a few flaws but a relaxing family film

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2008)

In their first major career roles, Georgie Henley (Lucy) Skandar Keynes (Edmund) William Moseley (Peter) and Anna Popplewell (Susan) star in this C.S Lewis adaptation about their characters finding a magical world in the back of a wardrobe.
Having never read the book but heard rave reviews, I was intrigued to see this film and wasn't to be disappointed.
In a magical fairytale for the whole family, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe has something for everybody, the mystical adventure for the younger generations, and a few good characters and experienced ideologies for adults.
A question mark hovers over the acting but with first performances it is understandable.
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) is excellent as the witch, her cold personality and the character epitomizes the true essence of evil, which is what the story follows.
Good vs evil is often very obvious, which is the case here with the golden spirit of Aslan and the cold white heart of the witch, giving the film good balance.
The writing and mystery behind Narnia is very good. The sheer imagination of a wardrobe containing a magical kingdom is a good enough reason to go and see the film and is well established by Andrew Adamson. Though not the best direction, it gets the required effect.
I'm not a huge lover of CGI being a person for realism in context and etc. There is no question that the work that has gone into creating all the creatures and scenery is outstanding. But I'm personally not a fan of it, but if you do like it, then this is CGI at its peak.
Apart from a few lapses in the story and pretty bad acting, it is an enjoyable fun film for the whole family.