Fun ride, but not enough development to be very emotionally moving.

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2006)

This movie should have been longer, or perhaps a series. I simply didn't think there was enough development to justify the battle at the end. I understand that if you've read the book, you have a deeper understanding of what's going on and what the character's motivations are, but a film has to stand on its own, and not rely on previous knowledge of the viewer to work. In the world of the book, the children have reasons to stay in Narnia and contribute to events there, but in the world of the movie I think they would have left once they got Edmund back from the White Witch. Narnia and its citizens just didn't seem real enough or important enough for the children to want to stay and help at their own risk. Perhaps the inevitable sequels will help fill in gaps.
Also, we're not given much time to meet some of the important characters. People are just tossed onto the screen with no introduction, development, or motivation, which makes it hard to invest in them emotionally and pull for them in the battle.
The production quality was great, Aslan was very believable, which is a necessity for the film to be a success. All of the other special effects and sets were seamlessly executed, so the viewer can be drawn into the story instead of being distracted by thinking "how'd they do that and why didn't it look better?"
All of the actors do a good job, despite being given a few cheesy lines. Each of the children has the right character traits that define their roles. If I were about 10 years old I probably would have thought this movie was spectacular, but as an adult I just need a little more substance before we dive into the epic battle. Maybe I'm just not a member of the target audience.