Greta Gerwig's adaptation of C.S. Lewis's Narnia chronicles has left fans flummoxed with the first trailer panned as 'a bizarre, disastrous fever dream'.
The Barbie film-maker has written and directed the first screen adaptation of Lewis's first chronological book in the series, considered to be an origin story for Narnia.
Gerwig and Netflix will release the film in cinemas in February 2027, and kicked off their promotional campaign with a trailer screening for selected press and influencers in a New York Imax theatre on Tuesday.
The film-maker said she was brought to tears when she saw her trailer on the big screen and as the teaser dropped on YouTube, there were plenty more visceral reactions from fans.
After an opening shot of the famous wardrobe, Daniel Craig's uncle Andrew is seen teaching David McKenna's Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, played by Beatrice Campbell, that magic is real and the children are soon transported, via a magic ring, to a surreal new realm.
The montage of glittering lands, flying horses and brief glimpses of Emma Mackey's The White Witch and Aslan the lion, voiced by Meryl Streep, singing Narnia into existence, is all set to the soundtrack of Led Zeppelin's famously difficult-to-license Stairway to Heaven.
Greta Gerwig's adaptation of C.S. Lewis's Narnia chronicles has left fans flummoxed with the first trailer panned as 'a bizarre, disastrous fever dream'
The Barbie film-maker has written and directed the first screen adaptation of Lewis's first chronological book in the series, considered to be an origin story for Narnia
Gerwig explained at the trailer live event that Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were so moved when she showed them the film, that they agreed to allow her to use their seminal song.
The song choice combined with the CGI-heavy visuals have irked many fans though.
'God this looks awful. Just spectacle slop, no sense of intrigue, no 'less is more', no subtlety, just bombast and colour', one viewer commented on YouTube.
'What a waste of potential. The Narnia stories, and even the earlier movies, had a real down-to-earth feel, which the stories do too. That's their strength.'
'Who'd have ever guessed that giving a legendary, beloved book series like The Chronicles of Narnia to modern Hollywood would result in a bizarre, disastrous fever dream interpretation with some of the worst looking CGI backgrounds ever put on film?' agreed another.
Another simply declared it was 'CGI SLOP' whilst one X user posted that 'C.S. Lewis would be heartbroken.'
'This is a prime example of how something can lose its soul to CGI overuse …The visuals of Netflix's butchering of Narnia literally looks like it was made with AI,' said another.
Others likened it to a Marvel movie, with one fan begging Gerwig and Netflix: 'Please don't Marvel my Narnia', whilst others posted alternate taglines including 'Aslan the Great Lion will return in Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Narnians of the Galaxy'.
After an opening shot of the famous wardrobe, Daniel Craig's uncle Andrew is seen teaching David McKenna's Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer (Beatrice Campbell) that magic is real
The children are soon transported, via a magic ring, to a surreal new realm
The montage of glittering lands and flying horses is all set to the soundtrack of Led Zeppelin's famously difficult-to-license Stairway to Heaven
The song choice combined with the CGI-heavy visuals have irked many fans though. 'God this looks awful. Just spectacle slop, no sense of intrigue' commented one
Some fans commented on character deviations, specifically regarding the depictions of the children and Gerwig's decision to use a female actress to voice Aslan.
'I am extremely unimpressed. This is not Narnia. This is Thor: Love and Thunder and Barbie had a baby. They make the boy a coward, they make the girl the adventurer, and Aslan is supposed to be the pinnacle of masculinity,' read one YouTube comment.
'C.S. Lewis rolling in his grave. All the core messages he had in this series will be completely ignored and replaced with someone else's interpretation. No thanks,' agreed one more.
Others though were left suitably intrigued by the first trailer, asking other critics to reserve judgment until the film's release.
'The trailer is, hands down, the best trailer I've seen in years. They're definitely leaning into the pagan side of Narnia,' pointed out one.
'Magician's Nephew, my favorite book in the series, is so surreal that i thought it would be impossible to adapt to film. but holy christ these visuals are stunning and suitably surreal,' agreed another fan.
One said it 'looks to be a very faithful adaptation with a sort of rock opera twist'.
'I read all Narnia books at 15, and I still recall how abstract and mind blowing the Magician's Nephew was, they've totally nailed the visualization of Narnia being born, can't wait to watch this!! '
'C.S. Lewis rolling in his grave. All the core messages he had in this series will be completely ignored and replaced with someone else's interpretation. No thanks,' agreed one more
'Greta Gerwig going full 'Jim Henson's Dark Crystal/Labyrinth + Chris Columbus' Harry Potter + Led Zeppelin + blockbuster budget' was not on my bingo card, but it looks fantastic', said one more.
Gerwig explained that she first read The Magician's Nephew as a child 'fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life'.
Speaking on Tuesday, the film-maker said she was far from daunted by the scale of the adaptation, explaining that she only knows how to make movies for theaters.
She recalled telling Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos that she begins her creative process by imagining watching the film in the cinema.
'Make the movie for the biggest screen you can imagine,' Sarandos told the director.
Before the trailer was released on Tuesday, the film was already attracting controversy thanks to Meryl Streep's casting as Aslan, with critics slamming the 'woke' gender swap.
Some fans commented on character deviations, specifically regarding the depictions of the children and Gerwig's decision to use a female actress to voice Aslan, who is glimpsed briefly in the trailer
'I am extremely unimpressed. This is not Narnia. This is Thor: Love and Thunder and Barbie had a baby. They make the boy a coward, they make the girl the adventurer' said one viewer
Liam Neeson originally voiced the lion in the trilogy of movies released from 2005-2010, which raked in around $1.5billion globally.
A number of social media users took to X to voice their ire over Streep's casting as the almighty male lion.
One wrote, 'Stripping the Christian themes out of Narnia leaves you with something that is a complete different story.'
Someone else penned, 'Aslan is based on the story of Jesus. Jesus is male, and Aslan is obviously a male lion. What's this about?'
Another wrote, 'Dear Meryl Streep. I have watched your films and loved your talent for 40 years. Please do not do this. They are using you and your good name to blaspheme Christians.'
'Is this what you want to be remembered for? Stop now. Signed a life long fan,' the commentator added.
Gerwig recently opened up about the casting of Streep in the upcoming Narnia film during an interview with Empire.
'I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,' the film-maker told the outlet. 'Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight'.
Gerwig continued: 'I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child.
'And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not a long one.'
She additionally explained that David Bowie had been one of the inspirations behind her version of Aslan and the film itself.
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew will be released in cinemas in February 2027.