The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Talk about "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" here:
Review by: Breanne Derby
Plot Summary
Based on the book by C.S. Lewis and taking place in
England during World War II, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is about the four Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley). With their father fighting in the war, and their London home being frequently bombed, Mrs. Pevensie (Judy McIntosh) sends her children to the country to live with a wealthy old man known as "The Professor" (Jim Broadbent). During a game of hide and seek, Lucy, the youngest Pevensie child, discovers a mysterious wardrobe in The Professor's vast mansion. The wardrobe transports the children to the magical land of Narnia, where, along with Aslan the Lion (voiced by Liam Neeson), they provide the inhabitants with hope of overthrowing the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) and saving the land from perpetual winter.
Review
The best performance in the film was that of Tilda Swinton as the White Witch. She was as cold and unfeeling as the snowy land around her. She played the White Witch who the audience loves to hate, and she definitely did a great job of it. It was obvious through her actions that there were things happening with her character on several different levels. Her interaction with the children is also good, and she does not demand too much attention from them, as they are the stars after all.
Throughout the film the children interact with many different types of animals, varying from lions to beavers. Luckily, there was a pleasant and successful blend of live action and CGI. The children seemed to work well with the animals which weren't really there. The lion in particular was exceptionally realistic looking at times, though it was created entirely using computers. There were real wolves used, but they were also animated at times. The transition between the real animals and the computer animated animals was a smooth one, and they didn't appear drastically different.
One warning for families with young children is that this film is quite violent. Though there is no blood, there is an extended battle sequence where the weapons used are swords, arrows, and lances which was quite reminiscent of the battle in Lord of the Rings, but there was no blood shown (it is a Disney movie after all). The film retained a PG rating in spite of the fact that some of the violence was being committed by the children and towards the children. It seems a bit foolish that ratings due to violence are based on whether or not blood is shown. It seems as though not showing the blood may make the violence seem more okay in the eyes of children, but that's not my battle to fight (pun intended).
It should be noted that after the end of the film there is an additional scene. The credits begin, but shortly after they roll for a little while, another scene involving Lucy and "The Professor" occurs. If you see this film in theatres, be sure to stay for the extra scene during the credits, and if you see the film when it comes out on DVD, be sure to fast-forward to the extra scene.
Conclusion
I enjoyed this film immensely. I've never read the book, but seeing this film made me want to. At first I was skeptical about the acting skills of Georgie Henley, because she was such a small child and didn't seem like she could act her way out of a box, but she proved to be significantly less disappointing than I had feared, and though most of the times when she was supposed to be crying it was obvious she was trying with no avail to squeeze a tear out, she was quite an endearing little girl.
Watching this film made me feel so compelled to read the book that the day after I saw it I went to my local library in attempt to check out a copy. Unfortunately, I obviously wasn't the only one who had this idea, because all four copies that the library had were checked out and not due back until late January or even early February. Once I read the book, I will make an addition to this review to see how the film and the novel compare; check for it in about a month or two.
