The Villains of Walden Narnia

[Anhun]

Now, on another thread, some of us are discussing the possibility of the Green Mist's return. I mentioned that the White Witch is popular and the green mist is not, but, then again, do I really know that? So I'm setting up a pole to gauge fans' responses to the three Walden-Narnia villains.

This is not a vote for your favorite villian, rather you are saying how you responded to each villain individually. You pick one option for each villain:

1. It was an absolutely mesmerizing performance/visualization. You loved him/her/it!

2. They did a perfectly fine job. They served the plot and drama of the movie well, but you would not go out of your way to see that performance.

3. You didn't like it at all, you wished that they were played by a different person, had their role trimmed down, and/or were removed from the story altogether.

[fantasia]

I loved Tilda in LWW as the White Witch. She made the character come to life for me.

I liked Miraz just fine in PC. I thought he did a great job and the only reason I didn't like him better is that, like the book, he's not that memorable of a bad guy.

And I voted 'Not a GM fan,' which is an understatement.

[Shy Galadriel]

I voted the same as fantasia_kitty; Tilda was awesome in almost every aspect. She was definitely not what we expected, but she surprised us all in a good way. I am a fan!

Miraz was pretty good, in fact he was really good at parts. But I will say that I think some of his lines were kind of awkward. Every time he said, "General." I was like, "um... ok... I am supposed to be scared? Intimidated? Is this ominous or funny?" So while I didn't not like him... I didn't love him either.

Green Mist. nuff said. No yelling here.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

I'm not a WW fan, although I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't like her at all, etc. I'm kind of in between "perfectly fine" and "not a fan." Hmm, now I'm not sure if should have voted "perfectly fine" instead of "not a fan." I prefer the one in the BBC's. Tilda's makeup wasn't white enough for me. I also didn't like that the WW didn't run from Aslan when he roared. Not that this should influence me but I didn't like her dresses. The scene when she first meets Ed was pretty well done.

Miraz was perfectly fine. At times he really captured Miraz. Out of the three villains I think Miraz was the best.

GM -

[Anhun]

I gave WW a 1, because I thought she had amazing presence. She was unique among villains.

I gave Miraz a 2, for more or less the same reason as fantasia kitty. I felt that Sergio Castellito's performance was pitch perfect. At the same time, the character of Miraz is pretty unremarkable in the rank and file of fantasy villains. That's just how he was written.

I gave the GM a 2, because, while I didn't particularly like it, I could tolerate it, and it did provide a stronger central plot. I personally feel that VDT was never meant to be a feature film. If I was forced to take charge of a big screen production of VDT I would be hard pressed to pick between concocting a stronger central plot, cutting out some of the islands, and turning it into two movies.

[Shastafan]

At one point, I would totally say the WW was a highlight in LWW, but after seeing her squeezed into every single movie, I'm getting extremely sick of her. In LWW, Tilda did a divine job as the WW, and she easily fit the part. In PC, I wasn't overly pleased to see her there, but I thought it worked well enough, and I could deal with it ok. As for VDT, that was the last straw with how many times you could use her. It felt so pathetic and annoying, and I wanted her to get out of there, along with every other horrible plot change. In the end, I think she did fine, but if we see her in any other book adaption besides MN, I'll really go mad.

I liked Miraz quite a bit. Sergio did a swell job, and even though in the book, Miraz was less a villian, I was fine with most of what they did with him here.

The GM can only be described with one word: UGH. VDT doesn't have a main villian, and they had to thrown in something that doesn't belong there and is very underdeveloped. How on earth is it a villian, anyway? Now, along with VDT losing a lot because of the GM, SC could have later problems with what they did. The faster the GM is forgotten and never used again, the better.

[220chrisTian]

I selected 1, 1, 3.

Like most of you, I loved Tilda as the White Witch in LWW. I thought she did an excellent job, far superior to the actress in the BBC film. I also thought Tilda's cameo in PC was brilliant, unlike her cameo in VDT.

Sergio was a great Miraz in PC. I really enjoyed him.

