The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (B or 3/4 stars)
'The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe', written by C.S. Lewis, is one of my favorite childhood books. Now it's a family-oriented action/adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson. As a children's film, I think the movie is spectacular. As a cinematic epic of all-time, I am slightly less convinced. And I am sad that some crucial, & interesting plotlines are absent from this adaptation. But I realize that this must happen to prevent a 4 hour-long snore fest. Overall, I enjoyed the film greatly and am SO pleased that it has arrived on the big screen.
The Pevensie siblings leave their mom to live in the rainy countryside with a mysterious Professor (Jim Broadbent). They leave London because it is WWII & the Nazi air raids have disrupted the city life. One boring day, the children play hide & seek. Lucy (adorable Georgie Henley) stumbles into a room where only an ornate wardrobe stands. She enters it & finds herself in the magical, mythical, snowy world of Narnia. After meeting a pleasant faun named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), Lucy finds out that the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has made it so that Narnia is only ever winter. It's been a century since Narnia has seen a spring thaw. Lucy also finds out that Mr. Tumnus is to send her and her siblings (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes) to death by way of the Witch. But Tumnus did not anticipate a friendship with the girl & he sends her back the wardrobe. Lucy's siblings don't believe her story about a world inside the wardrobe. But, nevertheless, Lucy goes back later that night, & an inquisitive Edmund follows. He is then corrupted by the White Witch & becomes a secret ally.
We then meet the friendly Beavers, a fox, wolves, & a myriad of mythological CGI-effect creatures such as centaurs, minotaurs, unicorns, & so on. The multi-cultural creatures of the land band together. The result culminates in a huge battle btwn. the good-natured creatures & the Pevensies (a Narnia prophecy names them heirs to the 4 thrones of Narnia), & the White Witch (with her monstrous minions). Aslan (Liam Neeson), the loving, omnipotent Lion, dies for Edmund's sin (in bringing his siblings through the wardrobe), but comes back to life (Jesus Christ, anyone?) and regains his strength to fight in this battle. Do the good guys win, and did Aslan lead them to victory? Can the Pevensies' ever leave Narnia? Do they even remember where they came from?
And it is simply too difficult to touch upon every layer of this plot; just see the movie. While I have some reservations, I fully recommend this film to all adults who loved the book as a child, & want to see their child realize this unique story on screen. The cast is stellar. Each child actor lends great scenes (particularly Georgie Henley, as Lucy). And Tilda Swinton is enticingly evil (though I think she could have been portrayed even more creepily than she was). The pacing of the film is quite good. The musical score is different than I had imagined, but I do like it quite a bit. The production values are exceptional (most impressive is the make-up work on the creatures). And the special effects are highly believable & visually stunning.
I had a ball watching 'Narnia' because I knew the story like the back of my hand. And I already knew the obvious & controversial comparisons btwn. Christianity and what happens in Narnia; and WWII and what happens in Narnia. These topics spawn lots of criticism from reviewers. But when a story such as this is so heavily compared to religion, on any level, there will be an onslaught of nay-sayers before they even or ever see the movie. Some viewers may find 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to be a poor man's Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, to which I agree in some respects; but it is a fantasy book put on film and I am all for this style of genre. I am not disappointed by the effort put forth by Andrew Adamson. I embrace it like a warm blanket from my childhood past.
The Pevensie siblings leave their mom to live in the rainy countryside with a mysterious Professor (Jim Broadbent). They leave London because it is WWII & the Nazi air raids have disrupted the city life. One boring day, the children play hide & seek. Lucy (adorable Georgie Henley) stumbles into a room where only an ornate wardrobe stands. She enters it & finds herself in the magical, mythical, snowy world of Narnia. After meeting a pleasant faun named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), Lucy finds out that the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has made it so that Narnia is only ever winter. It's been a century since Narnia has seen a spring thaw. Lucy also finds out that Mr. Tumnus is to send her and her siblings (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes) to death by way of the Witch. But Tumnus did not anticipate a friendship with the girl & he sends her back the wardrobe. Lucy's siblings don't believe her story about a world inside the wardrobe. But, nevertheless, Lucy goes back later that night, & an inquisitive Edmund follows. He is then corrupted by the White Witch & becomes a secret ally.
We then meet the friendly Beavers, a fox, wolves, & a myriad of mythological CGI-effect creatures such as centaurs, minotaurs, unicorns, & so on. The multi-cultural creatures of the land band together. The result culminates in a huge battle btwn. the good-natured creatures & the Pevensies (a Narnia prophecy names them heirs to the 4 thrones of Narnia), & the White Witch (with her monstrous minions). Aslan (Liam Neeson), the loving, omnipotent Lion, dies for Edmund's sin (in bringing his siblings through the wardrobe), but comes back to life (Jesus Christ, anyone?) and regains his strength to fight in this battle. Do the good guys win, and did Aslan lead them to victory? Can the Pevensies' ever leave Narnia? Do they even remember where they came from?
And it is simply too difficult to touch upon every layer of this plot; just see the movie. While I have some reservations, I fully recommend this film to all adults who loved the book as a child, & want to see their child realize this unique story on screen. The cast is stellar. Each child actor lends great scenes (particularly Georgie Henley, as Lucy). And Tilda Swinton is enticingly evil (though I think she could have been portrayed even more creepily than she was). The pacing of the film is quite good. The musical score is different than I had imagined, but I do like it quite a bit. The production values are exceptional (most impressive is the make-up work on the creatures). And the special effects are highly believable & visually stunning.
I had a ball watching 'Narnia' because I knew the story like the back of my hand. And I already knew the obvious & controversial comparisons btwn. Christianity and what happens in Narnia; and WWII and what happens in Narnia. These topics spawn lots of criticism from reviewers. But when a story such as this is so heavily compared to religion, on any level, there will be an onslaught of nay-sayers before they even or ever see the movie. Some viewers may find 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to be a poor man's Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, to which I agree in some respects; but it is a fantasy book put on film and I am all for this style of genre. I am not disappointed by the effort put forth by Andrew Adamson. I embrace it like a warm blanket from my childhood past.