"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.