MovieChat Forums > Enchanted (2007) Discussion > Narissa..

Narissa..

posted 13 years ago by justinohearn
7 replies | jump to latest

Was anyone else disappointed in this character? I love Disney villains, primarily villainesses and I was so excited for this character because she was going to be a mixture of Maleficent and the Evil Queen, my two favorite baddies. And I just didn't love her as much as I expected. I thought Susan Sarandon looked the part but the character was kind of underwhelming. She didn't seem evil enough to me, too campy. Maleficent and the Evil Queen are two cold hearted, evil to the core witches and Narissa didn't fit that at all.

I liked the hag she was creepy and Sarandon nailed that bit but as the Queen and the dragon it was just meh. The dragon scene in particular could have been so much better! Why did the dragon look so cute and cuddly? Why not a fire breathing dragon? If she had to talk why not make her voice booming and demonic a la Ursula at the end of the Little Mermaid? And I like Sarandon but I feel she was miscast. I would have preferred Anjelica Huston in the role she just oozes classic Disney villainess.

All in all I loved the movie and it's one of my favorites but it's one of the rare movies where I like the good guys over the baddies.

"Notice how I ride side saddle, it proves I'm a lady of quality." Witch Hazel

[–] virgiltx 13 years ago

I liked Susan Sarandon as the Queen but I think the cartoon version of the Queen was too cartoony.

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[–] hamben13 13 years ago

Yeah I kinda agree. Susan Sarandon could have been more evil. She was okay as the Evil Queen, but I wasn't really satisfied with the dragon part. Maybe they undertoned the appearance of the dragon because it is a movie for kids, but it looked strange and I didn't think the CGI was to the level it could have been. I also didn't really like the lines Narissa said as the dragon - they were a bit cliche or something, I don't know.
Anjelica Huston would have been a good choice.

[–] johnnyb94109 13 years ago

I rejoiced when I saw Sarandon in promo photos, with the Maleficent-inspired makeup, and updated Evil Queen costume with the reptilian bodice, filmy flowing cape and tall, chunky-heeled boots.

She arrived in NYC in properly dramatic fashion, throwing around those wicked lightening bolts, but quickly became simply annoying. Rather than being evil to the core--as we all wish our villainesses to be--she was somewhat comical and non-threatening, and utterly ridiculous as the dragon.

I feel the writers wanted the romance between the lead characters to be the focus, and didn't wish for a strong Evil Queen to be a distraction.

[–] JustEs 13 years ago

I agree totally, and in that case, I think the writers and producers made a mistake. Truly, once you had that beautiful dance, the ending was BLAH, and it was blah because the villainess was campy rather than evil and scary. She looked more like Barney than a scary dragon.

Oh, Anjelica Huston would've been fantastic!

Although I felt Susan Sarandon would've done fine with a better script. The script is what didn't make the Queen evil or scary.

You're entitled to your opinion as long as I'm entitled to mine. And this is mine!

[–] velcronewsletter 12 years ago

i liked her in the role but i agree, anjelica huston would have been ideal

[–] fatshieronymous 10 years ago

I know I'm extremely late coming to the party on this but here are my 2 cents: I found Queen Narissa to be both- oddly- underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. I like Susan Sarandon quite a lot but, to me, she just felt miscast as Queen Narissa. As an actress, Susan has taken on some noble film roles and given many great performances throughout her varied career but she's just not the sort of actress that lends herself well to larger-than-life characters like Narissa. The makeup and costume didn't suit her at all- in fact, I felt that they wore her more than she wore them. Also, her performance style and voice just don't have that iconic Disney villain quality (to me, anyway).

I wanted to like Susan in the role when I saw Enchanted back when it was first released but upon rewatching it recently I have to admit I just don't...

[–] johnnyb94109 10 years ago

Well said. Still a wonderful character, but Susan didn't have the voice or presence to pull it off as memorably as it could have been.

Miranda Richardson would have been ideal....