Here is a rather interesting review I published back in 2005 upon the release of the first film in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The WItch, and the Wardrobe.
I say interesting because I missed the mark with this review. The film was a huge disappointment for me, and I figured it would be for audiences as well. I was wrong. Wardrobe went on to much box office and critical success. In my review I say I doubt we'd see another Narnia film, and of course I was wrong about that too, as Prince Caspian has been released and Voyage of the Dawn Treader is filming now.
Finally, in the review below you'll read my anger that Santa Claus appears in the film, not remembering he also appeared in the book. I got a lot of e-mail about that mistake, and it taught me a lesson about reviewing film - do your research!
From December of 2005, here's my review of the first Narnia flick.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Release Date: December 9th, 2005
Director: Andrew Adamson
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy
Rating: PG
In what is surely the biggest disappointment of the year, (unless you had high hopes for Dukes of Hazzard and c'mon, who didn't?) the latest adaptation of C.S. Lewis' highly esteemed story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe falls short in almost every department, from acting, to costumes, to score. The first published book in the seven volume Chronicles of Narnia series, Wardrobe has been adapted before for television and radio with varying degrees of success but has never had a proper big screen treatment. Sadly, it still hasn't.
When I saw the poster for the movie months ago, I could tell the studio was going for a Lord of the Rings vibe, and I expected something as epic. The Narnia stories certainly deserve an epic presentation, but instead we get a lame kid's flick with substandard special effects and acting, which will likely let down fans of the legendary series. The story, which you probably read in grade school, is ostensibly about a fantasy land in the middle of a 100 year winter with no Christmas, (I don't remember a cameo from SANTA CLAUS in the book, but there is one here in all its cringe-inducing glory) and the young children who find their calling as kings and queens in the land of Narnia. It's also a famous Christian Allegory, featuring a Noble-Lion-As-Messiah.
The problems with the movie start right away, with the lead roles being played by four of the worst child actors I have seen onscreen since Ice Cube's Are We There Yet? There are talented young actors out there but these four do not make the grade. It's a credit to the Harry Potter films that THOSE kids are so very good in their character's skin, but here we just get awkward performances. If you don't believe these kids in their roles how can you believe the fantasy world they're thrown into?
When C.S. Lewis' friend J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books were adapted for the big screen, you could feel Director Peter Jackson's reverence for the material shining though his films. The Narnia books are equally respected, and so it's too bad they chose a special effects guy (Andrew Adamson) who has never before worked extensively with actors to helm the film. Adamson is clearly out of his league directing live actors, but at least the special effects are great, right? Um, sort of.
One of the new scenes not found in the book is a battle between the kids and some wolves on a frozen waterfall. This scene looks horrible not only because the wolves are not believable, but because the frozen ground is clearly a soundstage! Shame on WETA! You can do so much better! (WETA is a respected SFX crew, for all of you non-geeks out there.) There are some things to recommend this picture, notably Tilda Swinton's work as Jadis the White Witch (I am sure she thought she was filming a much better movie) and Aslan the Lion, who simply looks amazing, sticking out like the one good piece of work in a sea of bad special effects. And Liam Neeson is an inspired choice for Aslan's voice.
C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples to his momma) was a fan of the radio adaptations of his books but was opposed to a film version, saying he was "absolutely opposed" to any attempt to produce "anthropomorphic animals" on film, and previous attempts to do so resulted in "buffoonery or nightmare." All these years later, I say we should have listened to him. It's a shame these special effects are so bad, because they COULD have been so good, if more attention was paid to detail, and perhaps more talented CGI artists worked on the film.
I doubt this film will please Narnia fans, and I would be surprised if the second published book, Prince Caspian, was adapted at all. If you truly want to experience Narnia the way C.S. Lewis envisioned it, don't go to the cinema, stay at home and read his books.
Tomorrow: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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