I'm a fan of the movies because it was LWW in 2005 that introduced me the this wonderful world Lewis created.

I didn't grow up on the books, and as far as I can remember I had never even heard of the books. I have since read all the books and love them.

My experience with CoN is similar to narnian1. Although I had heard of the books, I never read them until movie LWW came out. Then I read ALL of them and I thought they were GREAT!! I am a big fan of both movies and I enjoy them as separate entities from the books. So far, I have not found the movie adaptations disappointing even when they stray from the original text. I believe both movies are entertaining enough to stand on their own even for those who have never read the books.

I am generally a huge fan of fantasy movies. I have to admit I haven't seen LWW in theaters but when I saw the Prince Caspian trailer I immediately thought wow you gonna have to watch this on the big screen! Right after I've seen the PC trailer I bought the LWW DVD and was really angry with myself over the fact I missed it in the theater!

A short time afterwards I began to read Prince Caspian, the first Narnia book I read. And I have to admit it was not easy since this was the very first book in english I ever read! But then I began to like the story and a few weeks later even got the chance to join the Prince Caspian premiere in London! After that I began to read the other books, all in english (I'm German btw). I've never read such great books, such great stories! I immediately felt like being in this stories! And The Last Battle is the most impressive book I ever read!

So all in all I didn't know much about the world of Narnia till I saw the Prince Caspian trailer.
I guess I can answer your question this way: I would be a fan of the movie even if the books wouldn't exist. And I would be a fan of the books even if the movies wouldn't exist.

I say, yes to the first question and probably to the second question. My mom read LWW and PC to me before I could even read yet. I read the other ones to myself a few years later. I liked the bbc movies but was thrilled when they came out with the newer version of LWW.

Its hard to say for sure if I would be a fan of the movies alone. I probably would have really liked LWW but I would have thought that PC was too formulaic of a fantasy story. I would have put PC into the caliber of that Eragon movie I saw a while back.

I'm a little bit like Glumpuddle where the movies for CoN are pretty good in and of themselves but they so far have not been anywhere near LoTR standards for film adaptations of a good book. With those movies, I remember being so drawn into the stories that I was barely even thinking about comparing with the book. But when I re-watched them, I felt that they really did keep true to the spirit of the book. CoN sadly has not done that as much. But they haven't made all of the films yet. There is still a chance that the next ones might do really well.

I am certainly going to have to agree with Glumpuddle here. I honestly doubt i would ever of given the movies a second glance if it werent for the fact that i was already a massive fan of the books.

The two movies so far are ok, but in the grand scheme of cinema, i don't think there is anything exceptional about them that would of drawn me in had i just been looking at them as a general unbiased movie fan.

I am definitely a fan of the movies because I am a fan of the books. I can’t imagine my life without the Narnia Books or the BBC versions. The reason I saw the movies were because they were based on the books. I don’t see many movies in the theaters. I don’t really watch television either, so I don’t see very many trailers. (If the TV is on I usually have in a DVD of TV shows or movies.) If I had not been a fan of the books, I probably wouldn’t have seen the movies or known they existed. I might have seen them on DVD if someone I knew watched them or if they were offered for free with printer toner. (That’s why I watched Bridge to Terabithia). I think I would still be a fan of the movies because I think they are well done and LWW captured the most important part of the book for me – Aslan’s death and resurrection. If I hadn’t read the books before seeing the movie, I might have been an even bigger fan of the movies. I’m more lenient towards the BBC versions (in regards to changes from the books) because I watched them at very close to the first time I read the books. I might have felt this way if I had seen the movies and then read the books.

A short time afterwards I began to read Prince Caspian, the first Narnia book I read. And I have to admit it was not easy since this was the very first book in english I ever read! ... After that I began to read the other books, all in english (I'm German btw).

I'm glad you read the books in English. They lose a bit in the translation. I majored in German in college and bought Chronicles in German when I was on a trip to Germany. The translation I got left a couple of parts out - nothing essential to the plot but enough for me to notice.

Well, I would have to be a fan of the movies since I have never read the books.

But, I did know what Narnia was before that, my brother had the books and had even read them, and of course I had watched the BBC versions. But it is a little difficult to be a fan of a book you've never read.

As for LOTR, I did not know about the books until the movies. Right after though, I read the books and am an avid fan of both.

