when you've been craving something but end up dissatisfied after finally having it
I read the first book of the Narnia chronicles when I was in 6th grade, although I had read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe some time before then. It opened a new world, and like embarking on a new adventure of a place I'd just discovered, I was reeled in and couldn't wait to read all the books up to The Last Battle. I went to the bookstore every week until I'd found all the books illustrated by Pauline Baynes and read and read and read. I loved the chronicles so much, I'd even named a pet dalmation Narnia. The Silver Chair ended up being my favorite, but then I went on to other things and forgot about the books until last year when I re-read them all again and found it to be still good, but rather disappointing. It was as if I remembered a dish that I relished in my youth and craved to have it again, and upon doing so, it left me full but completely dissatisfied; a hollow void in the pit of my stomach that had moved to the region of my tast buds harboring phantom flavors that only seem to exist in memory and can no longer be called into reality. With a bit more enthusiasm, because Weta was involved, I went to see the film, and sadly, the void remains. It didn't help that I'd memorized the dailogue from constant reading and viewing of the animated version of the story and I knew exactly what would be said and happen next. And like clockwork, the film unfolded just as I'd expected and envisioned, which isn't really a bad thing, but rather, Eh. Yes, weaponry and creatures were fantastic, as were the sets and locations. Tilda Swinton was a spot-on choice for the White Witch, although the Peter-Prince-William-look-alike was rather disturbing. I felt like they did too many shots that would get young girls to squeal at his royal good looks (now smolder, now gaze pensively, now look handsome...) rather than deal with the scene at hand. The editing was a bit discordant in places, leaving the feeling of no continuity, and in all, the pacing was rather slow in comparison to reading the thing, which is a breeze. I'm wondering if it would have been better to not know the story so well before watching, or if it's simply a matter of having outgrown something from childhood.
8:48 PM | |
