C.S. Lewis will be proud.

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2008)

My Take: Terrific special effects and magical storytelling make for one sweeping adventure.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is the first adaptation of C.S. Lewis classic fantasy adventure in many years, and it's also the latest in the long line of big-budget fantasy epics, following the success of the HARRY POTTER and LORD OF THE RINGS series, both adapted from novels. NARNIA is not the best entry in this new cinematic debacle, but both the money's worth and the cost is there. I loved it, special effects and all. The movie (directed by another New Zealand-born Andrew Adamson from the SHREK films) is filled with all the wonders of special effects, the best that Hollywood has got to offer (until the next one), but the film isn't just about special effects, even if they're great. The characters and plot finely holds up. I, who enjoyed Lewis' works on the Narnia book series, enjoyed this film version, and I'm pretty sure Lewis would have been proud by this treatment.
When I was a kid, I used to wait for a stage play of this story which came out every Holiday season. When I got a little older, and the show stopped coming up, I moved to reading the book. I've read two novels in the "Chronicles of Narnia", "The Magician's Nephew" and this one. So, when the big-screen version is announced, I was anticipated with the news, and got up to see it quickly. The movie version is not like the musical play I saw as a kid, but comparisons aren't required. This is a fantastic adaptation that does Lewis some justice. The characters, CGI or not, from the book aren't dumb down and remain very interesting. And played by a young British cast makes them very appealing to the big-screen.
For those unaware of the story, four orphans, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Annie Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Kaynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are whisked to the magical world of the title, where they encountered that it has been cursed with eternal winter by the evil yet appealing White Witch (played with real malice by Tilda Swinton). The only hope is to fulfill a prophecy held at the beginning of time, with the help of the valiant lion king Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson).
The special effects are first-rate. The make-up and visual effects created by the Academy-award winning crew behind THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy are just as believable as their previous Award-winning work. For a long time, the CGI lion is almost real. But besides the effects, the adaptation is wonderfully faithful. All the very appealing characters and patriotic sequences, as well as those dark ones, are very well lift from the pages of Lewis' books.
Very well done, and magical. It's highly recommended with a **** (out of the usual 5).
Rating: **** out of 5.