Pleasantly surprising.

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2006)

My initial reaction when I first heard that the director of the Shrek films would be directing/writing "The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe" was, "What?! That won't work!" I am not an avid book fan that curses at the screen at every add-in or change. I find the Chronicles a bit dry & hurried, but my expectations of the transfer from book to movie rose. Until I heard the director's name. However, despite my recurring fears that in it's stead, a horrid mutant of the the original story would appear, the rumors that I began to hear shortly after the film's release were all favorable. I started to think that perhaps this adaptation of the novels would be better than BBC's whole-hearted, but cheap, attempt at the series many years ago. So, I accompanied my family to the theater, & was sucked into Narnia instantly. The scenery was amazing; the children looked exactly how my mind had imagined them when it received absolutely no prompt from the book. The acting was believable; all the missing components of the book were, amazingly, in the movie. We own the special-edition DVD & watch it over & over, highly anticipating the release of "Prince Caspian." Andrew Adamson pleasantly surprised me, bringing a quality family film to the screen, & leaving me begging for more.