I don't think I would be a fan of the movies if I didn't read the books. I might possibly see the movie in theatre, but really, the only movies I've ever seen in a movie theatre are either Narnia or some free summer one. Most of the movies I see are old ones, many times black and white. There's a lot of junk turned out these days, so it's hard to sift through everything.

(and if I hadn't been a fan of the books, I never would have bought all that extra stuff, movie companions, soundtracks, etc.)

Ditto to icarus and gP.

I bought the books years ago because I'd had friends who loved the books. But they sat on the shelf for a couple of years without being read. Finally, I got a job working on a ship and decided "What better time to tackle such a large series?" So I brought them on the boat and read the first 6 books in a week. I got home and read LB and just a few short months later heard they were making a movie out of LWW.

My time on the ocean was very difficult seeing I have a large fear of natural bodies of water and the books literally saved me and kept me distracted while I was out to sea. When I was working my 12 hours shifts all I could do was daydream about what would happen next and I'd anticipate getting off and heading down to my state-room bunk to read on.

Even though I only read the books months before they announced the first film, I still hold a STRONG appreciation for the books over the movie. But being a film/theatre major in college, I of course LOVE the movies. I agree withe glumpuddle I'm a fan of the books and movies seperately.

Same as gP, I'm major fan of the books, but if I had never read them, I'm not sure I'd be such a big fan of the movies. Of course now I'm both of them, but I think there's something about C.S. Lewis' vision of Narnia we haven't seen fully translated to the big screen so far. Maybe it's the simplicity yet assertiveness of the writing, maybe it's the look of things, maybe it's the absence of the narrator, maybe it's the pace of the story...

I don't know. I love the films, but when I'm watching a Narnia movie, at some places it feels like I'm watching a 'kids' version of 'The Lord of the Rings' mixed up with 'Zorro' and 'Harry Potter' instead of an actual 'Narnia' film. Don't know if it makes any sense. Some of the scenes portrayed in the films really feel like the books they came from (Lucy and The Lampost, Pevensies and the treasure Chamber), some don't (Waterfall scene in LWW, Caspian/Susan kiss). I wonder why that is

I really hope Michael Apted is able to finally 'get' whatever it is these movies are lacking. The books are so unique, and still it feels like they're being told on screen as any other fantasy story instead of having a feel of its own.

I actually heard they were making LWW into a film. I hadn't read the Narnia series. So, I decided to read LWW for the first time, so I could see how it compared to the movie. To my surprise, I LOVED LWW and the rest of the series (I hate reading, that's why I was surprised ).
Watched the movie, loved it, it was a great experience.
I'm a fan, cause I read the books first. I really love the books.
In the words of Tony the Tiger: "Theeeeeeey're great!"

Surprisingly, with LOTR, on the other hand, I never read the books and watched the movie(s) first. I love the film(s)! So, I guess it depends on how the movie is made. If it's a well made movie, (not exactly meaning being word for word accurate), that takes me through the story with the characters, I will most likely like it. Just like LOTR, it's a very moving movie and on my hypothetical "top 10 list".

- Twinimage

I became a fan of the books after I saw LWW for the first time. I was inspired to read the books and absolutely loved them. Normally I would not find myself a fan of these types of books, but this series had a special mystical way about them and it took me to another world away from this one for a while.

The books are always better than the movie. Movies come and go, books stay with you forever and has so much more meaning.

The books are always better than the movie.

This is indeed usually true. There are depths that you can reach with a book that you can't with a movie. This is pretty much how it is with me and Narnia. I like the movies, they're not bad movies. But I'm a fan of the books. The books are very dear to me. They helped me in my Christian faith when I was younger, helping me understand certain concepts in such a simplistic manner. And usually every time I read them, I get something new.
The movies don't do all that. They're fine movies...but if I wasn't a fan of the books I wouldn't be a fan of the movies. I'd like them, I'm sure, but I wouldn't be a fan.

I LOVE THE BOOKS!! The adapted version of LWW was the first book I ever read at 5. I would not be a fan of the movies unless I had read the books.
Pogginfan, they also helped me in my faith in Christ! With LWW, I would definitely went to the theatres and bought the DVD. But with PC, I might have watched the movie in theatres, but I probably wouldn't have bought the DVD.

I like your sig pogginfan!