The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Through the Wardrobe: A Cinematic Journey into C.S. Lewis's Narnia
Step through the wardrobe with us as we explore the magical world of Narnia in this week's episode. Disney's 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis's beloved classic has stood the test of time, maintaining both its visual splendor and its profound allegorical depth nearly two decades after release.
What makes this film exceptional is how faithfully it preserves Lewis's Christian symbolism while creating a fantastical world accessible to viewers of all backgrounds. Aslan, masterfully voiced by Liam Neeson, stands as one of cinema's most compelling Christ figures, with the film even adding dialogue that strengthens these biblical parallels. We explore how the iconic line "It's always winter but never Christmas" captures both the emotional and spiritual landscape of Narnia under the White Witch's rule.
Tilda Swinton's portrayal of the White Witch deserves special recognition for bringing a seductive menace to this Satan-like antagonist. Her performance balances terror with fascination, making her a villain worthy of Narnia's epic tale. Meanwhile, the four Pevensie children each undergo distinct character arcs that mirror different spiritual journeys—from Edmund's betrayal and redemption to Lucy's unwavering faith.
The stunning visual effects deserve particular praise. Unlike many films from the early 2000s that now appear dated, Narnia's talking beavers, centaurs, and of course, Aslan himself, remain believably magical. We discuss how the film expands on the battle sequences from Lewis's relatively simple prose, heightening the stakes while maintaining the heart of the original story.
Whether you're revisiting this fantasy classic or considering watching it with younger viewers, our discussion offers fresh perspectives on why The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe continues to captivate audiences across generations. Subscribe today and join our community of film lovers exploring the cinematic treasures that stand the test of time!
On the couch. We're laughing, crying, feeling it all, Breaking down the big screen, the hits and the flaws. Grab your seat, press play, let's take the pic. Lights, camera action, it's the Couch Critic.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, welcome to a brand new episode of the Couch Critic. I'm your host, nathan, and on today's episode I'm joined by Katie. Hi, katie, how are you?
Speaker 3:I'm great, I'm snacking, as usual, but this time I bet you can't guess what it is it's combos. Who eats combos anymore?
Speaker 2:I do. You didn't even let me guess.
Speaker 3:I don't think you have gotten it, because who eats combos? Nobody's like hey man, yeah like you want some combos, but every gas station still sells them and for some reason, when I go on a road trip I buy combos. Thank you, convo. Please sponsor our show. Anyway, I'm excited about this movie. Didn't like the last one, but this one I watched like way in advance because of how excited I was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we mentioned before that it's kind of ironic that we're talking about this movie today, because I just recently announced that next year at my school I will be putting on a production of this book slash movie at my school and I'm really excited about it. There we're doing chronicles of narnia the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, which is actually book number two in the classic Chronicles of Narnia series written by the Christian fiction author CS Lewis. So I'm excited about talking about this movie, but before we can talk about it, I have to go over the synopsis. While playing, lucy and her siblings find a wardrobe that lands them in a mystical place called Narnia. Here they realize that it was fated and they must now unite with Aslan to defeat an evil queen.
Speaker 2:The Chronicles of Narnia the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe stars Tilda Sweetin as the White Witch, georgie Henley as Lucy, william Mosley as Peter, georgie Henley as Lucy, william Mosley as Peter, skander Keens as Edmund, anna Popowell as Susan, james McAvoy as Mr Tumnus and, of course, the legendary Liam Neeson as Aslan. So let me just start by saying Katie and I both discovered that we had never actually read any of the books. Have you never read any of the books of Chronicles of Narnia.
Speaker 3:I think I've listened on audio to some of them. I can't read, I'm so I'm such a bad, even though I was a teacher for so many years not an avid reader. So no, I've seen all the movies but had not read. I think maybe just listened to one book yeah.
Speaker 2:So, especially since the fact that I'm doing this show at my school, I thought it'd be interesting to listen to the audiobook, because I am also not a big fan of sitting down and just reading. I love radio drama anyway. I'm a big fan of like down and just reading. I love radio drama anyway. I'm a big fan of like classic radio drama kind of stuff, and so to hear it being read dramatically is a really cool thing for me. So what I did was I would listen to a chapter and then I would start watching the movie up into the point where the chapter ended and then I would listen to the second chapter, and part of the reason I did that is because I wanted then I would listen to the second chapter, and part of the reason I did that is because I wanted to see how true to the book the movie was.
