The screen adaptation of one of C.S. Lewis' The Chonicles of Narnia: Four children embark on an adventure to save a fantasy world, plagued with eternal winter.

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2005)

I think it's a good movie. It's well casted--all four leads give impressive and promising performances and the White Witch is on point. The supporting cast is really good. I'm surprised by all the well-known British actors lending their voices. That's nice.
I'm a big fan of the old BBC miniseries version, so I was excited to see this adaptation. Although I like it, I was disappointed by the pace of the film. It drags in the beginning and it haphazardly speeds up near the end, which should have been fleshed out simply to emphasize the significant scenes in the latter part of the film.
I find it surprising that Disney is the producer and distributor because The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is veiled in a Christian allegory. This is another reason why I'm disappointed by the film. Because of the novel's religious connotations, Disney and Anderson made sure not to emphasize that aspect of it. Nevertheless the basic Christian symbols and themes are there if you are careful to not get lost in the film.
The special effects are really good, almost flawless.
Anderson attempted to make an epic film and he didn't quite make it. He put all the characteristic camera shots and action sequences akin to epic films, but it was some were blatantly just for show. Especially because of the pace at the end. I don't know what the editor was thinking but cutting from shot to shot, from scene to scene so quickly.
Anderson and the screenwriter seem to not be conscious of character development. That's probably making Lewis shudder in his grave.
Bottom line: Good movie (I'll definitely by the DVD when it comes out), but Disney makes cookie cutter films and totally sucks anything profound out of what it touches [(i.e. this film, Pocahontas, etc.)(They do better working with Pixar, who saves Disney's ass with their films)] and Peter Jackson should have gotten his hands on it.