Disappointed, to say the least

Rating: 2/10 (15 December 2005)

As much as my wife and I were looking forward to the recent release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," I very disappointed with the movie, even judging it on its own merits and not comparing it to the book or previous movies. However, as primitive as the 1998 movie version of this book was, it far exceeded "The Chronicles of Narnia" in so many ways. In this movie, the casting was horrible, the dialog was terrible and emotionless (especially Tumnus  James McAvoy), the actors unattractive (Tilda Swinton and Georgie Henley), and most importantly, the Andrew Adamson (director) didn't capture the essence of the C.S. Lewis book. There was too much focus on Mrs. MacReady (minor character) and not enough focus on the Professor. The audio of the special effect characters, such as Aslan, Beavers, and Fox, was too close to the audience and not in place with the setting of the scene.
I would have given the movie 1 of 5 stars had it not been for the special effects, which were truly amazing. Talking animals, flying beasts, hybrid goons, and a fantastic battle scene added to the excitement of the moment and I temporarily forgot how awful the rest of it was.
The movie ending doesn't allow for a smooth continuation, and I seriously doubt they'll get the funding to do a sequel. Overall, 2 of 10.