Speaker 2:And I'm just going to start with one of my big likes is that this is actually really close to the original book, and that's a big thing for me to say as, again, again, not an avid reader, but it was really close to the adaptation of the book, as you know, because, like people like Harry Potter fans, harry Potter fans. They're either fans of the movies or they're fans of the books, because I heard that the books aren't really that close to the movies, or the movies aren't really close to the books, to the movies, or the movies aren't really close to the books, and so this was surprisingly close to the book. So I will give you know disney, because this is by disney, and we'll talk about how I was very surprised at some of the stuff they kept in this movie because it is disney, but yeah, I was. I was very pleasantly surprised how close to the book it was.
Speaker 3:Nathan, this is old Disney. That's probably why this was 2005 Disney, but I did try to do some research about that and, yeah, it sounds like spot on what you said, which is that it covers it very well. I actually read. One reviewer said that the movie went into more detail. Like that. The movie actually explained more than the book. The book is a little more simple. It's a pretty simple read, which, again, I haven't read it to tell you, but the story's fantastic.
Speaker 3:I think one of my biggest likes would be that you're making a movie about something worth making a movie about. Right, you and I talk about some of these prequels that are unnecessary. This is one that is so fantastical. I did find it really interesting, though, nathan researching more about CS Lewis and about his thoughts on the book and where it came from and his life. You know he was not a Christian for much of his life until towards the end. He actually sort of became a Christian after his friendship with JR Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, and just, I guess, experiencing life and researching Christianity on his own.
Speaker 3:So this movie was something he never would have approved. It's actually his stepson who gave people the right to do this. But he had mentioned avidly in his life that he did not necessarily want this recreated in like a play or radio because it's so fantastical. So you know understandably for him, maybe with cinema at the time, what it would look like, right, like the talking beavers and all the fantastical fantasy stuff that it would take away from it. But I think they nailed it and I was never taken out of the movie with CGI, even though this is from 2005. None of it was so gross that you're like, oh, it's so terribly done. None of it made me feel like it was too corny and all the animals and beasts were so well done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the visuals really hold up really really well. Usually you see a movie from the early 2000s, you know, 90s, 80s, 70s, all these types of movies that we've been watching up until this point and the visuals don't hold up. Talking beavers, those characters were funny, you know, you really invested in these characters really quickly and I think it was mostly because of the voice acting like. The voice actors that played all of these animal characters really made you feel for, you know, for a beaver and for a lion and for a fox and all these animal characters, and for a lion and for a fox and all these animal characters. That I could see CS Lewis's point at the time that he was alive. You know what, like you said, what would it look like? Would it take away? Would it be cheesy, would it be? You know hard to focus on what the true message of the story is, but with the technology and again with the voice of fricking Liam Neeson as Aslan, like it just brings that natural, natural majesticness to it. And what's interesting about that is that Liam Neeson at the time I think now he's kind of like wrestling with his faith, in my opinion, just based on interviews and stuff, but at this point. I'm pretty sure he was deep in atheism, so he's playing this iconic Christ-like character and trying to balance, I don't know. It would be very interesting to hear what Liam Neeson thought of the character he was playing Because, again, at that point in time, I'm pretty sure he was pretty heavy in atheism. So it would be really interesting what made him audition or what made him do this role and what did he think about it. But going away from that for a little bit, this movie was just really really good.
Speaker 2:And one thing that I kind of like they did that the book didn't really do is that they showed the battle a lot more. They they show the stakes. I think that's probably what people are talking about. Like they show the stakes of what was happening in Narnia, and they didn't uh, they didn't show Aslan show up as quickly as they do in the books. Like in the book, you know, he dies for like five seconds and then he comes back.
Speaker 2:And In the book he dies for like five seconds and then he comes back. And I feel like in the movie they took a little bit longer. They made you be in a little bit more suspense of whether he was going to come back or not. Obviously, it still happened fairly quickly still, but I think the movie handled the intensity of the battle and what was at stake in Narnia. And I think the movie handled the intensity of the battle and what was at stake in Narnia and I think that because, again, usually you don't you don't get that in films, like they usually rush things in movies and they're just trying to get to the point. I think the book was a lot more detailed and like describing characters as opposed to you know, again, the battle at the end. So I thought the movie did a really good job at at making you feel for the characters and I just I really, really did enjoy it and I didn't care that I stayed up almost till one o'clock, oh my.
