I'm glad those reviews were counted fresh, because they were slightly on the negative side.

I don't get rotten tomatoes. Sometimes the reviews that are rotten are better then the ones that are certified as fresh. I think they just go on the final star rating and not on the actual review.

The score on RT is now at 70%... lower than LWW but still higher than PC. Critically, this movie is not faring really well as the main flux of reviews haven't come in yet.

Tarquin, you're right. RT generally judges the final star/number ratings the critics submit with the review. If it's 2/5 stars, they count it as negative, whether the review sounded positive or not.

I notice, though, that quite a few of the negative reviews I've seen are negative because Lewis' Christian themes made the reviewers uncomfortable. Sounds good to me!

Yeah the most recent bad review seems to have something against Narnia in general. One movie he gave a 4.5 out of 5 was called the antichrist. Now I havn't researched that movie, but it's possible he has an extra prejudice agains Narnia that has nothing to do with the quality of this movie. That could be the reasoning behind alot of the negative reviews.

... because Lewis' Christian themes made the reviewers uncomfortable. Sounds good to me!

I don't have a problem with that. The review is helpful as an advisory that it is safe for family viewing because said critic did not like it.

That said, reviews certainly do not decide for me whether or not I will view a movie. Critiques are very subjective. It is has its limits.

I dislike critics in general since all they do is try their hardest to find a weak spot in a movie than they exploit it, they should be saying what they enjoyed about it then the disclaimer or else even though they might have given it a positive review when you read the reviews below all you see is a bunch of negative.

I dislike critics in general since all they do is try their hardest to find a weak spot in a movie than they exploit it, they should be saying what they enjoyed about it then the disclaimer or else even though they might have given it a positive review when you read the reviews below all you see is a bunch of negative.

They're critics; it's their job. Otherwise, what good are critics if they don't criticize and point out the weaknesses in the film? We all do our part. Critics criticize, Fans swoon and gush. I personally find that a great balance.

Yeah the most recent bad review seems to have something against Narnia in general. One movie he gave a 4.5 out of 5 was called the antichrist. Now I havn't researched that movie, but it's possible he has an extra prejudice agains Narnia that has nothing to do with the quality of this movie. That could be the reasoning behind alot of the negative reviews.

So, the critic likes a horror film (The Antichrist) and it makes him prejudiced against Narnia's Christian themes? I doubt it. Best leave speculation out of it rather than jumping into far-fetched theories about his attitude toward Narnia or the Christian themes. Also, while I'm pleased with the Christian themes in the film, I can see where the critics are coming from. Most of the complaints is not against the themes itself but the over-handiness of the message. No one likes to bash over their head with any particular message (Avatar etc) especially if it's not something the viewers are in agreement with. Instead, the mark of a good film is the way it can subtly send a message without constantly shoving the message into people's faces. THAT was the criticism that most critics are leveling against VODT, not some secret anti-Lewis tirade.

Some of the most fun on Rotten Tomatoes right now are the people in the comments getting after the negative reviewers for being so negative.

Instead, the mark of a good film is the way it can subtly send a message without constantly shoving the message into people's faces. THAT was the criticism that most critics are leveling against VODT, not some secret anti-Lewis tirade.

it was an adaptation of a work by CS Lewis. There was nothing subtle about the source material or CS Lewis. To complain about overt Christian messages in something from CS Lewis is like someone complaining that a film based on the works of Wagner was too German.

It is not the job of a critic to love a film, but to criticize something which should be a known given does smack a little bit of bias.

it was an adaptation of a work by CS Lewis. There was nothing subtle about the source material or CS Lewis. To complain about overt Christian messages in something from CS Lewis is like someone complaining that a film based on the works of Wagner was too German.

It is not the job of a critic to love a film, but to criticize something which should be a known given does smack a little bit of bias.

One of the greatest success of the Chronicles of Narnia was its ability to entertain and enthrall everyone. The young and old, the boy or girl, the religious and non-religious. Sure, there were strong Christian parallels that can be found in the series, but overall, Lewis was subtle in weaving the themes and story together so that anyone can enjoy the series without fearing the message being slapped over their head. Subtlety grabs the audience's attention, while overtness just alienates them. The film must show the same delicate care of interweaving the Christian themes and story together without blatantly throwing out the messages it wants to present.

that's so awesome!!!!!

Sure, there were strong Christian parallels that can be found in the series, but overall, Lewis was subtle in weaving the themes and story together so that anyone can enjoy the series without fearing the message being slapped over their head. Subtlety grabs the audience's attention, while overtness just alienates them. The film must show the same delicate care of interweaving the Christian themes and story together without blatantly throwing out the messages it wants to present.

Agree to disagree. The Christian parallels in the books were not subtle, nor was the dialogue. That is why so many books have been written, dedicated to the discussion of the theology of the Narnia series. Most of stuff that hits you over the head in the movie is stuff lifted straight out of the books. There is more of it in VDT, than PC. But my guess is that this is because of the criticism they received for stripping PC of a good deal of the Christian perspective.

aragorn2 wrote:I dislike critics in general since all they do is try their hardest to find a weak spot in a movie than they exploit it, they should be saying what they enjoyed about it then the disclaimer or else even though they might have given it a positive review when you read the reviews below all you see is a bunch of negative

Savber100 wrote:
They're critics; it's their job. Otherwise, what good are critics if they don't criticize and point out the weaknesses in the film? We all do our part. Critics criticize, Fans swoon and gush. I personally find that a great balance.

I dislike gushing, swooning fans as much as I do overly critical people, to opposite sides that are both the wrong way of looking at things do not make right. You should not just focus on the problems and rant a rave about them, while totally ignoring the awesome parts and you shouldn't totally ignore all the bad parts and only focus on the good ones. The individual should be balanced.