The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
By: Moviefaire | Category: On DVD | 04/02/06 | 01:07 PM
 |  |  Grade: A- | Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Adventure
Summary: A beautiful, honest-to-goodness family film that has eternal messages to share and reminds us, through the presence of a saintly lion, of the reason for this holiday season.
If there is such a thing as an innocent movie these days, this film is it. Even entirely animated cartoon flicks have risque one-liners that are geared more toward adults than children, but not The Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis, a respected English author and close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the "Rings" trilogy, produced his seven-set chronicles after he returned from to his Protestant faith from a period of atheism. In fact, we have a devout Catholic to thank for his Christian-based works -- Tolkien himself. The story of their friendship is fascinating enough, but while both authors embraced spiritual themes in writing their epic works, C.S. Lewis was more unabashed in sharing Christian principles. In a time of strife across the world, it seems as if movies that have Christian-based themes are being welcome without shyness as this movie out grossed King Kong and most other films from this past year in its opening weekend. And guess what? You do not have to be Christian to appreciate the messages of sacrifice, forgiveness, unconditional love, and good triumphing over evil. For those who have read and loved The Chronicles of Narnia, the added plus is that the movie is utterly based on the book. Who knew Hollyweird had it in them? What a novel idea. Someone writes a tremendous book, and the director and producers stick to the story -- maybe this will start a new trend. |
The story opens with the bombing of London during WWII, when the children are sent to the countryside for safety as was done in that era. The four Pevensie children find themselves now living in a strange mansion with an eccentric professor, (Jim Broadbent) and his strict housekeeper. With a normal amount of sibling rivalry between the sons, which later causes betrayal, the kids entertain themselves with a game of hide-and-seek, inspiring the youngest, Lucy (Georgie Henley) to discover a wardrobe that opens up to the world of Narnia. The animals and trees talk, centaurs and griffins exist, and the entire country is under the oppression of an evil White Witch, played sublimely by a calculative Tilda Swinton. The only hope to redeem the country is a war lead by the saintly lion, Aslan, who is given voice by Liam Neeson. I might have chosen another voice not quite so familiar, but when I saw the gorgeously animated creature, the knowledge of actor speaking, paled against the words and message of his speeches.
 | | | The Chronicles of Narnia | | Starring: Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, James Cosmo, Jim Broadbent & Elizabeth Hawthorne | | Director: Andrew Adamson |
| | View the Trailer (Quicktime) |
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From the second that Lucy goes through the wardrobe and meets the faun, Mr. Tumnus, soulfully and charmingly played by James McAvoy, there is humor, excitement, intrigue and battles. The visual effects are splendid, but they are not set on overkill as is the case in many movies that are heavily dependent on CGI to exist. This fact alone causes me to wonder how the production team managed to make an effects-heavy film feel rather light. When the entire movie is largely based on fantasy and visual effects, how the director, Andrew Adamson, managed to strike the chord between just enough and not too much is a bit of a miracle in itself. The whole film has the grace of a child's book about it, and while it contains violent battles it has no gore, and there are emotionally moving scenes without a sense of heavy drama to them. Few films, nowadays, have the kind of purity that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe possesses.
The children, Susan (Anna Popplewell), Lucy (Georgie Henley), Peter (William Moseley), and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), did a fine job of fleshing out the characters of the book, but the stellar performances go to a faun and a witch. Tilda Swinton was the White Witch of my dreams as she captured all of the chilling evil nature of this literal ice queen, with subtlety and strength. There was no over-emoting to be malevolent. Swinton's witch merely was without soul. I am grateful for her presence in this film, for no one could have done it better. The scene where Aslan fulfills a dreadful negotiation with the Witch is enough to make one shudder, and it is Swinton who gives the scene the feel of gloom and immorality. In a lesser, but important role as the faun Mr. Tumnus, James McAvoy, gave warmth and humanity to a role that could have been no more than a caricature, but in fact, he was more touching than the children.
So, is this strictly a kid's movie, you might ask? Well, not exactly. While you can take any child over seven or eight to it, this film is much more than that. It is a movie for any adults to boot, and the values and messages are drawn clearly for those who seek them. This film is a true family movie, if ever there was one, that will enchant, uplift and, hey, there is even Father Christmas in it too. So how could you possibly go wrong with this movie this holiday season? The answer is you can't, so don't be a Scrooge, go and enjoy it.
Originally Posted: December 21, 2005
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