Speaker 3:It was just really good. Speaking of your bought in, I mean the Mr Tompkins and Lucy friendship, tomness, tomness Sorry I say it wrong every time they like with it it takes five minutes and you're already like I love this, I ship, I ship them so much, like I just love their relationship and it's not weird, even though he's probably you know he's older and you're right, like it doesn't take a ton for you to see that and for you to be devastated when he's lost. And I don't want to just only give a shout out to our hero. You know the Jesus Christ figure, aslan Tilda, as the queen fantastic, I mean she. I love her in most of her work I've seen, especially she did stuff in Doctor Strange. She is so piercing, so almost like calm and collected and yet fierce, and I thought she was a fantastic witch.
Speaker 3:I watched this with my son and my husband and my son was afraid of the White Witch. In fact I think Scott did it yet again, where he basically prepares Ben to be scared. It's like the witch is kind of scary. It was really cool, nathan. It was a really good moment for us as parents to say, hey, she is really scary, you're right. But you know what's awesome Is? We can watch, and I'll go ahead and spoil it for you. She loses in the end. So any part that's scary. You just know she's gonna lose and and it's actually. We tried to explain him even in a story. It's more fun and you feel a bigger sense of pride and joy when the hero defeats a big, big villain. So I think if the witch was not scary enough, you wouldn't care if aslan wins. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, and it does make sense because you have to, I mean, you shouldn't, you don't really have to explain. You're like, of course the bad guy is going to be scared, like it's like. It's not really the same, but it's kind of like when you hear the bad guy and like a cartoon or something, and for some reason they feel the need to make the bad guy in like a cartoon or something, and for some reason they feel the need to make the bad guy say a cuss word or something and your kid might hear that, and you're like, well, that's the bad guy, so the bad guy is going to say bad words, but we're not bad guys, so we're not going to say bad words. So it's kind of same thing, kind of not really.
Speaker 2:But yeah, tilda Sweetin did a fantastic job. She brought the coldness of the character. She was very methodical. It was very much like a Satan type character trying to be very. Hey, I can give you this, I can give you this if you just help me, if you bow down to me. Basically, I'll give you all these things.
Speaker 2:And it was just, it was just so good and it just it's like a, it's like a blueprint to how to tell just a good story.
Speaker 2:It really does make you I mean, I don't know about you, but it makes me want to go back and listen to or read all the books. And so that's actually what I started doing. Because, again, this is the second book in the series, so there's a book before this called the Magician's Nephew, which kind of introduces where Narnia came from and all of this stuff christ and the biblical connections, and because cs lewis did a fantastic job at not being overtly christian, but just enough that the message is there. And and this goes to my point that I was making at the beginning is I'm very surprised and you said it was probably because it's early disney, but I'm very surprised how much of the message is still there and how some of the lines that they gave Aslan to say are not in the book and they're very much like word for word things jesus would say, like, for example, when the battle is over and he looks at peter and says it is finished, I'm like what?
Speaker 2:yeah, what from her Bible says, and when he says to the witch um, don't speak to me about the deep magic. I was there when it was written. That's like like Jesus stuff. And again I'm sitting here listening to a chapter. So I'm listening like word for word, with the book says and there's some stuff in there that's not in the book and they put it in the movie. That just deepens the connection to how Aslan is the Lion of Judah, jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. Yeah, our Lord and Savior, it's just really good.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny because my husband's a diehard Lord of the Rings guy and supposedly the lore is that Jared Tolkien just would troll CS Lewis about how he was too on the nose about it, because apparently Lord of the Rings is also very, very allegorical about faith, but you know, it would take someone explaining it to me, whereas, like you said, this one it's pretty obvious, um, but I do find that kind of interesting from a story standpoint. It's like I'm watching this having christianity as a background, so when he dies in a very christ-like way I'm like, oh, he's probably gonna come back. So it would be curious to have a non-believer review. This like to understand, maybe, what their perspective on the movie was. But I do think it's a piece of it's the gospel and it's also. I think something that's important is to say, hey, if that story moved, you guess what? There's actually a real life example of this, um, and so it can be a good introduction for for kids or people even dabbling in in the thought that there could be something so fantastical could actually be real.
