Simply wonderful!

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2006)

I can't think of enough good things to say about this movie! We saw it three times in the theater when it came out! And scooped it up right away when it came out on DVD! Historically, I've always found something wanting in a book I've loved and read over and over that comes to film. So, it was with a bit of trepidation that we went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on opening day. I was just plain blown away! They kept every element of the story that was important - and filled in bits that helped make things a bit more clear to modern kids - such as the little scene at the beginning at the train station - when the children are sent off out of war-time London to the country for safety. In the books, that's just a line or two - but for a modern young person, they may have forgotten the London Blitz, and how very dangerous and terrifying it really was for quite a while in England's major cities, especially London. I still wonder how the bombs managed to miss Big Ben, though.... (grin) Visually - they got everything right - it's just fantastic! The Professor's house, the Wardrobe, even the Beavers! They remembered the tiniest details - like the fact that the White Witch didn't just give Edmund food to eat, but beverage to drink - and in C.S. Lewis's symbolism, that's important - a kind of "backwards" evil communion, that bewitches him. (That is one thing I wish they'd made clearer - that Edmond was bewitched, not just being a brat. He WAS a brat quite a bit of the time, before that - but his betrayal wasn't completely his own doing. It was quite clear in the book that he was under a compulsion that was as strong as opiate addiction, longing for more of that Turkish Delight.) The White Witch was beautiful - so you can see why Edmund would be drawn to her - but she had that coldness and distance to her - she was wonderfully evil! And tall! They kept her tall - Jadis was almost 7 feet tall in the books! Little things.... they add up - they're important. A phoenix needs to look like a phoenix, a griffin needs to look like a griffin, and a woman that can casually rip a bar off a lamp post (which is how the lamppost gets "planted" in Narnia anyway - Jadis did that - long story - read the books!) - needs to be strong - so the chariot scene in the battle was delightful - only an incredibly strong woman could have held those reins! I could go on and on - it was just a beautiful film! And we've waited so long for this - but it's something they simply couldn't have made 10 years ago - maybe not even 5 years ago - the technology just didn't exist. I'm so glad these films are here - and so glad they are obviously being made by someone who loves the BOOKS! The only other thing that was irksome was using Liam Neeson for the voice of Aslan. It was kind of distracting - and as much as I like him as an actor - his voice just wasn't deep enough. Aslan's a baritone. He just IS. (Sorry) I particularly enjoyed the way they did Aslan's resurrection. If you are familiar with Christian resurrection theology at all, you'll know how important this scene was to Lewis. It would have been easy to have overdone it. Or understate it. But I think they caught just the right tone, without smacking you between the eyes.
All the metaphor and allegory are right there - without beating you over the head - and the great story is firmly in place. I loved it. My son loved it - and he's 15 and won't admit he likes ANYTHING any more, especially if Mom likes it too! (LOL) My nephew's are 9 and 6, and they loved it too. My brother-in-law isn't especially religious, is plain down-to-earth and practical - and he enjoyed it. So - all in all, I'd say it's a win-win for anyone in the family, no matter what their tastes!