Lovely!

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2006)

I fell in love with this adaptation of the book and was so relieved that the hype over it wasn't in vain. From start to finish it was captivating, with the characters, the musical themes, and the special effects pulling people into a world that literally and figuratively left stars in my eyes. The film carried on the major themes that made the book so popular--family and fraternity, the power of belief, betrayal and then forgiveness, sacrifice, and ultimately, the triumph over evil. If anything was left out or improvised, it was enhancing and not damaging--like the broadened role of the fox in the film. The Talking Beasts were endearing (my six-year-old-niece actually asked, "Do all foxes have that voice? Can we go see the one in the zoo?") and I appreciate the voice actors as much as the actual ones. There were a few details that I did take note of that made me wonder (it's funny--it's mostly about hair color! :D Like, isn't Edmund supposed to be the fair-haired one? And the White Witch supposedly has dark hair, or did I look at the wrong illustration?), though at the end of the film the changes hardly mattered.
I recommend this film to any and everybody. If you haven't read the book this is the best screen adaptation yet, and if you have then this film won't disappoint you.