Going through the door of the wardrobe... - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

Going through the door of the wardrobe was by far one of the best movie going experiences of my life! Spectacular visual effects, a great story (which we already knew going in), terrific acting on behalf of the entire cast, and a magnificent score! The movie does what any good movie should, it takes you on an emoitional roller coaster with the characters...you laugh with them, cry with them, and celebrate in the triumphant end all the glory that the Chronicles bring to the screen! Be sure to enter the world of Narnia for yourself, but beware because you may never see this world the same ever again!

Narnia - no don't go! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I've never felt so compelled to write a review about a film, but had to discuss the failings of Narnia! As a huge film fan, a Disney nut. and someone who has worked in the entertainment industry...to say this film was a total dissapointment is truly an understatement! I was looking forward to it for weeks and prepurchased our tickets in advance to see it at Disney's Pleasure Island in Orlando. The film was horribly slow and I was actually nodding off for the first hour. The problems with this film were many and made me feel that it was thrown together to meet a deadline. Peter Jackson's WETA, basically the Lucasfilm of New Zealand worked on this film. It looked like it, as the many creatures looked similar in design to the Lord of The Rings films. That bothered me for obvious reasons. Also, Disney passed on Lord of The Rings and since the announcement of Narnia, I have felt it was a lame attempt to play catchup and say they produced a similar epic. It didn't work for me at all! I will make comparisons to LOTR because Narnia is a film blatantly done to respond to Eisner's failure to produce LOTR and capitalize on it's commercial success. Also, because LOTR did so much right and the box office success are proof positive. First, the script for Narnia was weak. Things were not explained! Why were these kids sent to some professor's house beyond the fact that it was World War II and their mother didn't want them being bombed? They are greeted by some crabby woman at a train stop and suddenly in this huge mansion and told not to bother the professor. Why?! It moved at a slugs pace. Characters were not developed! A critical aspect of movie success is to have your audience empathize with, and connect with the characters. This was totally void for me! I couldn't stand the bland kids who were in this film. On the other hand, I felt for characters such as Frodo, Sam, Gandolf and Aragon in LOTR! They were BELIEVABLE even in light of the story being a fantasy! The actors in Narnia weren't. I blame the director and the casting for that. About the only believable thing was they certainly had the stereotypical poor English teeth. These kids were not passionate, they didn't exude confidence, and then the characters were suddenly knife-throwing, archery wielding, sword fighting combatants! One scene shows the older girl practicing by shooting ONE arrow and the little girl whipping out her knife and throwing it like she'd done it a million times! Bah! It was totally out of context! Nothing about this film was explained! It was just "The Prophecy" told to us by a beaver! What was the prophecy beyond 4 kids showing up? Why did this professor have the Wardrobe? Why did it lead to Narnia? The story wasn't developed! Why was Narnia in a War? What were the origins of the Snow Queen? What were the origins of Aslan? None of this was explained or setup for strong interesting story. The blame for this film's lackings lie squarely on Adamson's shoulders because he wrote and directed it. He may have had commercial success with Shrek, but I personally hated Shrek because I felt it was stupid! Another strong criticism of mine was the over exposure of Liam Neeson. This guy is suddenly in every big film and quite frankly, I'm sick of him! He was in Phantom Menace, He was in Kingdom of Heaven, He was in Batman Begins, and now he's the voice of the Lion! Liam stay home for a while! You are over exposed and becoming annoying! Less is more Liam! The only positive comment I can make about Narnia is that the snow covered set in the mountains was beautiful. To sum up, the writing and direction were extremely poorly done, the casting was poor, and the actors were passionless and weak. The story was terribly inadequate and the film literally put me to sleep. I give this film a grade of an D and have no interest in seeing more of this cast, director or story. From a business and stock standpoint, I believe the movie will open with around $40 million in ticket sales due to the hype, but once people hear about and see the things I point out, I believe it will stall badly. I feel it is another Disney flop and will lose money. On the bright side, I saw the first trailer for the new Pirates film and it was certainly enticing. It looks to be ready to challenge the box office success of the first! As for Narnia, Don't Go! Ken

Over all i was really let down - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

we have been wait5ing for this movie forever. eveything about it looked promising and it is a can't miss story. First this is a great movie for children. very gentle, gerat action scenes that were exciting but bloodless, fun fantasy characters for such an amazing story this movie was really sorta blah. The opening scene was very frightening and violent despite not even being mentioned in the book. on the other hand it would have given some insight into why the children would have assumed Lusy was not quite right mentally. not that they ever went there in the movie. They added a buch iof stuff that didn't add to the movie and glossed over some very important things. The father Christmas scene. The turning point of the story was realy non-significant in the movie. As spring arrived they failed to focus on the queens growing frustration as she realizes she is being beaten. that was dissapointing. There was no score. A movie such as this, a place such a narnia demands sweeping grand powerful muic. there was a very tiny bit of music that was barely noticable and certainly didn't add to the movie at all. I think that was the most obviously lacking thing of all. What music their was was bland and completely unexciting. We saw a really bad production of this with cartoon animals and a really unfortunate looking Lucy. We absolutely hated it. It was like they tried to stick as close to that as possible. why? There is so much story to be told and it was like they didn't really try. Aslan was great, the witch was perfect (although there was a creepy pedophile feel when she interacted with edmond. it is hard to describe but it kinda grosed me out). I do hope there are future narnia movies (althoguh I will hesitate before droping $50 on it in the theaters - definitely worth waiting for the video or cheap theater) and I hope they are much better than this one. I think they can still make something family friendly and grand at the same time. Ya know that is what it was mising. the over all grandness of narnia.

