The haters are wrong about Greta Gerwig’s Narnia – it’s going to rock

Opinion: When I saw director Greta Gerwig would follow up her hit Barbie movie with a Netflix adaptation of CS Lewis’s iconic Narnia books, I admit it came as a surprise.

Barbie had been a very funny, surprisingly moving look at modern womanhood, girlhood, class, and misogyny, as well as being a pretty good stab at satirising the corporate greed the film could have easily been an example of. And, of course it was a box office smash.

But could Gerwig’s sensibilities mesh with the more conservative, overtly sincere world of Lewis’s making?

My interest was further piqued when it emerged that the Oscar nominee was not starting with the much more famous, previously-adapted The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but the chronological first book (though the sixth published) in the series – The Magician’s Nephew.

The book (no serious spoilers ahead) follows two children, Digory and Polly, living in London in 1900, who are sent on a world-hopping adventure instigated by Digory’s devious uncle Andrew, the “magician” of the title, played in the film by Daniel Craig.

Gerwig’s film has shifted the time period from the late Victorian era to post-WWII London, one of a number of creative decisions that have upset self-proclaimed Lewis die-hards online. I, wisely, decided to reserve judgement until the movie hit theatres.

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Then the trailer dropped yesterday, and I decided the haters were wrong about everything and I am making a risky declaration: this movie is going to rock. Here’s why.

Of the complaints I’ve seen online, the most common one has been anger over the casting of Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan, the magical lion who serves as a God-analogue for the series.

The character is portrayed as consistently male, and Gerwig’s trailer gives us a thrilling glimpse of Aslan, masculine mane and all.

Some fans believe casting a woman as Aslan is a betrayal of Lewis’s Christian values, which are woven into his books. I don’t want to write this off entirely as sexism disguised as defence of the canon, but it’s difficult.

All I can say is, if you aren’t at least interested in what an actress of Streep’s calibre will do in the role, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Second, Gerwig’s declaration that the film will tonally serve as a “rock opera” also jarred with some, and the trailer – filled with psychedelic visuals and much CGI – did little to dispel that.

This is a more good-faith argument to my mind than gripes about a woman voicing God, and it’s fair enough to ask if the tone is a match for Lewis’s books, which include their share of whimsy but don’t depict Narnia as a mind-bending trip.

To this I have two words to say: Led Zeppelin.

The Magician’s Nephew marks the first time ever – EVER – that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have allowed their iconic song Stairway To Heaven to be used onscreen.

If Led Zeppelin trust what Gerwig’s doing, who am I to say otherwise? And Gerwig dropped that bomb in the first trailer! Are you not even curious about what else is coming down the pipe?

I am happy to predict that the visuals will be inventive and daring enough to allow this adaptation to stand on its own, and will serve Lewis’s story.

From Little Women to Barbie, Gerwig has shown she knows how to handle quiet moments and outlandish spectacle with equal aplomb.

Okay, I have my own small doubts.

The trailer just barely hints at Polly being the bolder, wiser, more adventurous of the two children, as she is in the book, but hopefully we can trust Gerwig of all people not to neglect her female co-lead.

Then there’s the matter of all that CGI – are we too burned out on Marvel-style spectacle? But the shots of a bombed-out, postwar London, and a quiet moment with Digory’s ailing mother (played by Carey Mulligan) suggest the film stands on solid ground.

For that matter, the trailer barely gives us a glimpse into the character of Uncle Andrew, who it’s fair to say is one of the book’s most interesting figures. It remains to be seen how he’ll be rendered onscreen, but hopefully he’ll be a fine addition to Craig’s growing post-Bond collection of onscreen eccentrics.

So yes, there are questions that won’t be answered until the movie arrives in full in February next year.

But that glimpse of Aslan, all stardust and shadow until he bursts into a blazing lion as the music cascades and the light pours off him – look me in the eyes and tell me that wasn’t a thrill.

The villainous Jadis (Emma Mackey), towering at her book-accurate superhuman height as she wreaks merry havoc in London.

Digory and Polly, quietly holding hands as they take in the green, silent majesty of the Wood Between The Worlds…

I’ll be there when it hits big screens. And if it stinks (it won’t), I’ll go hide in a cupboard somewhere. Hopefully, one that leads somewhere magical.