Good adventure movie for kids

Rating: 5/10 (22 June 2015)

It's hard to fairly judge a book adaptation without having read the book so I am being as straightforward as I can by saying that I haven't read the book. My evaluation is thus entirely about the movie for the movie that it is, rather than for the movie as the adaptation that it was.
Clearly, this is no Lord of the Rings. I found that Narnia was a good effort overall to produce a family movie that would 'wow' kids and that parents could still enjoy despite its naive and purposely immature story, thanks in large part to the ice queen who has a strong enough presence to make the story interesting most of the way.
Special effects are very well done and colourful, and are adequate for the purpose.
The young actors did not impress me very much but I guess they fit the purpose of a family movie.
Back to the story, one thing that bothered me is how quick the early elements go by with no explanation whatever. You never get to know who that professor is or where the wardrobe comes from; you just need to accept that walking in that wardrobe leads to Narnia. Before you give up trying to figure those things out, half the movie has gone by and it's hard to get carried away.
Overall, we are obviously not dealing with a memorable movie here but still, if you have kids or a girlfriend who likes very light stuff, this could be a very good option as a way to spend family time.