Too much hollywood formula - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

A new formula has entered Hollywood. Find a long time favorite fantasy classic, throw a bunch of CGI graphics at it, ensure there is a mass combat and ignore other aspect of film making. Except for Lucy, the other three children (Peter, Susan and Edmond) are honestly but uninspiring portrayed. Swinton gives a great visual as the White Witch but her lines lack flair or charisma. In short, no one will walk around after this movie quoting its characters. But of course, Hollywood does not assume that anything such as good lines or character development are what the paying audience attends the theatre for ? the new formula says we show up for CGI mass combat grand finales. And that the movie delivers. The graphics are smooth and highly creative and the ebb and flow of the battle easy to follow (unlike the battles of Alexander) and true to the book. The only aspect of the battle that rang false was the horrible matching of lines and visuals. In every scene Peter?s army is shown clobbering the evil minions of the White Witch, but every line spoken by indicates that the opposite is occurring. Only the White Witch and her minotaur general is capable of doing anything other than throwing themselves upon the blades of a noble Narnian defenders. In Narnia, there is a conscious effort to remain true to the novels, something entirely disregarded by Jackson?s portrayal of characters in the LOTR trilogy. This is highly appreciated. Unfortunately this also included the one cop-out of the book?.where Aslan agrees to sacrifice himself for Edmund and then uses a loop-hole to get out of his part of the bargain. In Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus (Whom Aslan symbolizes) is shown backing out of his sacrifice and the remainder of the movie shows consequence of his decision. Fortunately, Jesus is permitted to repent, bring himself back to the cross and salvation ?accomplished?. No such moment exist for Aslan. Instead, we get to watch him kill the subdued and helpless White Witch without a moment of forgiveness or mercy. Hardly a complimentary tribute to the King of Christianity. SappyOmegaGuppy

Wasted potential - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I felt this movie was a good movie, but flawed majorly. First of all the movie was very faced paced and there is very little suspension. Because of this, it was hard for me to relate/care for the characters. Also the music was pretty well done, but I feel a more centralized theme is needed like Lord of the Rings, People left the theatres whistling the theme to LOTR, yet for Narnia, if you asked anyone to hum the them, 9 out of 10 times i bet no body could do it. This movie was yet entertaining especially since i read the book, yet certainly not as magical as what it could be

Good, but could have been better- - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

It was better than I expected, and I think it stayed true to the book. That being said, a few of the characters were somewhat disappointing. It was as if they were either trying too hard, or just being fake. Peter was not believable as a king, but the rest of the cast portrayed their roles as expected. It is worth going to see, but does not measure up to other movies of this caliber.

Moderate entertainment - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

This movie started slow, and if it wasn't for the cheesey comments by the talking beavers every few moments i would have dozed off! The fight scenes were weak at best, trying to keep this a kids action film and fantasy didn't work too well. Acting was ok, but it was just to hard to stay convinced by the "witch" who never seemed really evil enough, and the kids going into a war scene like "Braveheart" although the oldest could barely even hold up his sword! If you wanna watered down version of Harry Potter meets Troy, minus the magic and real action go spend 10 bucks and bring a pillow.

Tried and tested - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

C.S. Lewis to masterpiece to the big screen is not as easy as Shrek, but they did a good job even if it is not as great as Lord of the Rings. I know that the audience are clamoring for Lord of the Rings type of movies, but hey Peter Jackson is on the other movie and it would heck of a big difference if he decided to this one. The movie is about 4 Penesieve children named Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy who used the closest as gateway to another world. They said its actually Middle Earth as well. But from the looks of things it definitely looks like a computer generated imagery. If Aslan was not Liam Neeson, then the character would have diminished its charismatic role to a Nth degree. Neeson is very good especially with that voice that strikes with vigor and clamour from the audience. Neeson in a World War II film again. call the Oscars! The White Witch is Hot! She did a marvelous job of potraying the villain here. I didn't read the children books so the story for me is brand new. For a children movie with a PG rating is bad, since if they really wanted to make it good they could have shifted their market segmentation to the adult segment ala LOTR and make the movie worthy of action scenes parallel to it. Children don't need to see animals getting killed and the bloody action sequence. We already have enough violence already. Finally, I reckon the movie would do just ok from the very poor attendance in the movie theatre I am watching. But I did enjoy it to cool off from the hot weather here.

More childish than a cartoon!! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

The chronicle of Narnia is a joke, the world actually thinks that it shares the status of Lord of the Rings but in actual fact, it is far from LOTR, I do not think it is even fit to be categorized with this classic. Instead it reminds me of a Harry Porter movie...The kids in the movie can't act and i really have a hard time in figuring it out why the Narnia armies were so keen in fighing for these kids. Maybe this show is mend for kids afterall. As for mature fantasty hardcore fans, the only consolation lies in the magnificent Griffins. Another funny thing about this movie is that, these kids actually know how to fight and lead an army out of a blue. In conclusion, this movie is not really that great and it fails to tell you anything about the realism of war. It is uninspiring, boring and childish. Maybe critics are kind to it is due to the fact that it is adapted from a story book.. I would rather watched LOTR and Troy again...

