The Chronicles Of Narnia; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Movie Review
William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley; Directed by Andrew Adamson
The Pevensie children and their mother are running through the house amid the noise of air raid sirens and explosions. They dive into the underground shelter in their backyard just in time as the German air fleet screams by overhead. Looking at these four frightened, white-faced kids, covering their eyes and cowering while dirt sprinkles on them from above, it is hard to imagine that they are destined to become Kings and Queens of the kingdom of Narnia. It is not a fantasy land, not a made-up place, but a real, terrifying, beautiful, dangerous, and magical place. Much like our own world. But there are only a few chinks and chasms that serve as passageways between Earth and Narnia. When the Pevensie children are sent away to the safety of Professor Kirke's home in the country, the youngest (and bravest) of the bunch, Lucy, discovers a beautiful wardrobe under a dusty sheet - one of the last chasms. Through the open door, past the fur coats, and a few steps later, Lucy is surrounded by a snowy wood. The things that follow could not have been conceived in any of the children's wildest dreams. It could not have been predicted that they would soon be facing dwarfs, fauns, talking animals, tree-spirits, giants, a singularly evil White Witch, and the good (but never tame) radiant majesty of the lion, Aslan.
This is every child's fantasy come true. Anyone who can still remember the power of make-believe will recall childhood memories of dressing up as princesses or pirates, battling with swords or toy guns or pitiful makeshift sets of bows and arrows. Good vs. Evil. Even children get this deepest and most basic type of warfare. In fact, we even long to be a part of it. Why? We long to be heroes. So when the Pevensie children find themselves in a place of excitement and adventure, their hearts soar and their spirits lift. Is this the place they've been searching for? Author C.S. Lewis created four very unique characters in these children. Peter is the oldest, the protector, burdened with the weight of Responsibility. Susan is the sensible one, logical, skeptical, putting her faith in Reason. Edmund is the smirking troublemaker, with a rebellious streak so dark and bitter that he betrays the others to serve his own Selfishness. Lucy is the faithful, honest one of the group, who has the wisdom and courage to steady the others with Hope. To watch these four grow together through the events that occur is an amazing thing. Like The Lord of the Rings, the surface of this film looks very spectacular and pretty, but plumb its depths and you could be lost for days. These are the best stories. This is one of those.
The casting here is quite good. The children all do a very fine job of bringing out the individual qualities and making us believe their choices and actions. Tilda Swinton as the White Witch is pitch perfect, never hamming it up for the camera or patronizing the audience. Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan lends the perfect blend of warmth, richness, and danger. James McAvoy is adorable as Mr. Tumnus the Faun. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is appropriately whimsical and sets itself apart from any Harry Potter score comparisons. This being Andrew Adamson's first live action film (having mastered animation with the Shrek films) he does an admirable job of it. Although some camera angles were less than favorable (like when we're eye-level with the Witch when she yanks Edmund up off the ground by his collar), but mostly he makes fine choices with the resources at hand. The costumes are quite amazing as well. The only technical problem I really had with this film was the editing. It was sloppy in some places and felt very choppy in others. The first time I saw this film I noticed the same prominent shot used quite obviously twice, one within about three minutes of the other. Other cuts that took us from medium to close-up action shots didn't seem to be hitting the correct timing either. But I'm probably the only one who noticed this.
Lewis's sixth book in the series contains this line, as spoken by the lion Aslan to Narnia's newest visitor; "You would not have been calling to me unless I had been calling to you." This film will really speak to some people, and others will not care for it in the least. But if you allow yourself to get sucked into the story, no matter how old you are when you finally decided to adventure into Narnia, you will be richly rewarded. The medium of film can sometimes transcend into an experience that will leave an impression on the viewer for the rest of their lives. You just have to let it work its magic.
Grading: Story = A
Originality = A
DVD Features = A
Acting = B+
Enjoyability = A
Visuals = A
Overall = A