Speaker 3:My line I appreciate so much is actually was recreated by a Reliant K song. Do you know Reliant K Christian man? They came out with a song after the movie and it was called it's Always Winter but Never Christmas and, and you know just that, the idea of everything is gloomy and there's just not that hope. And you know the rest of the song they wrote goes on to talk about the hope that is christ, um and christ's birth that comes at christmas time. But even that, even just the theme of being winter and never christmas, and like what are we anticipating and waiting and celebrating at christ time, it's like the coming of Christ.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I really really love this movie. Ben and my son really enjoyed it as well. It's epic. We have got to have some dislikes, right. Sometimes I felt like Peter was kind of confusing, like he's a little bit annoying, like I wanted him to be more brave. He's supposed to be the big brother and brave and I'm going to build my church upon him and I understand he's not supposed to be the hero. Adlin is, but he was a little weak for me.
Speaker 2:He maybe was a negative for me, that's all I can think of what I was doing, you know, listening to the book and watching the movie. I think he portrayed Peter perfectly, I think based on the book. His characterization of that character was exactly what the book was. He was very reluctant. He is kind of like a Moses character, you know, very reluctant. I'm not the type of person you think I am. I'm not who you want me to be. You know I'm I'm afraid of doing this, and that's why Aslan lets him prove himself when he battles the wolf, and so I think Peter has to prove his bravery, even though, you know, aslan already saw it in him and Peter didn't see it in himself. So I thought that was great. I honestly didn't really have that many dislikes if any at all.
Speaker 3:How about this? This is my own fault as a parent, but I would say it's not probably suited for a four-year-old. I mean, just the scene where Aslan is sacrificed is quite intense, and even the violence of the battle so I do feel, or even the implication of the people getting frozen, disturbing and like dying right there on the spot. It's a bit scary, the world's a bit scary. So in hindsight, if you know, if we didn't watch movies together so much, I wouldn't show probably a four year old this. I think it's too young for this because of the violence. So maybe that would be another negative, but that's more, that's all me. So maybe that would be another negative, but that's more, that's all me. Another thing that was interesting that was not until after the movie I noticed was in the beginning of the movie you're seeing that they're going through a war. Right, the kids are being sent off because they're being protected from the war found a person who was reviewing the movie and they highlighted that in the very beginning. When you see how each of the children is reacting to the bombing situation, it's a perfect foreshadow of their personalities and I mean as soon as that reviewer said that, I was like thinking back and spot on.
Speaker 3:You know you have Ed edmund, who's just very obsessed and interested in this violence and interested in the bombs going off, you know, kind of fascinated by all this. And then you have peter being older brother oh, come on, come on, you gotta go taking charge, feeling like he has to be the leader. Um, you have lucy being a worry wart kind of, and she's grabbing. Lucy and not lucy, uh, a soldier girl's name, susan, susan uh. And then you see lucy kind of being this timid little girl and scared.
Speaker 3:I just thought it was very spot on that you already, from the first two or three minutes of the movie, are getting a small glimpse of what each of their characters are, and then it plays out very perfectly. I think everyone's character arc on their own was beautiful, right, right, you have four different children and they each go through a different arc and I love that. They each get a weapon kind of thing. Or you know, like they each get a present from fake Santa A real Santa, they just never say his name Father Christmas. So yeah, I like that.
Speaker 2:I am really interested to see how it plays out in these other movies, like you said, because Chronicles of Narnia is. When you say Chronicles of Narnia, I feel like most people picture this book, this movie, not all the others that follow do. I believe two more they did prince caspian and the voyage of the dawn treader. I was talking to my wife about it because she's a big fan of the chronicles in arnia and she said that this movie, yes, is pretty good adaptation of the books, but the other two kind of veer off completely, like it's doesn't make any sense. Why? Why they changed what they do but, as mentioned previously before, they are rebooting the chronicles of narnia and I believe they're starting with the first book. They're not doing the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, they're going to start with the magician's nephew, but it's this is the one that's rumored to have meryl streep as aslan and it's being directed by Greta Gerwig.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I'm very curious about this.
Speaker 2:You know what?
Speaker 3:else.
Speaker 1:I saw.
Speaker 3:Nathan. I saw that already officially come out in cast the Witch. She was like one of the main characters. She was Maeve in the TV show Sex Ed and she's pretty young, like she plays a teenager. This only came out like a few years ago.