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

Loved it! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I loved the movie. If you are a Christian, you should easily be able to see the types of Christ, (Aslan) and sinful man (Edmond) Satan (White Witch) sin's deception, and enslavement. The required payment for the penalty of sin (treason against the law, "don't eat of this tree Adam" ) and how satan (white witch) is the "accuser of the brethren". But how the law requires the blood of the guilty, but there is a way of escape, which is the blood of the completely innocent (Christ/Aslan) to pay for the sin of the guilty, and that is what Aslan (Christ) "chooses" to do. Available redemption through the blood of Christ, and the resurrection and final triumph of God, over sin, death, satan, evil is all here, in a fabulous presentation of the type. My whole family thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I can't say enough good about it. I hope it knocks hollywood's socks off. Just think, a family movie without one homosexual love triangle shoved down our throats, not one curse word, not one nude or love/sex scene, and people still love it! What will they think of next??

I've been waiting for this movie... - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I've been waiting for this movie to be made since I read the book when I was a kid. This move is truly one of the great ones. I recommend it anyone who loves fantasy and who goes to a movie to be enchanted. I will admit that there were a few slow parts, like when they kept looking into each other's eyes and thinking. (In the book, those parts wouldn't have been slow because the writer tells you what they are thinking. In a movie, you just see eyes and facial expression.) For those saying it?s like LOTR well, if that comparison is based of the fact that its fantasy with elements of war, magic, and themes of love then, I guess so. However, anyone who has read in the genre of fantasy would know that almost every story in that genre deals with war, magic, and themes of love. (Some even written before the great LOTR) Besides, how can saying, "a movie is like LOTR," be a bad thing? Unless, you didn't like LOTR. (That, in itself, would be wrong on so many levels.)

If you can't read it watch it! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

It followed the original animated film pretty much, but with more action, color, and realism. It seemed aslan was a real trained lion. Anyway this is neither the book nor the full collection of Narnia, but a fantastic movie, and I do plan on seeing it again.

The chronicles of disappointment - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

For a world of imagination peopled by mystical creatures, picturesque settings and grand adventure, Narnia sure lacks magic. Based on C.S. Lewis' novel, Chronicles' foray onto the big screen is less winning than it's literary counterpart. The initial introduction into the lives of the Penvensies siblings before they were packed off to the Professor, was well conceived. But after they stumble into Narnia through the wardrobe, their chemistry becomes seriously out of step. With the exception of the rebellious Edmund played by Skandar Keynes, the other three rugrats are rather flat and uninteresting. The other outstanding individual is Tilda Swinton who is deliciously evil as the White Witch. Hampered but a weak cast, uneven pacing and mediocre effects, "Chronicles" could have been much more than it is. But for a more discerning and sophiscated audience who had been exposed to classics like "The Lord Of The Rings", "The Chronicles of Narnia" is child's play in the company of the great adventure epics.

An wise advice for you - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

before i saw this movie, i saw the "huge" advertisements of this movie in many countries. looks like something "big n potential" great film was coming up. i couldn't wait for it. and finally ... i saw it in asia country 3 days ago. sums up...the result was dreadful. why? good about this film: 1. creative customs n the half-animals half human creatures (but not much!). 2. from the point of view as a "KIDS" story like this one, it isn't too bad (but not so good, just average!) i dunno .. hardly think of the good one here .. lets see the bad sides about it: 1. the ending can be describe as MOST STUPID, MINDLESS, RETARD, torturing ... (again .. they rush the ending) 2. some computer graphics were really BAD!!! who did the job???? 3. expected more magic world BUT ... i didn't see much of it!! LAZY PRODUCTION!!!! 4. the witch, the QUEEN who governs the whole place ... thought she has some really powerful magic, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT SHE ONLY COULD USE A WOODSTICK ... where's all the imagination??? 5. the final battle between good n evil, i was expected it like the "lord of the ring trilogy" ... BUT BUT BUT .. WHAT THE HECK? WHAT WAS THAT??? TRUST ME, IT was AWFUL!!! (it made up for kids, no blood no disgusting scenes) 6. LESS IMAGINATION! really, i expected MORE! 7. KINDA BORING after 10 minutes of the introduction ... really really slow whatever ... highly dissapointed. if ur expectation is high, u may have the same respond like i did. if u expecting this not too high, well u might had a good time in theater! just want to tell you ... if "harry potter compare to this" ... harry porter worth 100% and this worth "15%". SEE THE DISTANCE??????? but heck. its matter of personal preference. go see it and judge for urself. or perhaps if u have kids, probably they might like it. but as an adult like you ... well ... GOODLUCK!!!

