Marshall and the Movies

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I feel like a real critic.

Thanks to my incredibly well-connected Young Life leader, I was able to see “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” nearly a month before it hits theaters.  I was in one of the first audiences in the ENTIRE COUNTRY to see this movie, something that fills my inner blogger up with so much pride I could pop like a balloon.

But because I have seen it so early, I received something that real critics have to deal with all the time: embargoes.  For those who don’t read enough movie speculation to know what this term means, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  Until a certain date, I am not allowed to publish a review of the movie!  I am now waiting on the major trades to weigh in, and as soon as I see the first review pop up on Rotten Tomatoes, you’ll see it here!

I am, however, allowed to share with you some initial thoughts and reactions.  So I’ll do that on this post as I gloat in my embargoedness, a noun which I am totally making up.  “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is definitely a step in the right direction for the “Narnia” series, much more like “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” than “Prince Caspian.”  Changing distributors really made a big difference as Disney turned the series more commercial, while Fox has allowed Walden Media to make the series more spiritual.  The movie leaves you with a whole lot of questions, ones that it challenges you to answer on your own.

The real question is: will you answer them?