The hard-core may experience the thrill of recognition. But the rest of us can be forgiven a perfectly appropriate giggling fit.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:202
Fresh:151
Rotten:51
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: With first-rate special effects and compelling storytelling, this adaptation stays faithful to its source material and will please moviegoers of all ages.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for battle sequences and frightening moments.
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:08-12-2005
Synopsis: Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe... Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe during World War II--sends Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmond (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) off to stay at a professor's country estate. Away from London and under the care of a strict housekeeper, they are instructed to stick to themselves and stay out of trouble. But when an innocent game of hide-and-seek leads young Lucy to a spare room containing a large wardrobe, she discovers something that will change their lives forever. Inside the wardrobe there is a world frosted with ice and filled with magical beings. Known as Narnia, the land is stuck in eternal winter at the hands of the cruel White Witch, played with great force by the pale, strong-featured Tilda Swinton. When she steps back into reality, Lucy struggles to convince her skeptical siblings of the things she's seen. After much disbelief, the others finally enter the world as well, learning that the creatures of Narnia have long been waiting for humans like themselves to appear and break the witch's spell. But in order to be of any help to the lovable talking beavers, fawns, foxes, and centaurs that they meet, the four will have to face betrayal by one of their own as Edmond cracks under the witch's tempting offer of unlimited Turkish Delights. Under the leadership of the great lion Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson), can Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and the oldest, Peter, prove themselves heroes in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil? High-budget special effects, impressive performances by the film's young newcomers, and beautiful set design move this film far beyond previous television adaptations. [More]
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, James Cosmo, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Rupert Everett, Kiran Shah
Director: Andrew Adamson
Director: Andrew Adamson
Screenwriter: Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Producer: Mark Johnson
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Reviews for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch,...
Adamson should stick to animated ogres. Narnia lovers should stick to their books.
Rarely has there been such a seamless blending of digital creations and live actors. ...a classy kick-off to what should be a highly rewarding series of fantasies.
It can be a good thing, St. Paul tells us, to put away childish things. But it is sometimes an even better thing to pick them up again.
I mean 'childlike' in the best sense, evoking a sense of awe and innocence in the face of challenges. This is art as well as entertainment and it operates at a sophisticated level.
As the rare offering that plays well to the entire family it’s a welcome addition to this holiday season.
It's quite an array of fantastic visions that Adamson and the animators had to create, and the very scope and depth of their mission is impressive.
Adamson seems more comfortable with animated characters than real ones.
The result is mostly engaging, but rarely soars or sings with imagination, poetry, whimsy or the sort of surprise that can take your breath away.
It's a sturdy adaptation, and if The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe doesn't capture the magic of C.S. Lewis' books, it comes a fair sight close to catching it.
Is, and was probably specifically designed, to be Lord of the Rings-Lite
The film seems more like a Saturday at the movies than a magical event, but that doesn't mean that it's not a well-rendered version of Lewis' endearingly slender novel.
To its credit and power, the film allows them a reach that exceeds any one religion's grasp.
One only wishes the movie had been rendered more artfully. The dialogue is impossibly clunky, the characters are completely one-dimensional, and the magic is all too mechanized to allow anyone over the age of 8 or 9 to believe in Narnia.
It's more yawn-inspiring than awe-inspiring, especially for those who haven't read the book.
It would be easy to brush off The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Lord of the Rings-light. Very light. But the film really isn't even that good.
It's allegorical and imaginative, although literary subtlety is lost to the patently obvious.
The obvious comparison is to 'Lord of the Rings' -- but when Peter Jackson creates the most awe-inspiring battle scene since Kurosawa, the bar is too high for Andrew Adamson.
The Chronicles of Narnia so vividly captures the magic of the book that Harry Potter might just want to watch his back.
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