A few roars and a big bite by the talking cat - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

Simply too simple. The Movie just couldn't live up to the written book. There's no character development and you won't know why. You will have No idea why the heck, these kids were chosen to be The King and Queen in this Narnia. You won't know What this big talking Cat is? Who's the Star for this movie? - Talking Cat, The Lion Aslan? Then, why do we know so little of it in this movie? Too little Aslan in action - Roaring, scrathing, a big bite and a few chit chatting ain't called action. Is the Cat that close with the Girls?I didn't see them talking at all.(The chicks were crying about the Death of the Cat) - The kids? Who cares about the lousy sword fight kids (Peter and Edmund) (they sucks - no skill) (the Centaurs, Cheetahs and Rhino, even the flying-talking-four legged bird stole the show) or the girls (Susan and Lucy) who have no talent in arrow and bow (pure negative energy for the battle). - The Ice Queen? She ain't that evil? She's like my mum that would yell and punish or silent us with her stick. She needs more Saruman's Evilish Character(LOTR) - The talking animal? Yeahh.. they look like a bunch of better actors and actresses I would say, this movie should have concentrated more on the character development and story development plus if it's about action movie, please bring in more action scenes. Please don't produce the 2nd movie with the same concept... it bores, coz I have seen it all. Movie timeline. Chap1 Bombing at London - Enemy At the Gates (Plane Bombing) + Twister (Running into the Shelter) Chap2 Going to the mansion by train - Harry Potter (Train Ride) Chap3 Found the Way to Narnia - Never Ending Story Chap4 Meeting with Aslan - Lion King Chap4 Bonus - Aslan is Dead and Alive - The Passion of Christ??? Chap5 Battle of Narnia - LOTR + Troy Chap6 Crowning the Kings and Queens - StarWars - New Hope (ending) p.s. did I mention Santa was in the movie too??? Merry X'mas.. ho ho ho...

Means do not always justify the end - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

The moral message behind this movie/story is obviously Christian, regardless of how Disney tries to protray it otherwise. However, just because the message is sound(which is debatable), any objectionable movie viewer cannot claim that this movie was well done. It is mediocore at best, and boredline terrible at worse. The means simply do not justify the ends. Its disturbing to read all of these A+ reviews simply because it had a Christian intonation or simply because of nostalgia for the book. Are you people CRAZY??? The Chronicles of Narnia - if I may add - was written by an author whom was against turning his book into a film, because he knew it would make a mockery of his book. Furthermore, I would even venture to say that when non christians watch this film they will associate a mediocore done film with a Christian message. If I am going to bring a Christian movie into the secular world or if I allow Disney to do so, it had better be at the the very best movie I can make. To do so otherwise is to make a mockery of my faith. For those people who blindly give this movie good reviews, well lets just say I already can see the backlash coming. Plz people, be rational!!! This movie left a bad taste in my mouth, and now I have finally figured out why. Just because something has a christian message, it does not that means justifies the end. e.g remember the crusades?

C'mon people!!! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

for whoever has read the book, this movie is AMAZING. and come on, if you havent read the book, its stiiiiilllll amazing. the acting, effects, visuals...EVERYTHING was great!!! =) GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Disappointingly lacking a plot, et al. - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

Yes, I read the books when I was in 6th grade. The movie I saw last night was SO slow. They could have trimmed 30 minutes out of it without even noticing. It took 30 minutes just to GET to Narnia. Although the character development is acceptable up to that point, WOW is it slow. The plot is so incredibly shallow. For example, why is there a war? Why was Narnia frozen for 100 years, why can peter become a swordmaster in a day? Why are white tigers "bad" and rhinos "good"? Why does the Wardrobe sometimes work and sometimes not? What does the professor know about the Wardrobe and what is his role? There is no method to Lewis' madness whatsover. For example, when saint nick gives peter the sword, perhaps have him say, "put your faith in this sword and it shall protect you, it is the sword of kings and its power is based on faith". Was it really that hard to make that up as a viable explanation for his sword skills AND I also created another thinly veiled Christian reference in doing so (that's two birds with one stone!)?? The cryptic references to "the prophecy" does nothing to explain when and where it was created and why. Please! Lord of the Rings does this in the first 15 minutes of the movie by explaining the rings, and then showing the first battle against Sauron. This movie plot, has been reduced to something even weaker than the "gobbly-gookeley" Harry Potter series, which is designed for kids - and for that, its great. Furthermore, the thinly veiled Christian parody is rather sad. Visually, a well constructed world and a well animated movie that contains weak moments of obvious blue screens. Look, think back on it: Kids go to country, kids find wardrobe/narnia, kids enter a war (reason unknown), kids return home - that's about all we know. Who was the witch, where did she come from, how long has she lived, how did she rise to power, what is the ancient magic they speak of, what is the stone table for, JEEZ!! I could go on for pages... Take your kids, perhaps they'll enjoy it, but if you have anything more than a gradeschool education, you'll be bored to tears.

From a diehard lewis fan... - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I've read the Narnia series every year for the last 25 years. While the movie deviates from the story line at certain points, the overall flow does an excellent job in keeping to Lewis' story. The director mixed in little details from that book that are probably transparent to many (i.e. a fly dies on a window sill), but that I really appreciated. The thematic movement of the book is really captured in the movies. This is a must see. I took my kids (9,7, and 5) and they all watched with rapt attention. The casting was superb. The only negative thing I could come up with was that I was slightly disappointed with the Aslan character, but only slightly. The CG lacked a little realism with the animals speaking, but how would you make it look real? :) If you are not familiar with the Narnia series, know that as you watch this movie, there are elements that are not in the book and many that are missing, but the story line is quite true to the book.

