Strong and loyal adaptation of the classic adventure novel

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2018)

Film adaptations of classic novels often prove controversial and divisive, but I think this is a good example of how a classic fantasy adventure novel can be succesfully turned into a film while retaining everything that made the original book so popular. Taking on a special book series that brings back positive childhood memories for many is always risky and I think this film deserves a lot a credit for largely capturing the magic of the novels.
It's a very well-made film, with impressive CGI and special effects, beautiful visuals and scenery and a great cast, but perhaps the most impressive part of this film is how it remains loyal to the original story. The temptation would have been there to chop and change to make the plot more screen-friendly, but keeping it as close to the original story as possible was definitely a wise choice. As fantasy/adventure films go, this has to be one of my personal favourites.