Average

Rating: 6/10 (20 December 2005)

I saw this film yesterday with my children aged 8 and 5, both girls. They both really enjoyed it. I thought it was average. The character of Lucy was well portrayed by the young actress. However, Edmund, Susan and Peter were way off the mark. Bad casting? I don't know but I found that I didn't care one jot what happened to these three. I was actually hoping that the White Witch would turn Edmund to stone when she captured him. I also felt the same with Aslan. When he was sacrificed, I didn't care. I don't think the screenwriters were able to convey any meaningful relationships between character and character or characters and audience.The White Witch was excellently cast and played, mind you. She was very convincing. The worst part of the film was the beginning. The relationships between the siblings was very weak. It seemed like the writers were rushing it along to get into the main body of the story. Even when Lucy had gone 'through the wardrobe' for the first time, there was a part where her brothers and sisters were disbelieving of her. I was thinking 'Just get on with it!' Once they'd all gone into Narnia, the film picked up a bit. The scenery was breathtaking and the special effects were great. I think these were the only things that saved the film from being awful. I read all the books when I was younger and enjoyed them immensely. Wish I'd seen the film then as I think I would have enjoyed it more! Children will love it but adults? Be prepared for 2 hours of mediocrity.