The Chronicles of Narnia
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Bonus Review #5
Film: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe [PG] 125 minutes
WIP: $13.00
When 3rd Seen: 27 January 2006
Where Viewed: AMC Theatres Cinerama, Seattle, WA
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Matthew C. & Claire C. of San Diego, CA
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DVD | soundtrack |
Let it be stated for the record that this was my third trip to see what I refer to as Narnia I: LWW. This time, however, I viewed it at Seattle’s AMC Cinerama which is one of the larger 70mm screens in downtown Seattle—in my view, this is how movies are meant to be shown. In any case, one never knows if a movie will hold up to a third viewing in the theater. In fact Narnia I held up very well. I enjoyed it no less than the previous two viewings, and this time I paid a bit more attention to some of the subtleties. For example, this time I noticed that Edmund was nearly gleeful as he watched the Germans bombing London during the opening sequence. I also noticed that the casting director did a wonderful job of selecting the children to play the Pevensie children, they all have a similar button nose and requisite freckles, though William Moseley’s (Peter) are fading with age. In any case, my WIP remains the same, and I am thrilled to be able to back-review this film as I thought it was one of the best of last year (in the top 6 on my list).
I read the entire set of The Chronicles of Narnia as a child. I thought the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the best of the bunch—unlike the Harry Potter series where the books/films keep getting better and better. I guess this doesn’t bode well for Disney and Walden Media as the producers of this film and their hopes for a solid Harry Potteresque franchise. We shall see. I honestly never believed the movie would be that good in this case. Recalling my rule of seeing movies before reading books, of course, I was sure that the movie could never live up to the book. In my opinion now, it surpasses the book. Just on a whim, I went to Barnes & Noble and read the first few pages and last few pages of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to see how true the movie was to the book as it’s been, well let’s just say, it’s been a few years since I read the Chronicles. Instantly, I was taken back into C. S. Lewis’s writing style which is very folksy and matter-of-fact. He didn’t really describe much in his book about the time before the children arrive at the professor’s house—his description of these events fills up barely half a page. In any case, without the time to completely re-read the book to ascertain how true to the book the film was, my long-term recollection is that it was pretty faithful. I noted a few changes to the ending, but nothing that significant. I won’t go into details as that could spoil the experience for those who have yet to see this magnificent film.
I adored the children and the actors portraying them. Indeed, as I mentioned before, they seemed like kids who were genuinely related—which almost never happens in movies these days—take Cheaper by the Dozen 2 where, actually, the kids look like they might be from half a dozen different families. There is chemistry and kindred spirit in these LWW children that makes them seem like real brothers and sisters. From the youngest, Lucy (Georgie Henley) the spark, to Edmund (Skandar Keynes) the shark, to Susan (Anna Popplewell) the lark, and the eldest Peter (William Moseley) the bark of the family, they were all simply brilliant. From the moment they first appear on screen together you can see every form of familial baggage in their bright eyes. The big brother who has to serve as the father figure, the annoying little sister who must have her way, the little brother with a huge chip on his shoulder to prove his worth, and the older sister in the shadows of the older brother constantly trying to prove herself. It is all there. The love, the animosity, the teasing, the pranks, the tender moments, the “I can call my brother an idiot, but you better not call my brother an idiot”, it’s all there. The kids really make this movie work, them and the special effects that is as most of the other characters with whom they interact including talking beavers, wolves, foxes, and Aslan the lion himself are all CGI characters. Which, in my mind, necessitates the tossing of even more praise in the direction of these child actors. It is challenging enough to act as a child let alone when you’re acting with tennis balls on sticks.
This brings us to the second spectacular and magical component to the film, the special effects. This special effects team did an incredible job. From creating the magical faun, Mr. Tumnus played ever-so-cleverly by James McAvoy, to the beautifully realistic Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), to the hundreds and hundreds of centaurs, minotaurs, gryphons, giants, ogres, dwarves, etc. that battle in the climax, the wizards of computer animation have created a visual spectacle for the senses. Certainly, we have seen things like this on a grander scale in the LOTR trilogy, but nothing like this in a film directed more for children. The special effects, in general, were simply tremendous.
Now, a great movie, must have a great villain, and Narnia I is blessed with the talents of Tilda Swinton as the White Witch and her very frightening sergeant of the wolf police voiced by Sim Evan-Jones (who was very, very scary and probably too scary for children under 6—so cover the kids’ eyes whenever wolves appear). Ms Swinton is absolutely perfect in this role as if C. S. Lewis wrote it picturing her in his mind. She lends a credible porcelain quality to this merciless, tyrannical, ice queen. It is difficult to see what, if anything, could ever melt her heart. She takes her role incredibly seriously. In similar circumstances, sometimes actors seem to walk through these kinds of roles as if their agents has recommended they take the role to broaden their acting range after three silly teen comedies and one docu-drama. Not so in this case, of course, because Ms Swinton has an impeccable and long résumé, and she plays this part with all of her heart and soul. I can think of no actress that would have brought a better image for this arch villain to the screen.
Such great stuff does not happen in thin air. Director, Andrew Adamson, who previously helmed the Shrek movies brought a superior effort to what I think may be his first feature-length, live action directing gig. Certainly, his work with animated characters must have really come in handy for Narnia I, but he did just and outstanding job of bringing this childhood classic to life.
Roll all of that together: a great and magical story (kids, remember this was long, long before Harry Potter), incredible actors, excellent writing and directing, and believable special effects and CGI characters, and you have a terrific family film. There are sequences in the film that I would deem a bit too much for young children. I would recommend just covering the eyes and ears when parts start to look a bit bleak. Other than that, the movie teaches children all of the kinds of things we hope they will learn as they grow up. For the third time, I thoroughly loved this film.
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Now Available on DVD for purchase.
The Chronicles Of Narnia [DVD] DVD
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (UMD For PlayStation Portable) (2005)
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe [DVD] (2005) DVD
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (Widescreen Version) [DVD] (2005) DVD
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (Special Edition) [DVD] (2005) DVD
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (Four-Disc Extended Edition Gift Set) [DVD](2005) DVD
| Sash | Soundtrack | DVD |
| Inspired Music | The Books | Stratego(R) |
| Fossil Watch | Nintendo Game Cube | Narnia Hat |
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