THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

A Walt Disney Pictures Release
Story - $10.75
Acting - $10.75
Directing - $10.75
Production Design - $10.75
Special Effects - $8.75
Score/Music - $10.75
*"REEL" VALUE - $10.38 = The magic is in the story, and regardless of the uneven visual effects, you will journey on this enchanting voyage with the Pevensie children into a world of wonder, hope, and experience the deep magic that is NARNIA!

SYNOPSIS: London is being ravaged by the German blitzkrieg. In hopes of keeping their children safe the Londoners are sending them to live with people in the countryside. Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy Pevensie are sent to the home of Professor Kirke. Missing home, they attempt to keep busy and their minds off the war. A game of hide-and-seek leads Lucy to an empty room, except for a large wardrobe. As Lucy hides in the furniture, filled with fur coats, she moves towards the back and stumbles upon a place she never dreamed of. Several days later an accident cases all the children to hide from the Professor’s housekeeper and stepping through the wardrobe door they all find their way into Narnia - a fairy-tale realm of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam the hills. Narnia has been under the spell of the White Witch Jadis, who has cursed Narnia to suffer through an endless winter. However, the arrival of the children brings new hope as it is a sign that the Witch’s reign will come to an end as foretold in a prophecy. Aided by Narnia’s leader, the wise and mystical lion Aslan, the four Pevensie children must discover their own strength and lead Narnia into a battle to free it and its inhabitants of the Witch’s glacial enslavement.

REVIEW: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA are one of the most beloved fantasy adventures of the 20th century. This is the first feature film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ work, which was produced for the television by the BBC, and the chronicles has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. As a professor of Theology, C.S. Lewis’ CHRONICLES OF NARNIA was the series that bridged the cap between childhood fairy tales and more adult fantasy. I know that part of the reason how I came to NARNIA was because my parents, who worked in for the Catholic Church, were familiar with Lewis’ religious writings and they introduced me to the books. I’ve read the complete series at least once and my favorite books several times over. Needless to say, following NARNIA I found my way to Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” and than the whole journey into the world of Middle Earth. When I heard about the cinematic adaptation of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE I felt as much excitement and apprehension as when I heard about the Tolkien adaptation.

Part of the reason for my feelings of apprehension was due director Andrew Adamson and producer Mark Johnson being attached to the project. Adamson’s two film credits prior to NARNIA were “Shrek” and “Shrek 2,” two very different films in terms of tone and epic scope. Producer Mark Johnson has been involved with a variety of films over the years, from hits like “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Rain Man,” to films like “Dragonfly,” “What Lies Beneath,” and “The Astronaut’s Wife.” I was extremely excited when I heard that Richard Taylor and Weta, the “Lord of The Rings” Academy Award Winners, would be working on the film, but the major visual effects were handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The problem with these two later companies is that they do the majority of the effects work in Hollywood today and effects driven films end up with this “vanilla” feel. They don’t look fresh or exciting, but are just lots of pretty pictures with out much depth. Fortunately for THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE there are nice touches that Weta and the K.N.B. EFX Group bring to the film to elevate it above the typical look we’ve come to expect from ILM or Sony Imageworks. A few of the fully digitally rendered characters are obviously just that, but the composite characters are excellent.

What truly brings NARNIA to life is a combination of the screenplay and the marvelous performances by the actors who play the Pevensie children. Usually when you see more than two screenwriters’ names attached to a project it means trouble, but that is clearly not the case in this instance. Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have done an amazing job of slightly trimming Lewis’ novel and bolstering the heart of the tale. The screenplay is so tightly focused that we don’t have time to contemplate their edits. The overall focusing of the screenplay resides in a balancing of the interactions of the children. Although the voice casting is excellent, and Tilda Swinton creates a chillingly sinister White Witch, actors Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell are utterly charming and convincing as the Pevensie children. We easily get caught up in their drama as we experience the full range of emotions they deliver on screen, but most importantly we believe they are a family.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is a Walt Disney Pictures Release. As such, there are several key scenes in the novel that are not presented here with the same emphasis or impact. They edit the intensity or violence in some key scenes, something I’m sure the readers’ imaginations take even farther than what Lewis presented in his novel. It’s a shame, because the characters’ sacrifices don’t have the same impact. In fact, many of the younger members in the audience complained that it wasn’t as intense as “Lord of the Rings.” I don’t think Lewis ever intended his story to be as intense as some video games, but I think the filmmakers are selling their audience a tad bit short. Many of the kids in the audience have seen far worse images, in a variety of formats, and that violence here is counter balanced in the narrative to send an important message.

Overall, I was extremely happy with THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE as both a fan and a critic. As I left the theater I was listing in on a conversation a group of children were having about the film. They were elated and enthusiastic about potential adaptations of the other novels in the series. It was nice to hear kids talking so energized about something other than Harry Potter. Their conversation brought a big smile to my face. The filmmakers had reached their audience, and though I longed to share in their conversation, I couldn’t help but remember the closing remarks from the professor to Lucy about finding Narnia again, “Sure you will. Probably when you least expect it. So stay alert.” And if the box office numbers are there, I’m sure we’ll all be happy to join the Pevensie children on their future journeys into Narnia.

CREW: Director - Andrew Adamson; Screenplay - Ann Peacock And Andrew Adamson, And Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely; Producers - Mark Johnson and Philip Steuer; Director of Photography - Donald M. McAlpine, ASC, ACS; Production Designer - Roger Ford; Visual Effects Supervisor - Dean Wright; Costume Designer - Isis Mussenden; Music Composed - Harry Gregson-Williams; Visual Effects - RHYTHM & HUES STUDIOS; Visual Effects
Supervisor - Bill Westenhofer; Special Visual Effects and Animation - SONY PICTURES IMAGEWORKS INC.; Special Visual Effects and Animation - INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC; Creature and Visual Concept Design,
Armour, Weapons and Props - WETA WORKSHOP; Special makeup/Creature/Character Prosthetics K.N.B. EFX GROUP, INC.
CAST: Lucy Pevensie… GEORGIE HENLEY; Edmund Pevensie… SKANDAR KEYNES; Peter Pevensie… WILLIAM MOSELEY; Susan Pevensie… ANNA POPPLEWELL; White Witch… TILDA SWINTON; Mr. Tumnus… JAMES MCAVOY; Professor Kirke… JIM BROADBENT; Ginarrbrik… KIRAN SHAH; Father Christmas… JAMES COSMO; (VOICES) Aslan… LIAM NEESON; Mr. Beaver… RAY WINSTONE; Mrs. Beaver… DAWN FRENCH; Mr. Fox… RUPERT EVERETT.

* Based on the regular $10.75 ticket prices of a Manhattan theater.
Reviewer:  Joseph B. Mauceri
Score:
Related web link:  narnia.com
Language: eng