Where has all the magic gone?

Rating: 3/10 (31 December 2005)

I think this movie's success is based mostly on people's love and nostalgia for the story and the book, rather than anything else. Although the special effects are very decent, the finished product seems half-hearted and childish - by which I mean it seems childishly executed. The young actors' performances are painful to watch at the best of times - in places I found some of the kids are down right annoying to be honest. For those who do not know the story well, and those a little older than 6 years old, it's really quite hard relating to the characters - the most endearing ones are probably the beavers and you don't see enough of them! Other family movies in the magical genre such as the Potter movies, or the Lord of the Rings trilogy, have set a seriously high standard and for the Narnia movie, comparisons will be inevitable - unfortunately there's no way this film is in the same league. A real shame.