Dec
09
2007
Dir & Writ: Chris Weitz
Based on book by Philip Pullman
- Dakota Blue Richards … Lyra Belacqua
- Nicole Kidman … Marisa Coulter
- Daniel Craig … Lord Asriel
- Freddie Highmore … Pantalaimon (voice)
- Ian McKellen … Iorek Byrnison (voice)
- Eva Green … Serafina Pekkala
- Sam Elliott … Lee Scoresby
I read, and really enjoyed, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials a while back, so I was really looking forward to this film, the first of three. Unfortunately it just isn’t very good. It should be. The story is a wonderful one, Kidman and Craig are fantastic, although Craig isn’t really on screen for all that long, and Dakota Blue Richards is wonderful as Lyra. Some of the other kids aren’t too great, but we’ll let them away. The special effects are, for the most part, superb. The polar bears in particular are fantastic.
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Dec
13
2005
That is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for those of you trying to figure out the abbreviation.
- Georgie Henley - Lucy Pevensie
- Skandar Keynes - Edmund Pevensie
- William Moseley - Peter Pevensie
- Anna Popplewell - Susan Pevensie
- Tilda Swinton - White Witch
- Liam Neeson - Aslan (voice)
- Ray Winstone - Mr. Beaver (voice)
- Dawn French - Mrs. Beaver (voice)
- Rupert Everett - Fox (voice)
I really wanted to love this film. I can remember reading the books, and I really enjoyed the BBC version from ages ago. Trouble is that this never seemed to get the balance right. It didn’t feel slow at the start, with the build-up as the film established the children’s characters and relationships, but considering how much goes on maybe this time could’ve been put to better use later on in the film. The children’s relationship with Aslan felt rushed, imo, and lacking in emotion.
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