The Chronicles Of Narnia. Review on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Movie

Have you ever wanted to take a break from the real world and enter a fantastical one? The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe brings a person as close as can be to entering a magical land. This is the movie adaptation of the classic series of the same title written by C.S. Lewis. The movie director, Adam Adamson, brings this book to life and the film is very true to the book.

The movie opens dramatically with bombs dropping on London during World War II and siblings Peter (the older brother, played by William Moseley), Susan (the older sister, played by Anna Popplewell), Edmund (played by Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (played by Georgie Henley) fleeing to the countryside to escape the bombing. They find themselves in a beautiful manor in which a professor and his housekeeper live. Lucy is the first of the four children to discover a portal in a wardrobe that takes them to a magical land called Narnia. When one enters Narnia, time stands still in the world you’ve left.

Narnia used to be a land of beauty, but the White Witch, Jadis (played by Tilda Swinton), who calls herself Queen of Narnia, has made it winter all the time. The fauns, beavers and many other creatures of Narnia need the four children, the Pevensie’s, to help to bring Narnia back to the happy, peaceful, green place it once was by breaking the White Witch’s spell. So the treacherous journey begins.

This is a story of betrayal and the path to redemption. The children, with the help of Aslan (a lion, voiced by Liam Neeson), must engage in a war with the White Witch. The children ultimately grow closer through these experiences and the adventures in Narnia.

Although this movie has talking animals, it is no funny matter. There are battle scenes similar to those in The Lord of the Rings but without the gore, and there are sad scenes which include the death of one of the characters. The special effects are spectacular. Down to the very last hair on his mane, Aslan, is believable. He is a gentle lion but when hearing his roar, the viewer knows how fierce he can be.

The movie is jam-packed with emotion, action and concepts such as temptation, betrayal, good vs. evil, sacrifice, redemption and forgiveness. This film can be viewed on many levels, from the point of view of the young child to that of the scholar. Highly Recommended