Speaker 2:So I'm curious to see what she would be like as the witch. But I mean, it's coming out, nathan, it's like apparently they're starting filming in like a month. Yeah, I don't know, I don't know. I mean, again, if it's the magician's nephew, I don't, I really don't know how to judge it. I'm kind of glad that they're starting with the first book and then I guess they're just going to see how the reception is of it. If they, if they do what they're say they're doing, though they're. I just you can't make Aslan a female line. You just can't. You can't do it.
Speaker 3:Well, even even if they did, it is kind of interesting. You're like CS Lewis had specific reasons for writing this and beliefs, and I don't know that those align with Greta Gerwig from what I know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm just worried that they're going to take all of the Christian messaging out of it, and but then you're like what's the point? What's the point If you take it out of there? What's the point of doing it at all? But that's just my opinion, but that's all I'm going to talk about that. I will say there is another minor dislike and then we can go ahead and rate.
Speaker 2:This thing is when Edmund gets forgiven by Aslan and he gets taken back to his siblings In the book. Edmund gets forgiven by Aslan and he gets taken back to his siblings in the book, Uh, edmund's apologizes and they're all like just automatically forgiving of him. And it's because in the book they do a really good job at describing that when they, when they hear the name Aslan for the first time they've never heard this name before, they don't know who Aslan is. But it's like when they say, when you hear the namelan for the first time, they've never heard this name before, they don't know who Aslan is. But it's like when they say, when you hear the name Jesus for the first time, just something within you like gives you a piece uh describes like Peter automatically feels brave, susan automatically has this confidence, and same thing with Lucy and Edmund is the one. When he hears the name of Aslan, he gets afraid and he's the one who questions everything and that's why Edmund leaves. And so in the movie when Aslan says, you know, there's no need to talk about his past anymore, and Edmund apologizes in the book even Peter forgives him automatically. And what I didn't like is that Peter still seemed kind of like a jerk to Edmund, and Lucy forgave him really quickly, susan forgave him really quickly and Peter was like, yeah, okay, just don't run off again. That's like a minor dislike, but other than that, I thought this movie was great.
Speaker 2:I thought it was a great adaptation to the book. I think it was fantastic. The acting was great. Liam Neeson is Aslan. To me he is Aslan. So that's another reason why I'm like Feral Streep, what you go from Liam Neeson to Feral Streep. But that's my thoughts on Chronicles of Narnia the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Katie. Do you have any final thoughts before we rate this thing?
Speaker 3:thing. No, I'm ready to rate it and I do think you need to keep in mind the phrase, the favorite quotes, as we rate this on Christmas, it was always winter, but never Christmas. So does that transcend? Because you know, father Christmas does show up and there's snow, but there's not. Maybe what we would stereotypically think of Christmas, or do we argue, the real, true meaning of Christmas was present. So I'm kind of on the fence. I need to be convinced. I'm like at a solid three right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm feeling that too, Because it does I mean I can't say it makes me feel like Christmas when I watch it.
Speaker 3:I would watch this anytime. It's not like I would be like oh, it's Christmas time, I want to watch Chronicles of Narnia.
Speaker 2:Well, and I know they show this around Christmas time now because it has that Father Christmas moment in it. But yeah, it doesn't scream oh, christmas movie, I gotta watch it. So, yeah, I'm gonna give it a three, and that's being kind because, again, it's really not a christmas movie. But I'm giving it a three just because it's just such a good movie and that's why, for a general rating, I'm giving it a five out of five. I think it's a great adaptation. The voice acting is amazing. You care about the characters automatically, you, you. It doesn't matter how many times you watch it, you just get sucked into it and it's just a great movie.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm with you. Five out of five.
Speaker 2:So that is our thoughts on the chronic. What rules in Arnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This cinema Saturday, my wife and I are going to be talking about the final Mission Impossible, the final reckoning. Was it a good movie or was it just another cash grab to watch what Tom Cruise will do next Flying, falling out of airplane? And then our next couch critic episode is taking on a movie I have never seen in my entire life. I've never heard of it. Apparently it's a Netflix movie and it's called Holiday in the Wild. Never heard of it. So I'm excited about watching a movie I've never seen before. So that is our thoughts on that, and this is the Couch Critic, where every movie gets its close up it's not just a movie, it's a way of life.
Speaker 1:We'll watch it together, day or night, so settle in close and don't miss a flick. This is the moment for the couch critic.
