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The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is perhaps the most un-PG rated
children’s film ever made. Packed with special effects, epic
battle sequences, fantastical characters and occasionally annoying
children, the first of several Narnia adaptations from C.S. Lewis’
books is action-packed and exciting. A bit lengthy at times and
overdramatic at others, The Chronicles of Narnia is still off to
a good start with this rewarding fantasy film that blends the magic
of Harry Potter with the adventure of The Lord of the Rings.
The Pevensie family is separated due to the growing dangers of World War II, and the four young children are shipped off to the country for safekeeping. Arriving at the monstrous mansion of Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent), they realize that fun may elude them during their entire stay. Peter, the eldest, tries to govern over the other three, but he often scolds cynically and unnecessarily, and forgets that they are all just children. Lucy is the oldest girl, and she is the most reasonable of the group, taking care to keep a level head during every situation. Edmund is the troublemaker, who whines incessantly, and lets his jealousy of others’ attention cloud his judgment. He is not evil, but too easily persuaded into jeopardous situations. And finally there’s Lucy, the youngest of the four, a little girl who is really only interested in mischievousness and games. Lucy discovers a giant wardrobe tucked away in a dusty room,
and climbs inside during an innocent game of hide-and-seek. Serving
as an unexplainable portal, the back of the wardrobe leads to
an entirely different world – one that is cursed with winter
snows and ruled by a twisted tyrant. When Lucy meets the half-human,
half-goat faun Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), he explains that she
is in Narnia, a world of magic and wonder and mythical creatures.
Initially, Lucy has great difficulty convincing her siblings of
Narnia’s existence, but eventually the lot of them stumble
into the Narnian war that has been brewing between the evil White
Witch (Tilda Swinton) and the righteous Aslan (voiced by Liam
Neeson) that will result in prophecies unfolding and the children
being forced to become heroes and warriors. |
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The Chronicles of Narnia
keeps up the audience’s interest with plenty of fantasy spectacles,
but forgets the importance of the four lead children, who must somehow
cement us in Narnia’s reality. All four of the Pevensie’s
are flawed just enough that many viewers will find it difficult
to keep the standard unwritten allegiance to these protagonists.
Throughout the film, each one of them gets their moments to be overly
frustrating, and while their teamwork is rousing, their unremarkable
personalities often find us distracted by the humor of the talking
beavers or the CG effects of Aslan the lion.
A great many unbelievable conveniences exist in the film, as well as underdeveloped ideas that simply couldn’t be been given as much attention as the novel. Granted that in Narnia anything can happen, it’s a bit much to see Santa Claus handing out magical weaponry, a prophecy get fulfilled that just so happens to allow for reincarnation, beavers digging human-sized escape tunnels, and magic that can undo seemingly deadly acts. The epic battle conclusion is overdramatic and focuses heavily on striking impressive slow-motion poses before wielding table-turning blows. But that can be easily forgiven with the uniqueness and intensity of the warring cyclops, phoenixes, centaurs, griffins, minotaurs, fauns, trolls, giants, unicorns, lions, tigers, bears (oh my!) and more that clash in bloodless action. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe unfortunately has a generic “swords and sorcery” storyline, but is greatly padded with impressive fantasy elements, which makes it a must-see for those itching for magic-doused adventure, and for those who grew up with C.S. Lewis’ famous books. - Mike Massie |
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