"Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch"!

Rating: 9/10 (31 October 2010)

What impressed me the most about the film were the technical wizardry and colorful palette that went into the creation of the battle scene. For me, it was like a Frank Frazetta painting come to life - the White Queen in her chariot pulled by an improbable pair of white polar bears, joined in battle by an array of real and mythical creatures, among them a warrior Minotaur and creatures fashioned from the imagination. The clash of the real and the surreal combines in a magical way to lend an epic scope to the movie, elevating the quest of four siblings to fulfill an ancient prophecy beyond the Wardrobe.
Depending on where you begin your movie viewing experience, Chronicles may strike you as entirely original or oddly derivative of other works and other authors. No matter. Once the Pevensie children break through to another realm, we're transported along with them and share equally in their heartbreak and triumph. Not having read the original source books, I don't have that comparison to make, however in this case, it seems that the film will point me back to C.S. Lewis, every bit the imaginative writer as Tolkien.
Excellent performances here from an unknown cast of young actors who comprise the Pevensie family. I believe this was also my first look at Tilda Swinton when the picture first came out five years ago. Based on my reaction to this first picture in the Chronicles series, I look forward to subsequent installments of the franchise.