Really? I went in with high hopes but low expectations and was pleased with the movie. It reminded me of LOTR in several places What was up with the ice flow scene?

It's a tricky psychological maneuver I propose. Had I entered the film with higher expectations or standards, I might have been disappointed. Therefore, I suggest that others may want to enter the movie with a similar low-key mindset. I'm not making a distinction between hopes and expectations; I just went to the movie because it had to be done, not because I had any particular hopes for it. I ended up enjoying myself.

As for the ice, I'm afraid our producers decided that Peter needed lots and lots of opportunities to fulfill the dreams of big brothers everywhere.

Good point; I've tracked down the original page. By "Star Wars treatment," I'm referring to the feel of the graphics (entirely too smooth, pretty, and fake-looking, in my opinion) but more especially to the fight choreography and armor (for which I have been unable to locate a good still). At some points of the movie, I was looking at swordplay clichés from LOTR; at others, from the new SW trilogy. Neither looked right in Narnia.

As far as the retreat...they were kind of getting beat, it made tatical sense.
*Much quieter voice*I kinda liked the fighting and battle scene...Please don't hate/hit me! *Cringes*.

I'm glad to see someone agrees with me that Peter was a little too wimpy. (I've talked to half a dozen people and they all disagreed.) I was really disappointed after Peter won the fight with Maugrim. (I’m not sure you can call that winning.) He lays there and waits for his sisters to push Maugrim off. Then he cries, and hugs his sisters for there actions. In the book i remember Peter being a little more take charge. He was certainly less wimpy.

I was really disappointed with Susan. Playing her as the perpetual wet blanket sets it up for her eventual "Too grown up for Narnia" phase, but I didn't understand based on her character in the movie why she was "Susan the Gentle." I thought Edmund came out the best as far as characterizations go.

I really appreciated that Aslan's camp at the Stone Table looked like an army instead of a garden party.

I agree with you that Aslan was less impressive in the movie than in the books, which may be a testament less to the failure of the film makers than to the failure of pure image and sound to convey what Aslan is like: the words Lewis to describe him are much more meaning-full.

But since the media hubbub surrounding the movie makes it impossible to leave "theology aside," I'm actually glad Aslan was as kenotic as he was in the movie. In fact, I could have wished his "disciples" were a little more kenotic. The theological lesson seems to be that Aslan has to go to the stone table, but no one else has to take up their stone table and follow him. They can hoist the banners and go to war and be crowned kings and queens without ever having "emptied" in the way that Aslan (ahem, Jesus) does. But that, too, may be less a failure of the film makers than of Lewis's own Christology. (Although the film makers do seem to make a lot more out of the battle scenes than Lewis did; the Middle Earthians, I mean, the Narnians are much more bellicose in the movie than in the first book.)

The movie's Aslan does seem to be there mainly to help Peter win the war, doesn't he?

Right, and I'm more than a little worried that some of the audiences viewing the movie (particularly those being encouraged to see it as part of church groups, etc.), will walk away with the message that Jesus is there mainly to help "us" win wars.

Of course, the early Christians themselves often used martial imagery to describe conflict with evil and sin. But it was always with the careful proviso that this "warfare" is not carnal, but spiritual. And the martial language seems to be intended more to encourage followers of Jesus to prepare themselves, "gird their loins" as it were, to make the difficult sacrifices required in this conflict.

The problem, ironically, is that depicting that "spiritual warfare" in a fantasy like LWW ends up making it appear like literal language. (And we know Lewis himself did interpret warfare as potentially constructive of Christian values.) The War of the Lamb, an image intentionally meant to be paradoxical, becomes the War of the Lion. Most viewers and readers (myself included) come away pumping their fist for Peter's "victory" and easily forget that the Christian story depicts victory as a result of kenosis, exaltation as the result of humiliation.

I may be reading too much into all of this, of course, but I think in the particular times in which we live, and with the particular media blitz surrounding this movie as a "Christian" film, it's important to really question the theological underpinnings of the story--or at least of the typical receptions of the story--and see whether the film really is "Christian" or Christianesque.

I unequivocally liked the movie and disagree completely :)

What the...? Leatherwood just disagreed in ONE sentence. Wilson, check the IP... I have my doubts as to whether or not this is the real Leatherwood. Sure, I expect him to disagree... but I expect him to do so more... verbosely.

I'm way late for this discussion (then again, I only saw the movie last night) and I am pleased that several points I had with the movie were brought up here.

As stated above, I thought it was good if you go in without setting your expectations too high. Lucy and the White Which were the star actresses in my opinion. Peter was way too wimpy -- pointing his sword at things while never using it, until the battle scene, gave it a growing mocking quality. Every time he pulls it out and doesn't use it just means one more useless gesture of a sword that has no bite. Swing it for once!

And then, he let the king thing get to his head way too quickly. I appreciate Lucy for being Lucy through the whole film, but Peter too quickly gave up his old self and tried to fit himself into a king's shoes far before he was ready. I rather disliked how he tried to be valiant and kingly just because people were telling him he should, rather than because he truly realized the gravity of his responsibility.

I hadn't thought of comparing the battle scenes to Star Wars but that perfectly describes the feel. I realize this is a Disney-made kids movie, but still... absolutely no blood on Edmund when he is stabbed -- not a drop of blood coming from Aslan's wound on the Stone Table (which Lewis I think would've taken issue with).

But... I did like setting the movie in the historical context with the bombers at the beginning. Cool effect.

And overall, good.