One or other of my parents used to read to me every night – until what age, I have no idea, although I do have the rather dubious memory that the fantasy land of Narnia was where it all ended. Although my weaning on to independent reading probably happened at a much more gradual pace, the halfway point of ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ is where my memory deems the transition to have occurred. My childhood reading career ended and my adult one began – I don’t even remember finishing the book. Landmarks of one’s life are easier to recall than the complexities and ripples that form cause or even effect. In any case, I walked into the movie theater with, at best, a hazy recollection of any story – although I did have more than a slight inkling as to how the lion, the witch and the wardrobe fitted together.


The Story

It’s World War II in England, and the four Pevensie children and their mother are emotionally drained from having to run for shelter each time there is a bomb raid. The father has gone off to war, and the mother fears for her children’s safety. The Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy – are thus sent from London to live with quirky Professor Kirke until the war should end. Lucy soon finds a mysterious wardrobe in one of the spare rooms, and gets her first taste of Narnia – a land of speaking animals, centaurs & unicorns. At first, her siblings disbelieve she has experienced any such land anywhere other than in her imagination, but they are to be proved wrong. Narnia exists, and even here in the world of fantasy, both good and evil stand strong & battle for precedence. The four Pevensie children, the ‘two sons of Adam & two daughters of Eve’, are to help good prevail – and defeat the evil White Witch, the lady who calls herself ‘Queen of Narnia’. This they must do with the help of true King Aslan, in the form of a lion.


Analysis

The story of ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ incorporates many timeless issues of morality, and I’m quite sure generations of children have learned from its content, fantastical or not. Sibling rivalry is an issue that pops up – and the lengths to which one or more siblings might go to to outshine another. Betrayal is another – it seems even the good camp have a way to go to understand the true meaning of goodness, kindness, respect & dignity. Favoring material goods over friendship and family is also an issue that is covered. All these issues are pivotal in how the plot twists and pans out. I love the way the story incorporates other myths & legends – even Santa Claus is thrown in! Kudos to C.S. Lewis.

I found it quite difficult to analyze the cast – certain portrayals just weren’t right, but I couldn’t put on my finger on exactly what was going wrong. Take the character of Peter for instance, eldest child, played by William Moseley. Peter was a character that had to double as boy and man – he is young, but the eldest & must assume a paternalistic role at the start of the movie – towards the end, he must lead the entire movement against the White Witch. In many respects, he fits the bill, and yet I didn’t find him believable in the great war scene. While he overcooked most of the part as if on stage, in the war scene, I was looking for emotion to overtake him and turn into great power. It didn’t – his leadership didn’t quite take off. Anna Popplewell, in the part of Susan, also fell just wide of the bull's-eye for me. She truly had flashes of perfection – where her realism is refreshing amidst many stage-school scenes. I’m confident her acting will mature and become more consistent, however, and I look forward to any future performances in films to come.

I have to commend Georgie Henley (as Lucy) and Skandar Keynes (as Edmund) for their acting, however. They fit the roles quite snugly, and both had more challenging parts than the elder siblings. Tilda Swinton, as the White Witch, certainly created the ice cold atmosphere required of her – and her outward expressions of glee after undermining her enemies yet again were a pleasure to watch!

Overall, the script is a little stilted, and is quite bland. Dialog is boring and obvious. I have to say that this film would be less appealing to adults as say, the latest Harry Potter offering. I have to even say I was disappointed with some of the special effects, something I had never expected! At one point, it was horrifically obvious that two of the children were standing in front of one of those backdrops with scenery projected onto it. Even the bomb raid scene to start the film off with was poor. Although I had read that Aslan as the lion was & is considered a superb achievement in the world of special effects, at times, his face looked distinctly 2-D. Overall, though, the lion was to be commended – most of the time he looked very real, and his walk & movements were quite similar to anything I have ever seen a real lion do (generally not in person!) The special effects, even those of the fight scene, don't come close to taking the crown from those of Lord of the Rings or similar epics, though.

As characters, I also have to say the beavers were absolutely brilliant – animation- and voice-wise. Much of the humour comes from the beavers, voiced by Ray Winstone & Dawn French (who we in Europe affectionately know well for her input into the Terri’s Chocolate Orange advertisements!)

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with this offering of one of the Narnia classics. Special effects blew hot & cold, as did the script. The beavers saved the day!

Recommended: Yes