Breathtaking (after a weak first act)

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2005)

There is one scene in Andrew Adamson's new film THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, that for me walking into the theater that needed to be perfect. If not the whole movie and (the continued franchise of sequels) would fall flat on its face. If the film did not capture this scene I believe the heart and soul of C.S. Lewis and his magical world would have been completely destroyed.
But I digress! Walking into Narnia is an interesting experience for me. In all honesty I find C.S. Lewis to be a great writer that I can hardly read. His books are hailed left and right and I just can't read them. It's not Lewis's fault. I realize it's my own media saturated thick head that blocks me up. So a few weeks ago after a screening of a 10 minute super trailer for NARNIA I decided to dust off my old copy of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and decided to give it a chance. I read the first two books in about a week and I wondered to myself. What was my problem? What took me so long to become enchanted by this mystical world? I've come to realize I cannot appreciate the classics. I really think that's my loss and something I intend to work on in the new year.
So anyway, sitting down in the movie theater I psyched myself up I intended to be wowed. I wanted Narnia to come alive on screen like it did in my mind and I think it fell a little short of my expectations but in the end made me smile.
NARNIA tells the story of four children. When the youngest named Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds a magic wardrobe that transports her into the magical land of Narnia. Narnia is a land of talking animals, magical fauns, and the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton) whose enslaved the land causing it to be forever winter and never Christmas. Her sister Susan (Anna Popplewell), and brothers Peter (William Moseley), and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) don't believe her story. Until the day all the children enter the Land of Narnia. A land and get caught up in a war that may fulfill a prophecy that will bring peace to Narnia.
NARNIA is a fascinating example of a film that doesn't exactly add up but in the end is satisfying. The screenplay is riddled with the problems from the very beginning. It tries so hard to stick to the book that the early moments of the film feel flat. Even when the children get to Narnia you feel the same way. Narnia feels just like the British Country side the children have come from. Narnia should feel different and it doesn't. Why is their a light post growing in the middle of the forest? Why are the animals talking? Why is it always winter and yet never Christmas? These questions should inspire awe. NARNIA should glow and jump off the screen, but the first act is to busy getting from point a to point b than to allow us to immerse ourselves in the NARNIAN landscape. If your like me you'll find yourself thinking "why does this feel like a third rate LORD OF THE RINGS?" I think what's missing is the thing that made the novel so enchanting. It's Lewis's self aware narration. Even when at the greatest peril it was Lewis's kind words and silly aside comments that lightened the situation. Admittedly that would be difficult in a film but It would have been nice if they'd tried. Instead they stuck humor in places that seemed out of place.
But fear not, all is not lost. Because if you can get through the first hour (which really isn't that bad). You'll come out on the other side and into a much better and powerful movie. Once Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) the Mighty Lion comes on the screen you're in for the ride of your life.
I mentioned earlier there is one scene that needed to be perfect or the film would be destroyed. That scene involves Aslan and the stone table. They got it right, and oh boy was I impressed. If Aslan is not strong, if Aslan is not seen as a threat even as he is being tormented this scene falls apart. But Adamson and his team make Aslan a character to be reckoned with. If you don't gasp as Aslan climbs those stairs and the beasts and the White Witch part the way for him, if you don't feel the pain and anguish of Aslan's torment, and if your tear ducts don't well up when the scene is over, I would doubt your humanity ( just a little.) After that the film only gets better, there is an awesome battle sequence, and even Narnia begins to take a life of its own. It gives each character their moment to shine and it wraps itself up neatly enough. After the film was over I can't wait for PRINCE CASPIAN (or THE HORSE AND HIS BOY) to hit the big screen.
I would also like to single out little Georgie Henley (watch out Dakota Fanning) the little girl who plays Lucy. She gives the early part of the film a lot more life and fills the screen like very few child actors can. This little girl (in her debut role) has an innocence and yet a maturity that belies her age. This little girl gives a performance that should really net her an Oscar nod. It probably won't but if I didn't bring it up who would? While this film has a few rough spots and a first act that needed some work THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, and THE WARDROBE is an enchanting journey that is worth the price of admission. Seek it out.