Fine, Enjoyable Film

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2006)

This is a very good family film, and I would say that it compares favorably with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, to which it is inevitably compared. The films are of course as different from each other as the novels are, and each takes certain inevitable liberties with their originals. Both films wind up a bit overblown in spots (too much emphasis on battle, particularly in LotR), and both have minor weaknesses, but provide satisfying entertainment.
Lewis' story is too well known to require more than a brief overview. Lucy, a young English girl, magically stumbles into a land where animals talk and magic is real. Her siblings disbelieve her and she is betrayed by her young brother Edmund: out of pride and greed he has succumbed to the blandishments of Narnia's evil tyrant, the White Witch. The Witch is on the lookout because of a prophecy that her reign will end when 2 pairs of humans appear in Narnia. Lucy's other brother and sister eventually discover Narnia and, evading the White Witch's wolf-henchmen, they meet Aslan, a mysterious lion who represents justice and freedom. Unfortunately Edmund's treason has given the Witch rights of him that only Aslan's sacrifice can redeem: without Edmund, the prophecy will not come true.
Lucy (Georgie Henley) is naturally the star of the story and so it is a delightful surprise to see the brilliance of scriptwriter Ann Peacock's enriched treatment of Edmund, superbly played by Skandar Keynes. Henley also does a fine job although William Moseley and Anna Popplewell have little to work with as the older siblings. The supporting characters are also wonderful, particularly James McAvoy as faun Mr. Tumnus. Frankly, I think Liam Neeson had a far more challenging role than Tilda Swinton as the White Witch, and he does a VERY creditable job.
The story carried me along too well to notice any problems with the CGI. I had uncomfortable memories of the BBC's TV version of the talking beavers  they are well-handled here as are all the animals (with an amused nod to the talking horse!)
The film's real weakness is that it tries too hard to be a children's adventure and fails to put the appropriate emphasis on the story's big themes: good and evil, destiny and free will, betrayal and redemption, sacrifice and reward. The book has a slightly stylized fairy-tale nature that makes it easy, for example, to accept the appearance of Santa Claus. Despite all its mythological elements, the film fails to capture this.