A Childs Feast of Imagination.

Rating: 6/10 (14 December 2005)

This wonderful movie will do for the Children of today what Star Wars did for a whole generation of kids back in the 70's. If you're an Adult, then Narnia could disappoint.
Primarily a Children's movie, this is not to be forgotten, that the story is based on the Children's classic: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, taken from the series of books The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
Transcending a storyline from a children's book into film doesn't seem that hard a task, concerning Narnia. Grown ups will love it all the same, but Children will be Astounded by it. The Magical Land that is Narnia will have them riveted to their seats in a Spellbound Wonder. Imaginations will be set lose and the desire of involvement shall be justifiably Magical.
On leaving the cinema, my wife and I, thought it a very good movie. The only negative criticism was that to the end of the movie, it was just a movie for Children, which we expected and knew.
This is no Lord of the Rings by any means. Standing proudly on it's own two feet, this very easy plot and what seems to be very simple character development is all to familiar with Children's adaptation's. For us, the movie started to wane a little after the crossing of the iced river.
The introduction of the characters, along with Lucy and her Kin was done very well, practically the humour of the Beavers, where have I seen "that" relationship before? Very funny, and will Children understand it, I wonder. They will, eventually. This is our point, after the snow had settled there was hardly any kind of stimulation, for us anyway. It continued onward on one level, even the battle scene was fair but harmless. I would not expect a bloody feast, as I have said before this is no Tolkien. This movie brings Children to the Fantasy and Magical Splendour that is C.S. Lewis. Both very Individual in their own right and both with exceptionally Intelligent writing Minds.
The young actress Georgie Henley was truly amazing, where did they find her? Please don't say Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. It's a rhetorical question. Another Child star to look out for, as with other Child Actresses of her age, such as Shirley Temple, Dakota Fanning and the then young lady born in Jerusalem, Israel, Natalie Portman for example.
Well-done young Lady.
I hope that this movie will delight and entertain the young and the new generation of Cinema-goers, to be kick started by a movie that is visually captivating will be a memory to behold. You have to start somewhere, for me it was Star Wars. So lets hope that C.S. Lewis's work on the Big Screen will stir their growing imaginations, as his books will always do.