Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)
Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson
Directed by: Andrew Adamson
When I was a kid, the kids at the house where I was babysat used to watch an animated version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (it may or may not have been this version, I don't really remember). That was my introduction to The Chronicles of Narnia. Since we were kids, we watched it all the time (as kids are wont to do with their favourite videos), capturing our imaginations while wondering just what in the world is a wardrobe, moth balls, or Turkish Delight. Edmund sure seemed to like that Turkish Delight, whatever it was. I ordered the set of books from Scholastic, but like many a book bought by or for Andy, they mostly went unread.
This is my background into the world of C.S. Lewis' beloved childrens classic before going to see the new live action feature. It was a happy memory from my childhood, but not a beloved one, as the last time I watched it was so long ago, I'm still not sure what exactly it is I watched. I wasn't as psyched to see it as others, as I'm neither a huge fan of the series, nor am I a huge fan of Christian allegories, but it did interest me. Plus, since I skipped out on that other mega-popular series based on books written in the fifties, I figured I might as well check this one out. It did look pretty good.
Ultimately, it was pretty good, just not my thing. The film is full of magic and wonder, complimenting its fun story with fairly outstanding technical achievements in terms of special effects. The world of Narnia really comes to life and is something to behold visually. The child actors are all charming enough in their own ways (well, except maybe Edmund, since he's the Judas of the piece, but even he redeems himself by the end). From a personal standpoint, Anna Popplewell was kind of distracting for me, as she is obviously going to grow up and be really, really hot, and that just made me feel kind of pervy, since she was playing an adolescent. I had similar problems with Hermione Granger in the third Harry Potter movie. Can't be helped, I suppose, as actresses aren't generally hired for their homeliness.
It's a bit surprising that they handed the reigns of this property over to a director making his live action debut in Andrew Adamson (his previous experience is at the helm of the Shrek films), but I suppose directing this movie might not be as much of a jump from animated features, as it is necessarily CGI heavy. Either way, he pulled it off very well, so huzzah for that.
If you can't tell, I don't really have all that much to say about this movie. It seemed to be an excellent movie for children and families, and should offer a lot to fans of the books or this type of film (large scale fantasy movies). It entertained me throughout, but is not the kind of film I'd rush to see again. In this sense, it's like the first three Harry Potter movies for me (I've yet to see The Goblet of Fire): I enjoyed them all when I watched them, but have never made an effort to see them again. A lukewarm reaction that only reinforces my decision to not bother with that other series.
3.5/5
Related:
Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Shrek (2001)