Cheap Cds - The Chronicles Of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe [2005]

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Doesn't compare to the BBC serialisation
Comment: One useless motionless animatronic lion, two distinguished thespians dressed in beaver outfits and
plenty of crap pasted on animations when you can't afford the special effects. Faded are those
precious childhood memories of Sunday afternoons in front of the TV, watching the BBCs serialisation
of The Chronicles of Narnia. Now in the glorious age of digital computer wizardry we have a film so
realistic it loses some of its magical fairytale quality. However, the film still delivers a
powerful and unambiguous story.

The film follows the four Pevensie siblings who are
evacuated from the horror of London during the Blitz to stay in an old mysterious country house. It
is the youngest, Lucy, who climbs into the wardrobe and finds herself in the magical world of
Narnia, brimming with bizarre talking creatures, all under the spell of the White Witch.
/>In an attempt to reverse recent trends Disney (using the imagination of WETA (the team behind Lord
of the Rings) and director Adam Adamson (the genius behind Shrek)) has splashed $150 million on
taking C.S.Lewis' children's classic to the big screen. For a director who has earned his name
working on fantasy productions, you'd expect fun. Check. Drama. Check. A visual scale and wonder
reflecting the majesty of the book. Unfortunately not. The early scenes in the woods feel more magic
tree [air freshener] than magic forest and the queen's magisterial ice palace looks strangely
similar to my undefrosted freezer.

The film is scripturally streamlined and also shows
willing to slow things down to feature some poignant scenes - such as Aslan's sacrifice on the stone
table. However, the movie again falls short with the cinematic highlights being few and far between,
leaving the film feeling understated and lacking in emotional gravitas. That is at least until the
climactic battle which, as expected, is the film's high point and does feel suitably epic with all
manner of wonderful magical creatures doing battle. The simple joy of seeing vertically challenged
evil henchmen facing up to mighty rhinos is worth the ticket price alone.

Any
shortfalls the film has are certainly made up for by some terrific acting and the old cliché of
never work with animals or children can be put to the back of your mind - finding talking animals
can never be an easy task for a casting director. The children also shine in their roles and are
sufficiently restrained as to surpass the tweeness of the BBC serialisation. A great supporting cast
make the acting a joy to watch - Tilda Swinton is inconspicuous but still chilling as The White
Witch, Liam Neeson is credible as the noble Aslan and James McAvoy is a lot less camp than you'd
imagine as the bumbling Mr.Tumnus.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a dynamic
and warming adaptation which should set the pace for the entire franchise, though don't expect a new
Lord of the Rings.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Rather enjoyable
Comment: I admit it. I thouroughly enjoyed this film. I also admit to never having read the book which isn't
like me. It seems that for fans of the book, the movie is a miss.

Firstly it's
visually stunning. Ok, so most of it is CGI but the contrasts between the snowy wilderness of
Narnia's winter, the de frosting river and the sun drenched battlefield sucked me right in. />
I found the acting ok if I'm honest. Liam Neeson is well cast as the voice of Aslan, he
seems to try for a Mustafa (Lion King) type role with the deep yet gentleness of his voice. William
Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Poppelwell and Georgie Henley are okay in their roles, some being more
likable than others. I know people are saying Henley is the next Dakota Fanning and I realise she is
only a child, but I did find her character smug and almost irritating at times. As menioned, her
relationship with James McAvoy's character Mr Tumnus seems quite forced. However, I found that
McAvoy and Tilda Swinton's parts to be well played and Swinton certainly made me squirm as
Jadis.

I don't think I need to go into the whole Aslan/Christ comparison as it's the
basis of the film, but this is the one part I remembered from hearing the story in my childhood.
Aslan is an inspirational character even if his part in this film does seem slightly minimal if I'm
honest. It's a case of bung him in at the end and hope that he's built up sufficiently for the
duration of the film. Sadly, he isn't. I don't think there is enough emphasis put on the importance
of Aslan prior to seeing him. From the little I know of the story, I know he needs and deserves a
bit more time than he got.

All in all an enjoyable film. However, I intened to read the
books to get a clearer picture of the story.

Customer Rating:

Summary: good family film
Comment: This film has some very good aspects, the landscape in particular is spectacular, the effects are
not perfect but better than average, and I feel it is quite good as a Lord Of The Rings type film
for younger children. I also feel it is quite good at condensing the book down otherwise it would
have been way too long. The children actors weren't great as they were slightly wooden at times but
overall an ok film. I can see why die-hard book fans wouldn't like the film but it must be noted
that the film has been made in different times to those of when the book was written, moral messages
and character portrayal have to be toned down for an audience who dont want to be given a moral and
want action not characterisation.

Overall an average film, good for a family to watch,
but maybe not for older people.

Customer Rating:

Summary: This is the total opposite to what C.S Lewis would have wanted...
Comment: Everything good about Narnia has suddenly become nothing. The beavers are appauling characters and
Mr. Beaver, for example, shouldn't reffer to Aslan as 'a cool geezer'. This is close to disgraceful.
In the book and in the 1980's BBC series Aslan was the most mystical, most sacred being in all
existence and here he is a 'cool geezer'.
This is vastly inferior to the BBC series (Aslan
was true to Aslan more as a robot or guy in a suit [as shown on the BBC series] rather than a CGI
bunch on nonesense that has no character, depth or warmth). The reason why Lord of the Rings was so
successful was because they didn't flaunt all of the effects, they didn't make a show of it. Instead
they used the effects to tell a story so that no one would even take the time to even consider the
effects.

The acting is very poor in this film as well, they children just aren't
believable as characters. I feel very sorry for the children of this generation, and am so glad that
I was born upon the decade that I was so that I can enjoy Narnia as it's meant to be enjoyed, as
something that should inspire dreams rather than the shallow, video-game generation.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Beautiful and (almost) perfect
Comment: It has been a few years since I read C.S. Lewis' magical tale, so perhaps that is why I accept this
film much more readily than die-hard book fans. However, this movie IS well-made. Although the
story is compressed, Narnia comes to life. The panoramic splendor of New Zealand, the gorgeous
special effects and perhaps most of all, the soaring music all make a vivid, textured back-drop to
the story.

I think you have to think of "Narnia" also as a movie/story in its own
right; the characters of the four children are changed and exaggerated to give room for development.
Peter is the well-meaning eldest, trying to replace their lost father when he is basically still a
child; Susan is the "smart one", almost hyper-rational, and she must learn to doubt her loved ones
less; Edmund is quite a weakling, a sulky selfish little boy, but I like him because you can see the
guilt that plagues him, which makes his final transformation more convincing; Lucy is always the
ideal child, trusting, innocent, single-minded and brave. Yet her vulnerability is partly what
brings this fragmented family back together.

I give this movie four stars because there
were a few things I didn't agree with. The acting is ocasionally stiff and I found the White
Witch's costume irritating (why is she wearing an inverted cone around her torso?). But the visual
impact of her palace was awesome. As time wears on (and visual technology improves), Aslan looks
less convincing, but I still love how his mane shimmers when he moves and the expressiveness of his
face.

This is a very personal creation, a very specific vision of Narnia, but
beautifully crafted one. I would rather see a director's heartfelt version than something utterly
debased by trying to please everyone. The characters are heavier, the story less innocent and
childlike, and the Christian allegories are minimised. But the morals are still there, C.S. Lewis'
beautiful tale about the human nature of good and evil, embodied in four "ordinary" children.

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