Chronicles of Narnia Satisfies

Dec 8, 2005 ,
Posted by CrimsonLight

Satisfied
Review By glumPuddle – Give it a 7 out of 10

!SPOILERS!

After 4 years of anticipation, here is MY REVIEW!

Visually, the bombing of London was the most impressive sequence in the film. I liked how they started developing the the tension between Peter and Edmund early on. Just as Lewis often did, the movie develops the characters using little moments of the characters just interacting with each other. I clapped when “based on the book by CS Lewis” came up as one of the opening credits.

Even though they changed the context of the scene (during the hide-and-seek game instead of exploring the house), the moment where Lucy enters the wardrobe is a fan’s dream scene! It’s just beat-for-beat straight from the book (except the cloth over the wardrobe of course)! Yes, you see the dead blue-bottle! And moth balls call out of the wardrobe! I just read that scene the day before I saw the movie, so I smiled from ear to ear. At his house, Lucy also sees Tumnus’ father and the books (Is Man a Myth?)!
Lucy’s meeting with Tumnus was well edited. Even I jumped a little when McAvoy came on screen.

So, was it faithful to the book? I will say yes…because even though they changed some big things, they had so many “little things” just for the fans! They managed to get lots of lines from the book into the film.

Now, here are some changes that I didn’t like: The cricket ball scene was cheesy. I just don’t see someone Peter’s age running from Macready to avoid being caught. They didn’t explain that the Turkish Delight was enchanted either (the dwarf even takes a bite). The expanded role of the fox was cheesy and unnecessary. The way they meet Father Christmas is also kinda odd. The book made more sense. Basically, I didn’t like their journey to the stone table (lots of cheesy moments and changes). It also turned from winter to spring way too fast.
I am relieved that the robin was in the film, even though it was only for a moment.

The Battle of Beruna probably could have used more build-up, but it was a well-paced battle. Peter’s battle with the White Witch was especially well done. Because of the emotion of the scene, I just believed that an inexperianced Peter could take on the White Witch.

The acting was superb! They all just work against each other very well. Skandar Keynes is my favorite. He had the most difficult role, but he managed to play both sides of the character. Henley comes in at a close 2nd. I really liked watching Lucy and Tumnus together. Tilda Swinton had a unexpected take on the White Witch. She’s not as “dramatic” as I imagined the character in the book. But, she really became the character to such a degree that one can hardly call it acting. Moseley and Popplewell also worked well together. The centerpiece of this film is the relationships of these four characters. They really carried the film!

The visual effects were good. The most impressive was Tumnus’ legs! I stared at them, but they still looked absolutely real. Speaking of which…
I liked Neeson’s voice, but Aslan just looked…not quite right. And he looked very fake whenever he moved. But they have created a lion that can give a dramatic performance, which is the important thing. But he was distracting at times. The beavers and the wolves also could have used work.

The music had lots of potential. The themes were good, but it was too subtle. I really wish it had been “louder.”

I initially felt that 130 minutes was plenty. But now I wish it was longer. The first half seemed to go by very fast. I’d like to see an extended version (but I don’t think we’ll get one).

Finally, most importantly, all the Christian elements were in there! All the lines about the Deep Magic were nearly word for word!
OVERALL: I loved the beginning, thought the middle was okay, and liked the end. I’d give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Good movie, good adaptation!
BUT THE BOOK IS STILL WAY BETTER! More Narnia Reviews

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