Move Over, Harry. Aslan's Back.

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2005)

This movie has to be.. one of the better things I have seen in a long time. Definitely one of the best movies of 2005, in my opinion. The advance did not sell out quite like Goblet of Fire, but the fans seemed to be even crazier, clapping like mad every time Aslan was on the screen (someone even let out a wolf-whistle/cat-call, which resulted in much laughter from everyone). There were even a few cosplayers (people dressed as the characters), believe it or not. Well done, too.
The visuals were simply amazing as all hell. The creatures looked quite alive. They alternated between real animals, real animals with realistic movements (see: Babe), and full CG, the latter of which was extremely realistic. Make-up and costuming for creatures like the fawns, centaurs, minotaurs, orcs, goblins, etc. were mostly well done, in some cases, amazing. The White Witch, played by Tilda Swinton (Gabriel from Constantine) did an extremely superb job. I don't think they could have found a better actress to play the part. She was extremely cold, cruel, and distant, something only she could pull off that perfectly. Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars) voices Aslan and does a better job than Sean Connery could ever hope to.
Fans of the book or the original movie will notice a few changes. Nothing major. Basically, they made the story better by adding a few more intense scenes of action where there were previously boring segments of nothing. Some talk was cut short to keep the story moving at an even pace, so you won't get too bored with this one. A mighty fine film, something you must all see!
Overall, I liked this one better than Goblet of Fire. Some people will probably disagree, but it really depends on what elements you like in a story. I love me my Harry Potter movies, don't get me wrong, but something about this was just so wonderful and enchanting that I can't help but walk away a bit more impressed. It gives Lord of the Rings a run for it's money, and seeing how all seven books have been optioned for film development, I can't wait for the rest!
Long story short: SEE THIS MOVIE!!!