|
|
|
|
| Cast and Credits |
| Cast: |
Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, William Moseley, Rupert Everett, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Liam Neeson, Jim Broadbent |
| Director: |
Andrew Adamson |
| Writer: |
Ann Peacock and Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely |
| Rating: |
Rated PG for battle sequences and frightening moments. |
|
Reviewed By: Brendan Cullin
Rating: 8.5/10
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an adaptation of the first of seven stories from "The Chronicles of Narnia" fairy tale series, penned in the 1950's by famed writer C.S. Lewis and brought to the big screen by director Andrew Adamson in 2005. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, two brothers and two sisters are sent to a remote country home to escape the war-torn city of London and the nightly Nazi air raids.
During an innocent game of hide and seek, the youngest child, Lucy, stumbles upon a wardrobe that magically takes her to the mysterious world of Narnia, where she meets a strange fellow named Mr. Tumnus. Tumnus explains an evil spell that has been cast over the land of Narnia by the evil White Witch Jadis (Tilda Swinton) whereby the land has been blanketed by a never-ending winter. Lucy is soon joined in Narnia by Edmund, Peter and Susan and in a place where animals speak and mythological creatures roam the forests, these four young children learn from a pair of talking beavers that they must play an important role in freeing Narnia from its icy spell and returning the land to its rightful leader, Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson).
The Chronicles of Narnia is quite simply an outstanding movie. In a world where beavers talk to foxes, wolves talk to humans, creatures and half man and half "fawn" and others are half man and half horse, it is hard to imagine a land that felt more realistic than the world brought to us by director Andrew Adamson and his crew. The special effects in the movie are close to flawless.
But this movie is not all about special effects. The story-telling is simple, clear and concise and although I am not sure how the book transformed into the movie, I am certain C.S. Lewis would not be disappointed, despite his fears of turning his book into a movie.
Along with the immaculate special effects and excellent story-telling, Narnia is blessed with an outstanding cast, led by Tilda Swinton, who does a superb job playing the ice cold witch. Liam Neeson's voice is perfect for the majestic Aslan. And the four children who play the Pevensie family bring the astonishment and innocence to the screen that is required for these roles.
Perhaps the only problem I would point out in Narnia is the movie does, at times, tend to be slightly scary and a little violent and I only bring this up because of the kids. It didn't bother me one bit but the young ones may be a bit taken aback. And seeing Santa Claus as the local weapons dealer in Narnia?
Nevertheless, The Chronicles of Narnia is sure to become a classic. It is an epic tale of good vs. evil and in the transformation of the book to a movie, you can see the effort and attention to detail that went into the making of this film. Its success will be well-deserved. Narnia is, without a doubt, one of the best movies to hit the big screen this year.
The information entered on this page will not be used to send unsolicited email
and will not be sold to a third party. Please refer to our Privacy Policy. |
|
|
|
|
