Gerwig’s Narnia trailer divides viewers over its psychedelic visuals and CGI
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The trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Netflix adaptation of *The Magician’s Nephew* has sparked sharply divided reactions online, with viewers debating whether its striking style suits the Narnia story. The response matters because the film was already drawing criticism from some conservative commentators over Gerwig’s involvement and Meryl Streep’s casting as Aslan.
Many viewers compared the psychedelic, rock-inspired visuals to Marvel films and criticised the CGI, while others praised the trailer’s spectacle and said scenes and dialogue appeared faithful to the book. The film adapts the chronologically first novel in C.S. Lewis’ seven-book series, uses Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”, and is due in cinemas and IMAX on 12 February 2027.
- Gerwig’s Narnia trailer has divided viewers.
- Critics object to its CGI-heavy, Marvel-like visuals.
- The film is due in cinemas and IMAX in February 2027.
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C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy books set partly in a magical land reached from our world. The Magician’s Nephew tells how Narnia begins; although it was published later in the series, it is first in the story’s chronological order.
The books combine adventure and talking animals with Christian themes, including sacrifice and renewal, which readers and critics have interpreted in different ways. Greta Gerwig, known for directing films including Barbie, is adapting the story for Netflix, with a cast that includes Emma Mackey, Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan, the lion who is central to Narnia.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A bold, effects-rich style could make Narnia’s strange worlds vivid for a new audience and suit the story’s cosmic scale. The trailer’s apparent fidelity to the book may reassure fans that spectacle is serving Lewis’ imaginative vision rather than replacing it.
The case against
The heavy use of CGI and a style some viewers compare to superhero films may make the adaptation feel generic or overwhelm the story’s distinctive atmosphere. For fans who value the book’s quieter wonder and spiritual themes, those choices risk weakening the emotional character they cherish.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Narnia Fans Freak Out Over Greta Gerwig’s ‘Magicians Nephew’ Trailer: “Lost Its Soul to CGI””.