The Lion, the Witch, and the annoying beavers.

Rating: 4/10 (10 December 2005)

This was not a great movie. Its tone shifts severely from serious drama to near slap-stick comedy. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, otherwise "straight" characters in the book, function in this movie as comic relief, throwing out "witty" one-liners every scene--scenes that were (and are!) serious within the confines of the story.
Beyond that change (which, and I can't stress this enough, really ruins the entire movie. Certain parts feel like Shrek; it's almost as though the director didn't trust the material enough to play it straight, to keep it Romantic, so instead makes it so we have to laugh at the characters; the book is Dr. No while the movie is Die Another Day), the other bad parts are largely expected for a Hollywood movie. The children's escape from the beavers is now filled with harrowing adventure (including a fancy escape on a floating iceberg down the river), entirely absent from the novel. The movie, obviously a product of its times, mentions "the War" (World War II) about a dozen times (it is mentioned once in the novel, in its opening sentence, and never again; the Nazi's London bombing raid is the reason the kids leave their parents), including a five-minute opening scene of the air raids.
The worst part is the battle scene. In the novel, the last battle is largely unimportant (in fact, it lasts about 5 pages); once Aslan is resurrected, we know who's going to win. However, in this movie, we get a huge, 20-minute spectacle of giant computer-generated armies clashing with each other (scenes inspired, in no doubt, by Lord of the Rings and Troy). Perhaps I'm just jaded, but I'm quite frankly sick of these scenes, as they are always the same. This movie's contribution has one good addition (the director doesn't include a score, a welcome change) and one bad addition (the movie is rated PG, so when characters maim each other with swords, no blood is shed; plus, we get some crazy editing to keep some violent parts off-screen).
As for the Christianity... I actually felt the movie expressed them better than the novel. The story is still the same (Aslan still sacrifices himself and is miraculously resurrected), but the director shoots certain scenes to more directly make the Biblical connections, particularly the scene in which Aslan is beginning to make his walk to the witch to end his life. The novel is very vague, but the film actually shows Aslan wrestling with his thoughts in a garden, obviously referencing Gethsemane. This movie also includes some curious Biblical dialogue. After binding Aslan, the White Witch declares to the crowd "Behold the Great Lion," echoing Pilate's "Behold the man ('Ecce Homo')" in John 19:5. Also, at the end of the battle scene, Aslan magnanimously says to no one in particular, "It is finished." (John 19:30) However, it was still entirely possible to just enjoy the movie; the Christian themes aren't overwhelming.
However, even on a purely cinematic level, it failed. I can't find the right words for it, but... none of the scenes were "magical." Nothing I saw in the film will stick in my head, while dozens of scenes from the novel will. It is just... any time the director could do something great with a scene, something fresh, something memorable--he just takes the easy way out. It just wasn't memorable. I just felt like I'd seen everything before, except executed much better in much better movies.
4 out of 10. Please no sequel.