Movie review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Based on the C.S. Lewis novel, this is the story of four children who are sent to a country home for safety during WWII. There they find a wardrobe that is actually a gateway to the land of Narnia, a mystical place with talking animals. In Narnia, they find that it is their destiny to conquer the White Witch and bring freedom to the Narnians.

Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), William Moseley (Peter), Anna Popplewell (Susan), Tilda Swinton (White Witch), James McAvoy (Tumnus).

I read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was much younger and don’t remember enough detail to say the movie did or did not represent the book well. Of what I do remember the movie seems to do a nice job with the overall storyline represented.
The plot moves along pretty well in this one. There are a few slow points during character development before the story really gets moving. With plenty of new characters being introduced, along with plot development, the rest of the film moves along quite well and the plot is solid and well detailed.

It is obvious the movie was aimed for a younger audience than some other mystical adventures on the market right now, with simple dialogue and creatures that were quite animated. That said, this movie still has enough plot for adults and would make great family night viewing. With a series to be reasonably expected, watching the movies could be a nice family event in the future as well.

Acting by the four main characters; Henley, Keynes, Moseley, and Popplewell was good however it was Swinton who put forth a wonderful performance as the White Witch. Camera work, sets, and sound were all well done while CGI was very nice. Dialogue was good if simple as it was focused on young viewers though some of the actors’ heavier accents were a challenge at times.

Overall, a very enjoyable movie, for younger viewers most of all. Adult fans of the books will likely enjoy this a lot while others may find it a bit immature.

Some minor violence but really nothing in this one to limit viewer age.

Released: 2005
Reviewed: 12.29.16
Star rating: 5 out of 5
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family, Movies based on books

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel