The Chronicles of Narnia
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Reel Critic Grade: B
Running Time: 139 minutes
Rated: PG

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first in the seven book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, by well-known Christian author, C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote extensively on Christianity, often using allegorical stories to convey his thoughts on and the truths about his faith. The Narnia narratives have enchanted youths and adults alike for over five decades. Although adapted to other mediums in the past, this is the first silver screen release of any of his beloved fantasy tales. With the money printing capability of recent multi-story franchises – The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter – Disney has to be salivating at the potential billions waiting in this trilogy-times-two-plus-one.

The film follows the adventures of the four Pevensie children sent to the British countryside to escape the nightly bombings of the Nazi blitz. Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) marvel at the size of their temporary home, owned by a reclusive professor and run by a housekeeper with too much starch in her britches.

On a soggy afternoon, during a game of hide and seek, the youngest, Lucy, discovers a lone, ornate wardrobe in one of the mansion’s many rooms. She climbs in, backs her way through the heavy coats and, to her surprise, stumbles into a snow-covered forest in another world – Narnia. (This time of year, I’d like to have such a wardrobe, but end up on an 85 degree beach with a colorful umbrella in my cocktail.)

Soon, Lucy is at the home of Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), a faun, having a nice conversation and some tea. Yes, animals talk in Narnia. He tells her how his beloved land came to be enslaved in 100 years of winter by the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). He also hints at the role she and her siblings will play as the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. Her excited return to real-world Britain is met with laughter and skepticism - after all, she spent a day in Narnia, but no time elapsed back at the professor’s house.

It’s not long, however, before all the children go through the wardrobe and into the snowy world next door. With the help of a pair of cockney-accented beavers (voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French), they learn of the prophecy, of Aslan the lion (voiced by Liam Neeson), and of the pending war to save Narnia. Now they must journey across the frozen land, pursued by the Witch’s wolves, in time to join the fight and fulfill the foretelling. It’s a magical tale with all the elements you’d expect from a well-told fantasy and yet, the power of its story magic can’t overcome some basic filmmaking flaws.

Screenwriters Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely remained true to the book, although they did expand and contract pieces of the story when necessary to serve the visual medium of the film. The characters, their arcs, and the conflicts were mostly well done. The disappointment was not showing how the children became battle ready enough to take on horrible forces of evil and defeat them. One scene suggests their training, but it wasn’t adequate to suspend my disbelief.

This was Director Andrew Adamson’s (Shrek, Shrek 2) first live feature film. The overall look and feel of the film is superb and shows he has vision for the material, but his work with the children was lacking. Granted, this may be a casting issue, but a skilled director should get the performances he wants or recast. All of the children’s efforts were commendable, but not exceptional.

Lucy’s sense of wonder was charming, but her emotional scenes felt false. Peter was solid as the older brother trying to hold his family together, but he never materialized into the leader of an army. Susan suffered from the same issues as Lucy, although she wasn’t as fun to watch in awe. And, Edmund’s sour-puss disposition was simply overdone. With the experience of this film and the maturity of a few years, these issues will likely be corrected before the next installment.

The special effects were another mixed bag. The quality of the animal incarnations were fantastic. You may as well have been watching real beavers, wolves, and lions talk. On the other hand, several of the scenery shots looked as unrealistic as a bowl of plastic fruit from the 70s. I would think scenery is the easier of the two, but maybe it’s so easy it was overlooked - a shame. Also, the film loses points for having the clichéd scene of people walking over a natural land bridge. I’ve seen this so many times in film that they must be everywhere in real life, just not in my neighborhood. Please, filmmakers, find another interesting land feature to use! Sadly, I know I’m going to see this again in the new King Kong film.

For those who share Lewis’ Christian faith, the parallels to the life and teachings of Christ will be evident and even moving. Aslan (the Christ figure) willingly pays the price for Edmund’s transgressions and dies in his place so Edmund can live. And, like Christ, Aslan overcomes death and is resurrected. What Lewis did so well and the filmmakers honored, is to keep these themes relevant, but subtle, so those who don’t believe still get a meaningful experience without being preached at. I can hear Aslan roar his approval.