Faithful to the Spirit of the Book

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 2005)

I was very pleased that Disney didn't fool around with the basic themes of the book. I had not read the Chronicles in a few years and that helped me not to keep thinking "where is this part or that part of the book." It was fresh and very real for me.
I hope that Tilda Swinton doesn't suffer the same fate the Margaret Hamilton was rumored to have dealt with. It is said that Ms. Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West left such a mark upon young viewers that when they saw her in real life they would get quite frightened. Tilda brought that depth of believability to this role.
The reason I give this magnificent film an 8: I am deducting 2 points for the over-wrought final battle sequence - too long and too involved - it didn't match the pace and balance of the rest of the movie.
That said I would heartily recommend this movie to anyone about 8 years old and up.