A masterful adaption

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2006)

I do not have the attachment to the books which so many of their fans do. I have read LW&W and I have read Magician's Nephew. This film adaption of LW&W was virtually my picture perfect interpretation of it though, which made it so much more fulfilling to sit through.
As a piece of film-making, it is a product of its era. Where as this film has been inspired to day from the Lord of the Rings films and the Harry Potter films, LW&W captures the perfect medium between those two film series'; in that, it has a mildly dark, riveting use of directing (ala Lord of The Rings) but still maintains that wonderful childlike escapism the Harry Potter films have not quite so successfully fulfilled. MR. Timnus for instance, is really just a lovable, scared, little boy. He is a loyal and cheery fellow with brilliant chemistry toward Lucy. You truly feel sorry for him while the White Witch torments him. Meanwhile, the White Witch is truly awful. Tilda Swinton really makes you hate her the entire time, and she masters that evil so well. Even when she is winning over Peter, you can tell she is evil. It is creepy, but it works. Then when she shows her evil to Peter, you see her in the most rotten of form.
The visuals in this film are done perfectly. They are beautiful and not distracting. The animals sure look real, but this film will not make you think of Babe. The wolves terrify the audience when they move across the screen. Mr. Fox meanwhile, never looks phony. The interpretation of Narnia is as magical as any visual C.S. Lewis could have created. It is snowy and would seem like a marvelous paradise to someone who has never been there, but an evil and cold place to those who live there.
In all ways, this film is a must see for any lover of fantasy. It is both exciting, and heart-warming. The characters all play off each other perfectly, and then extra scenes not included in the book make this film flow perfectly. 9/10