Narnia packs us with all the characters of Harry Potter, and all the style of Lord of the Rings, but most of all-it's great fun for Christmas

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2005)

--Only tiny spoilers through-out-- Yes, this is it! The Chronicles of Narnia is the next big fantasy hit, along with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. It is not only up there with them, but packs all the characters of Harry Potter and all the style of Lord of the Rings.
I will start from the beginning. In the first scene, an English family is being bombed by Nazi planes. So, the family runs off, and the children are sent away on a train to go live with "The Professor." (I guess it is no coincidence that English children being sent away to live with relatives also happened in Harry Potter.) They think that it is going to be an exciting journey, but they were wrong. To entertain themselves, the four children play hide-and-seek. While trying to find a hiding spot, Lucy (one of the children) stumbles upon a covered wardrobe. Of course, we all know what this means. After seeing it happen before in many other stories and movies, we know that Lucy found a portal to another world. There, she meets Mr. Tumnus, a cheerful fantasy creature who actually plans to kidnap her. (I remember somebody like that in Harry Potter.) Of course, more adventures happen, and when the children finally all gather into Narnia (this scene does take a while to get to) they go on different adventures and meet different characters, such as talking animals (just like the talking books in Harry Potter) and even, (just in time) Santa Clause! (Keep in mind that Santa gives away weapons in this film.)
Okay, so far we have talked about the characters in Harry Potter. So, what about the style of Lord of the Rings? Well, the audience is treated to wonderful music (part of which creates the fantasy environment in Lord of the Rings) and some of the most wonderful detail. What am I talking about? I am talking about the amazing effects of the castle, the weapons, the creatures and the special effects. (especially when people turn to stone) Not to mention, the war scene isn't as breath-taking as the one in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, but it sure comes close! Plus, the camera angles of the griffins dropping rocks on the army resemble that of Legolas killing the elephants. They both show lots of detail of the war beneath them.
This was an excellent film! The world of Narnia is full of fun and creativity. It just didn't blow us away as much as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Either way, it still ranks among them.
8/10
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