Narnia: a child 's imagination run's wild! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I saw this movie last night, and is in complete awe. I too have read the C.S Lewis series as a child, and it has met my expectations of what I felt as a child. As what Harry Potter is for our youth of today, the Narnia series is what we had when we were young. I trully beleive this is a must see for those that have read the series, and those that are willing for some fantasy magic. The characters are very much fitting, as many would have crtiqued the first of the HP series, the children are young and can definitely grow into their parts. The visuals are stunning and majestic, and the creatures of Narnia are realistic and in depth. Again this is a must see for those that are fans and those just up for a great movie!

This true narnian doesn't feel at home quite yet.. - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

If you are a true Narnia fan, and you found yourself jumping foreward in your seat every time you saw the Narnia preview in theaters, I'm sorry to say that you may be slightly dissapointed. Before I continue with my criticisms, let me first mention the things I am very pleased with about this movie. First, the plot-line stuck remarkably close to the book (if not too close). Second, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, and Jim Broadbent as the White Witch, Mr Tumnus, and Professor Kirk, respectively, were magnificent. Third, everything up until the Beavers' dam was just perfect. Perfect! It was magical, yet unfortunately the rest of the movie didn't live up to its promise. In the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first mention of Aslan is when Mr Beaver whispers to the children, "Aslan is on the move - perhaps has already landed." At this point in my reading, a shiver went down my spine. Aslan is only mentioned in precious whispers, as if even the thought of him might drive him away. You constantly read that he is not a tame lion, adding to his gradeur and power. The movie fails miserably in conveying the same sense of mystery, power, magnificence, wonder, and hope. His introduction to the movie is contained within Mr Beaver's screamings of, "what do you mean you dont know who Aslan is!?!? You've never heard of the prophesy?!?!" If you've seen the fourth Harry Potter movie, then you will understand me when I say that Mr Beaver's introduction of Aslan is as fundamentally WRONG as the scene where Dumbledore shoves Harry against the wall and askes how Harry got his name in the Goblet of Fire. This is NOT how it is supposed to happen. In the movie, you don't hear anything about Aslan again until you finally meet him, which makes for a very dissapointing meeting. And when the children meet Father Chistmas, it doesn't help matters when he gives the CHILDREN credit for his return. He says (something along the lines of), "I am here again because you children have given hope to Narnia." Bull crap, I say. Father Chistmas is there because Aslan is there and he is breaking the frosty spell of the White Witch. Also, the transition from winter into summer is so sudden that it has lost all of its magic, and once again, this little miracle is not credited to Aslan. For the creator and savior of Narnia, Aslan is dissapoiningly unimpressive. If you've read all seven books (especially The Magician's Nephew), you know that Narnia belongs to the talking animals. They are the people, the heart and soul, of Narnia. Wenever there was a battle scene or a group shot of Narnians in the movie, I mostly saw mythical creatures: centaurs and fauns and other humanoids. Yes they are citizens and people of narnia, too, but Narnians are mostly animals. These animals are sigificantly under-represented in the movie, and when they are there, I feel like they are circus performers. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Beavers in the movie, but my strongest case for this argument is Phillip the horse and Peter's mute Unicorn. Before Edmund even mounted Phillip, he would have known that Phillip is a talking horse. It is only with special permission or in grave circumstances (eg. war) that one is allowed to ride a talking animal. So the idea that Edmund is oblivios of the fact that he is riding a talking horse is preposterous. It comes off as a cute trick when the horse turns his head around to declare "my name is Phillip." You may think I'm being nit-picky about this issue and the Phillip incident, but watch the movie again and notice how few talking animals you actually see (the main characters don't count). Side note: the fact that Phillip the horse can talk but Peter's unicorn cannot is also rediculous. Riding a unicorn is an even larger privelage than riding a talking horse. As far as the battle scenes go, I'm sorry, but you cannot justify a sacrifice scene and then turn around and take all of the blood and violence out of the battle. There are too many slow motion scenes in the battle; as a result, it drags. Also, Peter and Edmund have not been developed enough to be convincing as warriors. Overall, it was an average adaptation. It's not as fantastic as Lord of the Rings, but nor is it as abysmal as the fourth Harry Potter movie. Go see it on a rainy day, but I wouldn't suggest going out of your way to see it.

See narnia for what it is. - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

the acting is wasn't very noteworthy, perhaps because child actors are very young and often inexperienced. and i felt that family was hardly believable. they are siblings. even though each of them with their distinct personalities, there seemed to lack the closeness of real brother and sister relationship. regardless of the performance, i felt that the movie should be seen for what it was, a children's tale. there might be some hic-ups here and there. graphics momentarily look horribly fake, cheesy moment here and there, and some poor directing choices. overall, it was a movie that a child can easily understand and relate to. it's a story about love, sacrafice, betrayal, forgiveness, loyalty, courage, and many other rich and worthy elements that challenge the heart. people who love imagine and dream will enjoy this movie.

