set by LOTR) than by a deep understanding of what Lewis was writing about.

In Wardrobe, for instance, you have the moment when Aslan kills the White Witch, and says "It is finished." That's deeply significant in Christianity, as those are some of Jesus' last words from the cross (where the defeat of Satan was accomplished). But in an interview, the director said that they were unaware that line had any special significance; they just chose it because they thought it sounded good!

I guess my overall point is that it's fine to choose not to read the Harry Potter books or see the movies if doing so would go against your conscience. But I truly don't believe that the success of those movies over the Narnia movies is because of anti-Christian bias.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I got the impression that the filmmakers were motivated a bit more by Fantasy Filmmaking Cliches 101 (with a lot of help from the pattern set by LOTR) than by a deep understanding of what Lewis was writing about.

I think that you're definately right on that point. What we've been seeing in recent years is Hollywood grasping to somehow recreate the success of The Lord of the Rings and resulting in a string of pale immitators in much the same way that they flooded the market with crappy sci-fi & monster movies in the late 1970s/early 1980s trying to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars & Jaws. (Although, I suspect the Christian aspects of The Chronicles of Narnia would have been obscured even further had The Passion of the Christ not made such a crapload of money.)

I think some of the "liberal media" conspiracy theories don't entirely hold water. True, Prince Caspian didn't do as well as Harry Potter. However, it grossed twice as much domestically as the allegedly anti-Christian The Golden Compass.

My opinions, for the record...

I think the Harry Potter movies are a lot of harmless fun. They're full of great acting and some compelling stories. But I'm not as obsessed as some people.

The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest epics ever committed to film and will still be so 50 years from now.

The Golden Compass was crap. The acting was crap. The FX were crap. The ending was non-existent. The underlying ideas are suspect at best. Frankly, I suspect that the whole idea of your soul as a talking animal walking beside you works a lot better in a book. When you actually see it, it just looks silly.

I was completely unimpressed with The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe. Neither the characters nor the acting really grabbed me. Theologically, it focuses on the part of Christianity--Jesus as a sacrificial death to transfer the punishment of my sins onto him--that I have the most difficult time with.

Prince Caspian was somewhat better. The action was more exciting. The acting still wasn't very good. (The best actor in the whole thing was the dwarf.) The theology was less prominent but still a bit dubious to me. I may be interpreting this the wrong way but it seemed that the movie was trying to criticize Peter's sins of pride. To me, it looked more like Peter was just trying to be pro-active rather than laying about waiting for Aslan/signs-from-above to give him instructions. I took his behavior more as one of those the-Lord-helps-those-who-help-themselves kinda things, which the movie seemed to disagree with.

But, ultimately, I think that Prince Caspian's greatest sin was nothing more than coming out in a crowded May, sandwiched between Iron Man and Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

 

[suarezguy]

^I didn't like the action scenes; in Wardrobe, while there was some sense that the characters weren't in great jeopardy and there was some similarity to other field battles, the sword fight was still a lot of fun and there was a big sense that they were running against time (Aslan's death did make it feel a bit apocalyptic/desperate last stand). In The showdown in Caspian, though, reminded me much more strongly of Helms' Deep (which was much better with drama) and, bloodless and overly long, there really wasn't a sense that anyone or thing was in danger.

 

[Tulin]

This is obviously a case where a solid christian allegory is despised by Hollywood, while films full of questionable practices (Harry Potter) are trumpeted and given all the latitude that they can suck up.

Once again, the good people of this nation are under attack.

Why do you have a sig that seems to stand for everything AGAINST your above quote?

Also, I take exception to your statement that only Christians are "good" people. I would judge somebody as being a better person because they WANT to do something altruistic with no idea of reward( but simply because it is "the right thing to do")than a weak person who is afraid of some God-boogeyman who promises an eternity of sitting around on clouds if you do good deeds now.

Actually, when you look at it that way, Christians are actually very selfish and are doing good things for all the wrong reasons.

Not "good" at all.


Sorry 'roony - saw your post afterwards.

My points still stand, however and as they are my opnion, as you know by now, they are correct.

 

[Neroon]

Sorry 'roony - saw your post afterwards.

My points still stand, however and as they are my opnion, as you know by now, they are correct.

It can be easy to miss such things, but from this point forward there wont' be any more "passes", folks. Keep this on track.