The King, The Queen and everything else is in The Wardrobe - including excitement?

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2005)

Even in an age that includes such highly regarded fantasies as The Lord Of The Rings, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles Of Narnia are still beloved by many. Not that I would know, having read very little of the books (shame on me, I know), but I enjoy a good fantasy as much as the next person, and with Harry Potter and LotR successfully reinventing the fantasy genre in the 21st century, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe seemed like an adaptation to look forward to.
Especially at Christmas. Last Christmas, we'd had the very entertaining Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Alas, it has not lingered long in the memory, and I fear that this adaptation, despite being entertaining, will follow suit. Like Lemony Snicket, it wants to be a young children's fantasy, and succeeds on that level to a greater extent. After all, it has a higher pedigree. The problem only begins when director Andrew Adamson (of Shrek fame) starts trying to emulate Peter Jackson.
This, the first of the Chronicles Of Narnia (there should be many more to come) begins with the four Pevensie children - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) sent to the house of Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent) during World War II. While playing a game of hide and seek, Lucy decides to hide in the wardrobe, and while moving towards the back, finds herself in the kingdom of Narnia. Many surprises and adventures follow, not just for Lucy, but for all the Pevensie kids.
I think there are many treats in store for those who haven't read the book. Now I knew that Narnia was "in the wardrobe" (who didn't?) but I didn't anticipate the several interesting characters and remarkable visuals that were to be seen in Narnia. Not that they eclipse the young leads - all four are credible, and I'm sure they will go on to even bigger things. The biggest names in the cast - Jim Broadbent (in a cameo) and Tilda Swinton, don't disappoint, with Swinton being especially chilling as the White Witch. Recognisable voices are all over the place, from Ray Winstone to Dawn French to Liam Neeson.
Friends of mine have told me the film is very faithful to the book. That seems like another huge plus point, and in a way I suppose it is. But it's worth pointing out that what works so well on the page does not always work so well on the screen. I discovered this when watching Tim Burton's attempts to recreate classic moments from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory; however well he did them technically, they lacked a spark.
It seems that Adamson realises this, and it's at that point he enters LotR territory. Before long you will see (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) birds soaring from overhead in a key battle, the "resurrections" of important characters, a "crowning" moment - it's all been done before, and done better, by Peter Jackson. Even the effects were better in LotR - just compare some of the computerised animals to Gollum and you will see what I mean. Additionally, there's some blatant blue screening on more than one occasion.
It's not that the battles are bad. They do have their effective moments, such as a memorable duel between Peter and the White Witch, but they sometimes border on tedium and confusion. And the film is not without its moments of unbearable cheese - just watch, for example, how some characters are "resurrected".
Despite the best efforts of Andrew Adamson and his crew, the order of things in the fantasy world hasn't changed. The Chronicles Of Narnia have got off to a satisfactory start, but Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings are still - clearly - in front.
Rating: 7/10