Brilliant

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2005)

Haven't read the book of this but saw an animated version many years ago. I was blown away by this adaption.
The story follows a family of 4 children, sent away by their mother to live with a professor away from the war zone that threatened their lives. The house is pretty sterile, the professor stand-offish and it seems the kids will be bored out of their brains. While in the middle of a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy, the youngest child (and star of the movie), stumbles across a wardrobe that leads somehow into the magical land of Narnia. When Lucy returns and retells her adventure, everyone thinks she is crazy, but eventually they discover Narnia exists. As they check out Narnia, they become caught up in a battle. You'll need to see it to find out more.
The movie is an adaption of the CS Lewis classic. The movie version, due to Disney's brilliance, brings great power and passion to Lewis's story and I'm pretty sure he'd be happy with the portrayal. Many may not know that the message behind the story is the message of Jesus, portrayed through Aslan. It shows us the purpose of Jesus' life- to die as a sacrifice for others. The story also features many themes close to Lewis' heart- forgiveness, redemption, the search for truth.
Excellent movie for the kids- there are a few scary scenes with some animals and some battles, but most kids 7+ should be fine. Excellent effects too.