Lost in translation - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

Considering the brilliance of the source material, director Andrew Adamson's adaptation of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" is disappointing. Though part of C.S. Lewis' magic is leaving much of Narnia to the imagination, Adamson has taken a minimalist approach to Narnia, leaving much of what should be awe insipiring bland and un-palpable. The special effects reek of a "made for TV movie." However, Aslan was handled very well. Overall, "The Lion..." is hit and miss. Unfortunately, the film misses where it matters most: The adaptation fails to bring Narnia to life.

Omg could it have been any better?!?!?!!! - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I'm still on a high, i got home only half an hour ago. There was a little girl in front of me in the queue for tickets tonight, she was anxious and asking her dad how long it would be till she could see this film, she said "i've been waiting all week!" I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "I've been waiting most of my life!!" And golly was the wait worth it. Characters could not have been more perfectly cast. As with Lord of the Rings, it was as if the casting director had reached in my head and taken my images of the characters and made them flesh! Even the CGI characters were perfect, and as for Aslan.. well, you have to se it to understand. There are many comparisons and references to Narnia and Lord of the rings, and there are similarities of course as Lewis and Tolkien were best friends and founding members of a writing club that met in pubs to share their stories in England back in the day. I cannot recommend highly enough this film and the message it conveys. GO AND SEE IT!!

Incredible experience - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I have never been so pulled in to a world a fantasy before---not even with Lord of the Rings. The story line runs deeper in imagination and symbolism than I thought was even possble for the great C.S. Lewis. PERFECTION, GENIUS, GREATNESS. The best and most realistic CGI ever seen breaths life in to every mystical character. Miss this on on the big screen and you will kick yourself for a long time. I will see it again today. My mind is still wandering in Narnia.

Love of the books doesn't justify top movie grades - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

The C.S. Lewis novels are a fantastic piece of work, but love of the books doesn't justify blind praise for the movie. In fact, just the opposite is true. These quality novels demand quality production in the movie, and this effort just fell flat.

What are they teaching in schools these days? - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

When writing a review of a movie based on a much adored book, it?s tempting to dwell on how wonderful the message of the original story was, but this is misleading if the film doesn?t do it justice. After all, labeling a movie ?Christian? does not necessarily make it good any more than carrying a business card with a fish on it makes a plumber good. Your Christian plumber may be a good man, but if he consistently does a poor job of repairing your pipes, then why would you recommend him to your neighbor? So let?s render unto Ebert and Roeper the things that are Ebert?s and Roeper?s and judge this movie on its own merits. To begin with, a lot of user reviews mention the shortcomings of the visuals, but I think their complaints tend to minimize the artistic achievements of the film, which are significant. Admittedly, there are a few animated characters that look somewhat less than realistic and a few minor details that could have been handled better, but they aren?t distractive enough to detract from the overall appearance of the film. Likewise, many reviewers complain about poor acting, but I think they are mistakenly attributing failures in the script or direction to the actors themselves. For example, in one scene where Lucy brandishes her knife in what was apparently intended to be a threatening manner, the audience actually laughed. It might be easy to blame actress Georgie Henley for not pulling this scene off, but in truth, the blame lies with the scriptwriters, who thought such a scene would be convincing, and the director, who directed Henley to play it straight. Perhaps it would have been more convincing to have her play it as a distraught, frightened child rather than trying to pass a ten-year old girl off as a ferocious warrior. But here as elsewhere, Adamson?s direction was remarkably ill-tuned to his actors? talents. No, it wasn?t the acting. The children were well cast and carried off their roles remarkably well. Likewise, Tilda Swinton was stone-cold as the icy witch Jadis. The fact that most of the characters seemed one-dimensional should be attributed to the writing instead. Yes, each child has a particular trait that identified him, but this results in character ?types? defined purely by that one feature rather than in dynamic, believable characters. As the cautious older sister, Susan never fails to gripe about risks and constantly berates Peter for putting Edmund or Lucy in danger. And Edmund, ever the black sheep of the family, seems motivated purely by short-sighted obstinacy. Lucy is always darling Lucy, and Peter is ever the burgeoning leader who never quite seems to bloom. And that?s pretty much how they come across in every single scene. It?s almost as if Adamson deliberately bypasses opportunities to portray an apologetic Susan, a repentant Edmund, or a decisive Peter on screen, assuming that viewers will fill in the gaps in the story with their own memories of missing dramatic scenes, and that all he need do is show them all happy and united in the end. And that lack of development, on the whole, was the main problem with this movie. The film rushes so quickly from one dramatic situation to the next that it fails to portray the effects of these events on the characters in a convincing manner. All the reactions comes across as canned. It?s next to impossible to believe that the centaur who swears to fight to the death for King Peter really means it, because not once has it been shown the Peter is worth it. Instead, the audience is expected to take it for granted that Peter?s a courageous warrior because, after all, that?s his destiny. The amazing thing about the Chronicles of Narnia was not that C.S. Lewis wrote a Christian allegory; it was that he wrote an entertaining Christian allegory. It?s a shame we can?t say the same for this movie. And yet people continue to flock to the theaters in droves because, after all, it?s not as if your eight year old would know the difference anyway. But let?s hope that in future productions of the Chronicles, Adamson and his script writers will keep rule #1 of dramatic writing in mind: show, don?t tell. And for those of you who insist on giving this an unqualified A+ and are old enough to know better, maybe it?s time you learn to differentiate what you want to see with what?s really there. My heavens, what are they teaching in schools these days?

