We’re getting close to being just a year out from the release of Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew. How would you describe your expectations at this point?
"Tollers, there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves." - C.S. Lewis
I voted 3, because there's a few unknowns for me, that have brought it down from high expectations, but as I don't have full context I'm not quite prepared to say I've got low expectations either. My expectations could be swayed either way over the next year and probably even after I see the movie. These emojis I think reflect me at different times at the moment when I think of the possibilities and what we currently know (or at least possibly know) about the movie in the works:
*~JESUS is my REASON!~*
I've been waiting for this book to be adapted for the screen since I first read it at age 10, and I'm just so excited it's finally happening. So my expectations are high, despite all the mixed news we've heard from the set.
I've voted a 3 as well, for much the same reasons as Pete. Much of what we know for sure so far makes me think "hmmm...", particularly the 1950s setting — but there's so little that we do know for sure, and until we've seen what the actual film is like, we can only guess and speculate, quite possibly wrongly.
For me the ultimate make-or-break aspect of any Narnia adaptation is how they portray Aslan, and we still know nothing about that — except, of course, for the Meryl Streep rumour. Which is still only a rumour, more than 7 months after it broke, with no further information surfacing and absolutely nothing from any official source. Except that poster on one of the sets showing a magnificent maned lion, which has got my hopes up again, sort of.
But we still don't know, either way, and we don't know for certain what's going to be done with any other aspects of the story either. If it's "different" from the book (which it obviously will be) but still somehow manages to capture the spirit of the original story, there's a good chance I'll enjoy it. But it could turn out to be an utter travesty — or it could be somewhere in between good and bad. We just don't know enough yet to even start to pass a fair judgment.
So that's where I am — sort of half hoping and half fearing, half encouraged and half discouraged, but definitely curious to find out what actually IS being done before I decide whether or not I like it. That's why it's a 3 for me.
"Now you are a lioness," said Aslan. "And now all Narnia will be renewed."
(Prince Caspian)
Same reasons as Pete and Courtenay really: I felt that a three was a fair stance to have for now. I just couldn't fairly say more or less at this point. Some things we've seen and heard have been promising, and some things I'm unsure of, and some things are all up in the air *coughMerylvoicingAslan?cough*. 🙂
I voted 1. I cannot think of one piece of good news we’ve received. I’m open to changing my mind.
Your podcasting prince,
Rilian
http://twitter.com/prince_rilian
I voted 3 for much the same reason as many of you. I know so little about the movie that it could be utter rubbish or really good.
Though in many ways I’m already looking forward to the next iteration after Netflix - so maybe I should have voted it lower.
The term is over: the holidays have begun.
The dream is ended: this is the morning
I voted 3 out of pure caution, to tell the truth. Yes, it looks like there will be changes, and one, about the time frame, I can see a valid reason for Magician's Nephew to be done that way. I fear in this day & age, more than a century later, that some may well see the London of 1900 as part of an empire, that they see in 20-20 hindsight through gloomy dark glasses as being every bit as tyrannical as Jadis' Charn, & I wonder if that particular thought also occurred to Greta Gerwig, herself.
But I am also willing to give the movie a higher rating when it might be better than people realise. And here I am, balanced between high hopes & fears that the movie might turn turtle before I can even get a chance to see it.
I am most times between a one and a two, this time I voted for two. I think there will be cool scenes in this movie and I am happy about the rows of houses we seem to be getting which in turn makes me believe that they will be doing the going to Uncle Andrew's room properly, but I still worry about the use of a wand for Jadis and how the movie will overall feel or look, I am worried it will not feel or look like Narnia but, instead like a generic fantasy movie.
I voted 2.
I've got mixed feelings about Gerwig as a filmmaker, and i haven't been impressed by what i've been hearing, but my hopes were never that high to begin with. Even when adaptations technically hew close to the source material, they don't always capture the underlying heart or meaning or 'vibe', for lack of a better word, of the original (that's how i feel about the Walden films). I could have voted 1, but i guess i'm leaving room for things to get worse, if certain rumors are proven true, or if some other bad outcome comes to pass.
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. - Rabbi Tarfon
I've voted 3, mainly because I'm a bit mixed about it, particularly the time change from 1900 to 1955. When it it was first announced that MN was going to be the new Narnia film, I was actually pretty excited to see the Victorian setting in our world. Then when the news came our with the 1950's setting, I was like, "Okay." I'm not sure I'm real crazy about it. I'm just waiting to see how it turns out.
But even with the time change, the film itself could still turn out better than expected. So I'm trying to stay positive.
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)

I've voted 2, because I'm missing hearing and reading the sort of preview news we heard from Walden. I've got very little to be hopeful with.
There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."
"Tollers, there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves." - C.S. Lewis
To be perfectly honest, as much as I am a Narnia fan, I'm also a huge cinema fan in general, therefore with the talent on screen and behind the camera, I doubt this project is ever really going to drop lower than a four for me.
Maybe I'll see the the finished product and then absolutely hate it (I was severely disappointed by Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein in that regard) but I think as a film fan, theres more than enough talent on the page to keep me keen untill then.

