Not a masterpiece

Rating: 4/10 (3 January 2006)

I know a lot of people liked this movie, and some liked it a lot. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed.
The good points were the acting by the four children, and the special effects.
Unfortunately, the story takes its fantasy world too far. I might have been able to accept the premise about the children going through the wardrobe into a secret world, but once there, why keep straining our disbelief with talking animals, magic, strange creatures and stuff that just doesn't exist? To put it another way: If sword-wielding centaurs trot around in your neighborhood, maybe this will make sense to you, but where I live, it seems more than a little weird.
I know that some people were moved by the religious theme. However, the concept of merging the story of Christ's betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection with a "through the looking glass" plot didn't do anything for me at all.
I'm curious about the audience this picture was made for. Parts of it seem too scary or too intense for young children. Older children and adults will easily predict the ending. Maybe the age 10-to-14 crowd will consider it a classic, but unfortunately, I left that age group quite some time ago.
Once again, I know many people completely loved this movie. My purpose in writing this is not to tell them that they're wrong. There certainly are way worse movies out there. But I do want to make clear that "Narnia" is pure, imaginative fantasy. If that isn't your cup of tea, this movie isn't for you.