Enough to Pull In Old and New Fans Alike, of All Age Groups

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2005)

'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is a truly outstanding fantasy adventure. Based on the beloved children's book written by C.S. Lewis in 1950, it has enough to pull in old and new fans alike, of all age groups. While the film has been kept to a PG rating in the U.S. to remain children friendly, it is by no means meant to be purely for children. The book has seen three other adaptations: a television series, an animated film and a live-action made-for-television movie; this is the first adaptation to be released in theaters.
For anyone who may not know the story of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' here is a brief overview: Peter, Susan, Edmure and Lucy Pevensie are sent away from London during World War II, and come to live at the house of Professor Digory. Lucy, the youngest, finds a mystical wardrobe which leads her to another world, which the others don't believe her about at first. But soon all four come to the land called Narnia, and find that it is being ruled by an evil White Witch, Jadis, who has declared it shall be forever winter but never Christmas. To defeat her, they must join forces with Aslan the lion, true King of Narnia, and lead an army in a great battle between good and evil.
Andrew Adamson, who co-directed the first two 'Shrek' films, steps up for his first feature-length film and does not disappoint. The start of the movie is dark and moody, much like the attitudes the four children have. It isn't until Lucy's first visit into Narnia that coloring truly starts to lighten, helping Narnia to truly seem like another world. Adamson creates scenes that are beautiful and sweeping, and scenes that are disturbing and dark. And while he used enough action to make the film slightly more appealing to audiences, he never strays too far from the heart of the novel.
The acting is also superb in this film. Tilda Swinton as Jadis the White Witch is a wonderful villain. She has proved before that she is a great actress, but she is truly at the top of her game here. She becomes the role, and makes Jadis so evil that you can not help but hate her. The four children, three of whom have never made feature-length films before this, are all outstanding in their roles as well. They make the characters believable, and display their faults just as well as their virtues. And the voice acting, especially Liam Neeson as Aslan, is very well done, making you believe these animals can truly speak.
The visual effects are very nicely done for the film. While some animals, such as the Beavers, are obviously done with computer animation, they still come off believable within their landscape. The work done for Aslan is especially astounding, having combined shots of a live lion with computer animation to create a truly magnificent talking lion. Richard Taylor's work, featured in 'The Lord of the Rings' as well, is obvious throughout the film with beasts hideous and beautiful, and magnificent armor and weapons. The score for the film is wonderfully composed and utilized especially well in the battle sequences.
There is one point I should address. The film is not obvious Christian propaganda, as some would paint it to be. Yes, it's true that the story has ties to Christian beliefs. But those story points are never pointed out as being Christian in origin. The religious context is no more than other epic fantasies like 'Star Wars' and 'The Lord of the Rings' contain, it just has slightly more bearing on the main focus of the story. Yes, you're bound to see Christian themes in the film, but they are themes that run in many stories, some predating the Christian belief system. Please do not let talk of religious themes affect whether you would see this film.
'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is one of the first films to have an obvious influence from Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. While the idea of making an updated film version of the book has been floating around for several years, it was the popularity of Jackson's films that prompted this movie to be made. After Tolkien's books-turned-movies hit theaters, Walden Media opted to adapt all seven of C.S. Lewis' 'Narnia Chronicles' in feature-length film version. While 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is the only book optioned so far, it seems likely that Disney will at least make a trilogy of movies, if not adapting all seven books.
I look forward to see what else they do with the series. This film, while perhaps not quite reaching the epic status of 'The Lord of the Rings,' is a great movie to see. Beautifully done, with great action, adventure and drama, it truly is a fantasy film for all ages. While it may not be the best fantasy adventure to date, I can't imagine it possibly being better adapted than it is. For that, I gladly give the film 9 stars, and recommend it as a must-see this holiday season.