The Green Mist was just stupid! You know what's odd? I thought about that mist this morning. And it occurred to me after watching a Disney-fied spoof of the VDT trailer on YouTube a few weeks ago that green mist is a common element in Disney animated films (for children) to show evil - not necessarily temptation. I think the stupid Green Mist is just a hangover from Disney's days on the VDT project. I could be wrong, of course. But an animated symbol of evil doesn't belong in a fantasy movie with real-life actors!

[Anhun]

No, christian, when it was a Disney project the people were going to be sacrificed to a green snakehead portal, not a mist.

I have to say some of the results of this poll so far have been surprising. The modes are exactly what I predicted, but it seams that almost no one can even tolerate the green mist, whereas no one dislikes Miraz at all. I also thought more people would give the WW a 1.

[fantasia]

I also thought more people would give the WW a 1.

I have to wonder if more people would have rated her a 1 had she not been crammed into PC and VDT as well. I think some people just got tired of seeing her and it tarnished the outstanding job she did in LWW.

[Liberty Hoffman]

The White Witch was one of the highlights of LWW! <3
Tilda was great. she rocked her part and acted so convincingly evil!

Miraz was one of the highlights of PC. Loved him!
Sergio Castellito was amazing. he was Miraz, IMO he did an amazing job as the villain in PC!

The Green Mist was one of the highlights of VDT. Loved it!
now, I know ya'll think I'm crazy - my own family thinks I'm crazy
but I enjoyed the Green Mist's role in VotDT. it worked well, IMHO, as a villain for the plot!
I support the Green Mist!

[waggawerewolf27]

I tend to agree with both you and Shastafan. Miraz was quite good, even though he never was intended to be anything like the villain that is Jadis.

But I haven't the foggiest idea why the green mist is supposed to be a villain in its own right. You might as well say that Chilean or Icelandic volcanoes are villains, when they send gas plumes right around the world, disrupting air travel. Even Douglas Gresham said that the green mist was merely Narnia's reaction to the presence of evil, rather than a villain in its own right. Like a noxiously ferrous sulphate coloured volcanic plume, exuding from the Dark Island, poisoning and corrupting everything around it, it is summoned by the darkest recesses of human minds.

Yes, this viridian coloured pollution that is a film add-on is not mentioned in the book, which had the Dawn Treader blundering around in a nightmarish black fog. At least they had fog lamps at the ready. I am mist-ified why the reviled GM isn't seen as no more than the visual cue we had to have when there is no other real villain. Other than the human weaknesses of the characters themselves.

Perhaps more nuanced shades of green, ranging from government green, through shades if seasickness to verdigris (copper oxide) might have gotten the point across somewhat more effectively?

[Narnian Wolf]

I think Tilda was great as the White Witch! She has a real presence, and you can really feel how evil she is.

Miraz was really amazing too. I thought he was terrifying, I wouldn't want to have him as an enemy.

The green mist was so-so. I don't hate it, but I don't see why they thought they had to add it.

[DamselJillPole]

I voted that White Witch was the highlight (and still is) of LWW. I just love LWW. It'll always be my 2nd favorite film. Tilda is just awesome as the White Witch.

[Lilygloves]

The White Witch was great in LWW, wasn't a fan of her in VDT. Miraz was fantastic too. They really fleshed out his character and gave it more of a sense of villainy. I did NOT like the green mist at all. It gave the movie a humanistic view, had plot holes, and was generally cheesy. After all, it makes it seem as if the crew of the Dawn Treader are perfect since if there was no green mist, they wouldn't be tempted.

[Louloudi the Centaur]

I gave the White Witch a 2. Tilda Swinton did an excellent job portraying her in LWW, but... on account of bringing the Witch back unintentionally in PC and VDT especially irked me to boot the White Witch's character down to a 2, though not by bad means on Tilda's part of course.

Miraz gets a shining 1. Not only did Sergio Castellitto do a great job with acting, but Miraz shone out more than he did in the book as evil. I am currently re-reading PC, and I am finding trouble for a reason to fear him. The movie expanded his character to something that would cause the Narnians to be very much in fear of him. Miraz was one of the highlights of the movie.

Now, the green mist... I couldn't really vote for this one. Why? I am neutral on this added villain. While I think it could have/should have been better developed, I think that for people who are too lazy to read the books, this helped tie in VDT to SC. I really prefer the book that was special because it had no real villain.