An Epic Almost on the Scale of LotR

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2005)

As a loyal Harry Potter fan, it pains me to say this film totally blows all four HP films off the map and it's even in league with the excellent 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. It definitely deserves to rake it in at the box office and rank as Christmas number one. Based on second of the classic Narnia chronicles (the first in the series as CS Lewis intended), 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is centred around the four Pevensie children-- fifteen-year-old Peter, thirteen-year-old Susan, eleven-year-old Edmound and eight-year-old Lucy-- who are sent to the vast country estate following the London Blitz. There, the children discover a wardrobe which contains the path to the magical world of Narnia, dominated by the cruel and vile White Witch and her minions. As prophesised, it lies to the children to join forces with the majestic Aslan to lead Narnia to freedom.
It's been many years since I read the book (far more than I like to think although I'm going to remedy that by re-reading it as soon as possible) but I felt that Ann Peacock did a wonderful job of adapting the novel to screen and fitting it into a measly two hours and twenty minutes. There obviously were some cuts made but everything that was important remained intact and the story stands well on the big screen, particularly the Stone Table scene and the battle.
The characters were portrayed perfectly with Edmound being impudent without being totally hideous while Susan's bossiness is not too overbearing. Fans of Peter and Lucy will enjoy how they come across as the lead heroes of the film, both being depicted as brave and loyal in their own way. It is refreshing to see the characters depicted almost exactly as they are in the books, rather than being dumbed down or made out to be 'cool' just to appeal to children in the audience. Those who fear a repeat of the rather mediocre Harry Potter young cast spoiling the film need not worry as the four child actors were excellent from start to finish. Adorable wee Georgie Henley stole the show as Lucy despite her tender age (and this being her debut film) and Skandar Keynes managed to portray a careful balance with Peter, showing his traitorous side but also his bravery and kinder nature. I wouldn't be surprised if all four went onto do many other projects.
However, it was Aslan's scenes that dominate even if he is a CGI character! I know many people were worried about this, unable to see past Jar-Jar Binks, but it worked well and you'd honestly think they had a real lion do the shots. And Liam Neeson's vocal work was brilliant in thundering across Aslan's strength and nobility. Tilda Swinton was just positively vile as the White Witch, exactly as she should be! She was able to carry off how wicked and callow the White Witch was in a way that will leave the audience close to horrified.
Overall, this film should certainly go down as a classic in the years to come. Everything was done so well, from the acting to the CGI to the musical score to the cinematography, and I'm sure both children and adults will thoroughly enjoy themselves. For something produced by Disney, 'Narnia' delivers as awe-inspiring performance without pandering to toddlers or mutilating the book. If anything, I think the PG rating it was given in the UK might have been a tad complacent as young and sensitive children may find some scenes hard to stomach (I know I would have bawled my eyes out at the Stone Table scene had I watched it at six years old; I nearly did even now and I'm in my twenties!). I recommend this to anyone looking to see a decent Christmas film.