Just got back from the theatre, where the children and I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was fantastic. Spectacular. Wonderful. Marvellous. Enthralling.
Astonishingly true to the book, the movie begins in London during the Blitz. You see the Pevensies coming to the country to live in the Professor’s rambling old mansion. You feel the fear that the harsh old housekeeper instills in the children — especially in little Lucy. The screenplay adapters did a masterful job in keeping the story true to the book, and in handling the transitions where bits had to be omitted.
The special effects were quite realistic, which one would expect from Weta and ILM. For the most part, the costumes and set design were excellent, though the White Witch’s hair, makeup, and clothes were just bizarre. As for the casting, well, not since Daniel Radcliffe was cast as Harry Potter has there been such perfect matching of characters to actors. Liam Neeson is majestic — masterfully cast as the Great Lion, Aslan. William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley do a great job with the parts of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and James McAvoy is brilliant as Mr. Tumnus, the Faun. Tilda Swinton is perfectly evil as Jadis, the White Witch.
My kids loved it and have already asked to see it again. Definitely a must-see for the whole family. There is no naughty language, and the battle scenes, though intense, are not gory. There is one big scare which made everyone in the theatre jump, so maybe this one is better for the five and up set.
One word of warning: Stay through the end credits, or you’ll miss a very important bit!