My memory isn't very good to begin with and then when you consider trying to remember things from my childhood, it's even worse. For some reason, I can clearly remember the classics that I've read. I think that "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" would fall into that category. The only problem is that I ONLY remember reading it. I can't recall the specifics of the book or even the subsequent cartoon that they later made about it.
I would have liked to have seen "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in theaters to get the full experience of it. Unfortunately, I never got around to it so I had to settle for the dvd release. Even then, I kept putting it off and I'm just now getting around to watching it after I've had it for a month now.
This movie had the unfair distinction of being compared to the "Lord of the Ring" series. There are a lot of uncanny similarities. Whoever came up with the concept to bring this set of books to the big screen deserves some credit too because in Hollywood, it's all about timing. They capitalized at just the right moment with LOTR trilogy ending and that whole fantasy genre has proven itself as a moneymaker.
There were some things I didn't like about this one that were a little distracting for me. The most obvious was the lack of effort CGI used in some of the scenes. There were instances where the creatures' actions looked too cartoony to be real. Also, although the scenery was amazing, there were some moments where the green screen effect in the background was obvious. A little more work in post-production could have ironed these kinks out.
Also, I can't believe I didn't pick up on this when I was reading this as a shorty, but what's up with the children's quick allegiance? They stumble into this fantasy world from their closet and they don't know it from Adam. In no time at all, they feel inclined to defend it with their lives?!
One last discrepancy was the Ice Queen and her sacrifice obsession. She knew she was entitled to kill a traitor because of some jacked up law of the land. She also knew that the children were part of a prophecy that would lead to her downfall. Knowing that and knowing that she could have taken one of them out, why would she let Aslan talk her out of it?
Speaking of Aslan, he made the movie all worth it. They couldn't have found a better voice than Liam Neeson. Well, they could have in James Earl Jones, but we all know that he'll always be Vader. Aslan's presence appeared flawless in every scene. Looking at him makes you overlook any other shortcomings this movie may have had.
People continue to dwell on the religious overtones that "Narnia" has throughout it. I've even heard some people say they could use this movie to explain the story of Jesus to their children. Sorry, but I find that a HUGE stretch to say the least. I agree that it does teach about sacrifice, but to use this as a substitute for telling the true story of the Gospel is ludicrous.
The "Narnia" movies will do an excellent job in filling the void that the LOTR flicks have left us fantasy geeks. I just hope that they put a little more effort into the special effects on the next one so I won't even have little things to pick at. And this time, I'll try my best to actually catch it in theaters.
My rating: B+
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