The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Review

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"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" reviews

Movie

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-10-29 21:31:25

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

The Chronicles of Narnia does indeed capture a certain wondrous, fantastical imagination inspired by C.S. Lewis' literary classics. But the film unfortunately also suffers from Lord of the Rings envy.

Story

Who wouldn't want to discover a magical world inside their own closet? Lewis tapped into this childlike wonderment when he wrote The Lion, the Witch and

the Wardrobe in 1950, his first of seven adventures into Narnia, and the movie picks it right up. Its starts with the four Pevensie siblings—Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and little Lucy (Georgie Henley)—who are sent from war-torn London to stay in a country home during WWII. Once there, the children stumble upon the enchanted wardrobe that leads them to Narnia, a fairytale realm of mythical proportions. But Narnia has fallen under the icy curse of the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton)—and only the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve can break the spell. Now, with Narnia's rightful leader—the wise and mystical lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson)—by their side, the four children find strength to defeat the witch and lead Narnia into a brand new era. [Cue the sound of trumpets].

Acting

After searching long and hard, the casting directors for Narnia found the perfect unknowns to play the four Pevensie children, especially Lucy and Edmund, the two characters who go through the most changes in the story. The sweet-faced Henley has just the right amount of innocence and bravado as Lucy, the first to discover Narnia, who then has to convince her brothers and sister its real. In turn, as the mean-spirited, jealous Edmund—who just wants a little respect—Keynes scowls and pouts like a pro. The rest of the Narnia children may be a little stiff but will gain seasoning the more Narnia sequels they do, much like the Harry Potter trio we've grown accustomed to. Of the adults, the always unusual Swinton (Constantine) is one scary broad, adequately chewing it up as the malevolent sorceress, as well as striking a very formidable pose, dressed in highly elaborate costumes. And Liam Neeson adds a nice, calming touch as the voice of the wise Aslan.

Direction

It's taken awhile to bring a live-action Narnia to its adoring fans—and New Zealand director and co-writer Andrew Adamson (Shrek and Shrek 2) has only his fellow countryman Peter Jackson to thank for finally making it happen. Just as C.S. Lewis was influenced by his friend J.R.R. Tolkein, Adamson is obviously guided by the Lord of the Rings filmmaker. From the great Aslan, to the thousands of mythical creatures, Adamson uses the technological advances set up by the Rings trilogy and creates a real, magical Narnia many of us have only imagined in our heads. It seems the glorious New Zealand can pass as Narnia and Middle-Earth. But in paying homage to all the greatness Jackson achieved with Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia inevitably pales in comparison. You just can't watch the final, drawn out battle between Aslan's army and the Witch's and not measure it up to Rings far more stellar conflicts.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Movie

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-12-06 09:40:53

Provider

Review

Hollywood producers have threatened to bring this CS Lewis classic to the big screen for years now, but it was only thanks to the success of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings, and Harry Potter, that Disney eventually decided that the technology was in place to bring Narnia to life.

To his credit, director Andrew Adamson (Shrek) has mercifully avoided updating the authentic British World War II setting in favour something more contemporary and American. So it's the familiar tale of four siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - sent away to a fussy professor's country home to escape the London Blitz. There they discover a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land called Narnia ruled by Jadis, an evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton). After a series of adventures and plenty of weird but wonderful new acquaintances the children learn from a wise old lion that only they have the power to defeat the witch's magic!

What's so good about this adaptation is the sheer attention to detail and authenticity. The lead actors look and speak just like those old fashioned if slightly whiny British children from the famous books and the overall feel is one of a classic family film. As with Lord Of The Rings, New Zealand serves to represent Narnia and the country's vast landscapes and stunning natural Antipodean light makes the film spectacular and colourful throughout, without too much digital interference.

Coming on the back of that aforementioned Peter Jackson trilogy, visually there's nothing here that we haven't seen before and the fact that CS Lewis left so much to his reader's imaginations in the original book means Adamson's interpretation will probably disappoint as many people as it amazes. But despite what you may have heard from US reports, the film doesn't pander to possible evangelical sub- links, it's a very honest account of the book without any religious bias.

With the exception of Aslan, who tends to look more like a painting than a real lion, the hoards of CGI characters are truly astonishing, particularly for the climatic end battle. Amusing vocal performances from Timothy Spall and Dawn French as Mr and Mrs Beaver add some welcome comic relief to an otherwise intense tale of good vs evil, seen through innocent eyes from a bygone era. Bring on the other six books!