One viewing is never enough

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2005)

I just came back from my second viewing of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"--unlike the four Pevensie children, we lucky young-at-heart can use the wardrobe over and over! As so many have said before, Almost nothing is left out, and what little is added does not detract from CS Lewis' wonderful story. At first I wondered if I could accept different looks from my firmly entrenched views on the "look" of Narnia (i.e, the original illustrations by Pauline Baynes), but no fear--and Tilda Swinton's splendidly malevolent White Witch was the only character (here seen with blondish dreadlocks, heavy white gown and an icicle crown) who appeared different. Actually her performance was, I think, an improvement on the somewhat stilted original character, what with her icy (no pun intended) manner, drop-dead eyes and Samurai-like way with a wand.
The plot, once again, is a model of faithfulness to Lewis, with an added prologue reminding us WHY the children are being sent out of London. I suppose though, that it is a little jarring to suddenly see the four children matured into adulthood as rulers of Narnia--just one of those things you accept when reading a book, but find odd in a feature length film.
The technical aspects of the film were very well done--better than "Lord of the Rings", where I could tell differences between real actors and CG "extras". At one point, I actually stopped thinking of the friendly beavers (and Mr. Tumnus' hooves) as CGI. And anyway, shouldn't good film-making help you to suspend disbelief? The acting was wonderful too. In addition to the afore-mentioned Ms. Swinton, four exceptional youngsters more than hold their own--they make you believe in them as a family. I particularly liked the bond of affection between Peter & Lucy, well shown as she cajoles them into a game of hide-and-seek; with a perfect look of weary big-brother kindness, he starts counting "one, two,three..." and Lucy unexpectedly stumbles on the wondrous land of Narnia in her hiding-place.
This can (and should) be enjoyed by anybody regardless of their world view (The Narnia books' Christian symbolism was never a problem for me, it actually brought me closer to God). There is nothing to offend here and everything to delight and warm the heart. I'm off to investigate my walk-in closet.....