The great lion,the evil witch,the magical wardrobe - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

Wow. Simply wow. That is all I can say after having the luxury of screening this movie a day early. The visuals are gorgeous, the music is beautiful--everything is simply amazing. This movie takes us to the world of Narnia. I will say that as a movie, this is excellent. Those unfamiliar with the book will enjoy it. I did read it, and I will tell all of you who have read it as well--you will not be disappointed. Sure, some dialogue is left out; some scenes are cut and/or extended; and some things are not explained--but this is the MOVIE version of Narnia. If we want it exactly as the book, we might as well just read it again. This film stays true to the important and outstanding parts from the book, and I was simply awed. Tilda Swinton plays an excellent and very cold White Witch--she was indeed convincing. Her portrayal of Jadis is very well-done. The scenery, the magical creatures--just stupendous. People are calling this a miniature Lord of the Rings. Well of course--C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien were friends, so it would make sense. I have already said all I could say about this wonderful film. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful =)

A timeless classic - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

This is my first review and I wont hold any punches for any of the idiots who post movie reviews with broken english and act like Narnia copied Harry Potter. And then somehow you find 25 other equally stupid people to agree with you? Pick up a flute and march your band of idiots off the cliff. I'm surprised that your mother's body didn't just consume your idiotic bodies for fuel.

A true fan....a true disapointment - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I've been a loyal fan of the Chronicles ever since i was about 13( i'm 29 now), and I can still remember the sheer magic i entered into one cold day i was flipping thru the tv channels and came across this strange, inchanting, story being played out on public televison. Of course that was the BBC production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe way back in the late 80's(or early 90's). After that day i fell in love with the concept and read all the books and was hooked into Narnia. Yes we all know by now that we've grown up some is that that production in many ways was very low budget and sometimes cheesy and corny. But...the rest that was there was pure magic...and now fast forward to the present...when we've all been waiting now for years and years to finaly see it done with today's technology and fully show Narnia's full wide scape. Well last night during a midnight showing I finally got my wish.....but then slowy....and then very hurrily ..my wish got crushed. There are actually too many things about the movie that i didnt like to mention i think....where do i start????....i'm so very disapointed....ok well not 100%.....but still to wait for this for all these years and now get this...its very sad...I dont exactly know whos fault it is....Disney....the director...the screenwriters.....Hollywood....a little of all i suppose.....so i guess lets get to the dissapointments....and i'm sorry if i tend too much to compare this new movie to that of the BBC production but I cant help it, that one stuck to the matierial much better.....anyway first...I do agree with alot of other reviewers the music was pretty uninspirering and lame....the beginning of the movie was horrible...that really wasnt needed(the bombings..or least the way they did them)....The WHOLE movie seemed way too RUSHED first off ...every scene!...where was the introduction to the professor?....the entry into the wardrobe by Lucy was ok....but still never got that great sense of wonder and excitment..seemed to rushed....the woods around Lantern Waste seemed very fake and too well lit...it's suppose to be night time!...I honestly really didnt care for James as Tumnus....he played it too modern, too young. But his faun legs were pretty good. The first scene we see the White Witch is one of my very favorites in the book and BBC movie....and of course they messed it up....the whole scene again seemed very rushed....I liked when she first pulled up...but the dwarf should'nt "capture" Edmund like that...and then Tilda played it down wayyy too much i thought....she didnt even seemed suprised at seeing a human...i would have loved her to camp it up a little bit...i mean she is Jadis...she isnt human, thats the point she came from a dying world and she was ruthless...i think she played her too human most of the time....her eyes were great though....i think Tilda was best at the Stone table scene(although Barbara Kellerman in the BBC edition was very over-the-top ..she was far more true to the character than Tilda's)..thats when she really felt into the character the most to me...father christmas scene also was very strange and rushed...didnt really like mr. beavers character in the movie at all....the captain of the secert police..his voice..hated that, why was his accent AMERICAN? No presents to mr. and mrs. beaver???. really hated the frozen waterfall scene. that wasnt needed and took time from other things.... there was no Edmund struggling within himself...Tumnus in the cell wasnt needed, nor was effetive...not much back history shown of narnia at all..not much showing of the wonderful landscapes either....again the stone table scene with all the witche's minons was pretty good(prob the closet i came to being satisfied in the whole thing)....everything after seemed very fast....and they didnt show Aslan getting everyone out of the witches lair...no giant Rumblebuffin lines??...no showing of Aslan FLYING with the girls???...the battle was at some points nicely done...but overall if they would have given a little more time to fill narnia out...make it a little more fantasical...i dont know...the whole thing seemed like too much, but also too little,... condensed into a fast-paced, americanized, Disney package. I know kids wont sit thru 3 hours much...but if you make it worthy enough to sit thru...then its possible ..was proved with LOTR and Potter. Sad after ALL these years of waiting...and HP and LOTR's getting much more an elegant and serious treatments...that Narnia had to end up like this.

