Narnia as Imagined

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2005)

Well I see there are mixed reviews about this film and that made me even more curious to see it.
I have to agree first of all that ILM has fallen away a bit from the standards set by the Weta based special effects/CGI department, George Lucas needs to catch up. The effects would have been acceptable five years ago but the standards reached by Peter Jackson's team has set the bar higher. The main culprit was the background/actor combination i.e. in front of the snowy mountainous - as in the background looked entirely separate with very different lighting on those actors in front - even a telltale outline around them! The CGI animals were all excellent however, though its true the movement of clothing, particularly as Lucy and Susan are riding on Aslan's back to the battle, is rather unrealistic and non-moving. However, some of the wide angle shots with the animals in them are breath taking. The CGI/special FX in the newest Harry Potter were superior (that's the best HP to date in my view, on a par to the first).
Yes, the child actors were a little experienced, but they REALLY looked the parts. Lucy, the smallest, was especially delightful and exactly as I imagined her. Tilda Swinton as the witch I could take or leave. I really did imagine, and as described in the book, the witch looking more like someone like Angelica Huston, but a younger version perhaps. Tilda did some things right and others were wrong. Did not like her costuming, but the children's War-era clothing was perfect.
My favourite scene was when Lucy met Mr Tumnus the first time, fresh out of the wardrobe, just pure delight, exactly as I imagined, the richness of the colours and so much more. I found the faun (James McAvoy) vaguely attractive! (is that because I'm a Capricorn!?). Anyway, he and Lucy were perfect (although the connotations of kidnap were downright scary in todays "stranger danger" climate). The ending also was excellent where the four children had become adults ruling Narnia for many years and again stumbled back to the wardrobe - their adult counterparts were exceedingly well cast and believable.
These are just a few points to this film, but it is such a complex film on so many levels its hard to begin. However, overall, easily worth the $14 I paid to see it and the more I think about it the more I would like to see it again. Anyone complaining about having spent the ticket price on this film (other reviewers on IMDb) should seriously think about what else $14 would buy them! Yes, Peter Jackson could have done this better, Ridley Scott too (remember "Legend"?), but this is still WAY BETTER than most of films of this kind, only once in a while did I think it veering towards the serial/TV standard of Xena or Hercules fantasy.
An imperfect film, but SUCH A TALL ORDER, I was not disappointed, there were some real special scenes along the way.
(My "spelling mistakes" in this are simply because I'm from New Zealand and we spell things the English way, i.e colour, not color etc.,)