Opinion: New ‘Narnia’ Film Is Doing Something Right
by Tito W. James
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is the first in a planned series of films by Greta Gerwig (Barbie) that adapts the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. The first trailer for the film showcases a new psychedelic rock opera aesthetic that feels fresh but also fits with the subject matter. There’s a great balance between the grounded color palette of the mortal world and the cosmic brilliance of the other dimensions. Gerwig’s Narnia could easily have been a safe retreading of familiar ground — fortunately it has its own distinctive vision that demands to be seen in cinemas.
HBO’s Harry Potter on the other hand, just looks like the previous live action films with new actors. It’s the middle-of-the-road creative non-risk taking that makes the television series feel more like a nostalgia trip rather than a bold new take. But the thing about nostalgia is that it only works with those original actors.
Additionally, Gerwig’s Narnia should be commended for actually looking visually good. It’s honestly been too long since we’ve had a truly fun fantasy film. We’ve either had Game of Thrones-style grimdark on TV or the high-fructose sugar-coated aesthetic that Disney was churning out for all their live action remakes starting with Alice in Wonderland. The epitome of this bad, oversaturated aesthetic had to be 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time and we haven’t had much better for nearly a decade.
Let’s hope Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew does incredibly well with audiences and critics so we can see a return to the vibrant high quality fantasy filmmaking that dominated the 2000s.