Made this 37 year old feel 12 again... - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

I couldn't wait for the midnight show opening day...and I wanted to watch it again as soon as it was over at 2:30 AM! No other written fiction captured my imagination as a boy as did the Chronicles of Narnia. I was nervous that I'd be let down. I wasn't! This movie has brought the books to life and has just lept to the head of my all time favorite list. I was fortunate to have a handful of movies that struck me as a young man with a nearly "life changing" force (my list included movies like Star Wars, Superman) those movies stuck with me for days or weeks...but since I entered my teen years no movie had since gripped me the same way until today. I'm not a big fan of "christian" movies that only preach at you, but I love any movie that is honest about human emotion -and this film is. If you ever dreamed of great achievement in your youth... If you ever wanted to be the hero... If you ever messed up bad and needed to feel forgiven... You'll love this film. I give it my first ever A+ rating accross the board. See this film and take the kids.

Pretty cool, handful of disappointments - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

No plot spoilers here. The movie was cool, but had a handful of disappointments that kept it from being great. Mostly visual disappointments. Many scenes with the wolves (usually from a slight distance) looked fake, like, really computer generated looking. Pretty much all of the other creatures in Narnia looked awesome. There were some scenes with the kids in which they didn't look like they were actually IN the scene. Like, they didn't match with the background, and stood out from it. Almost like they were standing in front of a screen that was showing the world behind them. Also, the short time you see a couple of giants on the white witch's side... they looked rediculous. Like a couple of tall guys you'd pass in the store while shopping. There were also some fairly boring parts to the movie... unless I was just tired, which is possible. On the upside, other than those, the visuals were pretty good. The battle scenes completely rocked - some of the best I've seen in a movie. The acting was good, although the little girl always seemed like she was smiling even when I'm pretty sure she was supposed to be upset. I'm also guessing the movie would have been cooler if I didn't remember all of the main events from when I read the book many years ago. Overall, I'd say it was definitely worth seeing!

My dear wormwood: - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

How did this movie get by us and into theatres? I thought we'd been relieved of C.S.Lewis years ago! This story has the mark of The Enemy all over it and is to be taken very, very seriously! All we can do is remind the patient as he watches this movie that virtues such as courage, and valor, and altruism are only fit for children and children's movies. Mention to the patient that in the "Real World" (his own euphemism for greed and lust and laziness and all sorts of transgressions against The Enemy) such virtue is laughable, even "cute", and very, very childish! We're going to have a fight on our hands with this one. It doesn't help that the acting was excellent, the children were great and the animation was superior. Where did they get that lion? Oh, well--we can't win them all. After he sees the film, remind the patient of his last income tax return and he'll be ours once again. Yours affectionately, Screwtape

Narnia, a world for kids and adults - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

We've all read the book in grade school and if not, then most likely upon seeing the trailers you went out to your local library to check it out. And if you've read the book and have fallen in love with the story of Narnia, you will not be disappointed in this movie. And what's great about it is that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a short enough novel that almost nothing that was in the book was left out of the movie. The visuals were awesome, you fall in love with the characters, and you become captivated with the story. To see how these children change and grow from beginning to end is inspiring both for children and adults, and the magical aspect of the world of Narnia is sure to appeal to all. Watch the movie and you won't be disappointed.

"narnia" is a magnificent film - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Reviews

?The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? is a magnificent film. After the success of ?The Lord of the Rings? and ?Harry Potter? on film, there is already a high standard that has been set for film adaptations of beloved novels and stories. C. S. Lewis? classic story of the land beyond the wardrobe has been brought to the screen with grace and care. There is no lavish spectacle that takes the viewer?s mind off of the story?even though there are times when the visuals are awe inspiring. With such a short story to follow, the screenwriters had the task of ?filling in? the blanks to create a film with some length beyond that of a TV movie. This was done with care and without added subplots or rabbit trails that distracted from the original story. Andrew Adamson?s direction was noteworthy. Having only directed the ?Shrek? films, this was no small task to undertake?and he did it well. The children, who could easily have been the films downfall if miscast, were excellently directed and the film as a whole was a success because of the care that Adamson put into it. There were more than a few moments where Adamson relied too heavily on suspense to build unneeded tension in a scene?but it did not pass the point of tolerance. The acting of the children was wonderful. They believably became siblings and the characterization of the children was matched so well with the characters in the book. The most notable acting in the film was that of Tilda Swinton. Her portrayal of the White Witch/Jadis was absolutely chilling. She was kind and eerie at the same time and did very well when it came to playing the manipulative side of the Witch. The supporting cast was excellent. Jim Broadbent as the professor was absolutely delightful and no other actor could have brought the same charm to the role. The visuals were the weakest part of the film. With today?s technology in CGI, there is no excuse for poor special effects. Regretfully, WETA only had a say in the physical special effects?like that of the beasts and the elaborate costuming. The digital work was shoddy and could have been much better. Aslan did look good and believable, but perhaps they spent all of there time trying to perfect that aspect of the digital animation and ran out of time to work on anything else. The natural landscapes were exhilarating and the cinematography was well done. All of the sets that were used were wonderful and added great color to the story. The screenplay was very well done. At times, there were moments that went on a little too long?but for the most part, the film had good pacing. The adaptation of the book was one of the best in recent years. There was little deviation to the original text and the main story points were all covered. C. S. Lewis? work has been made into a fine film which will hopefully cause others to go back and read the original text. Remember, there are seven books in all and this story only touches the surface of the world of Narnia. The film was excellent and I plan on seeing it again several times?it is one of the best this season.