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"The Lion's Roar."
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Disney's 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis' children's fantasy novel.
< read all 11 reviewsThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
-
Dec 19, 2010
- by Stephanie_Smith19
Rating:
+4
I was never really into the Chronicles of Narnia books as a kid, but when this came out back in 2005, I was genuinely excited to see it. Boy, was I not disappointed. Not only do the special effects work, but the performances work, the action works, everything just works, and it makes this franchise the only fantasy franchise that has even been able to stand its ground against Harry Potter. I have yet to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but you can expect a review of Prince Caspian coming soon.
First of all, the acting is pretty good, especially from our four young leads. Namely, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley as each of the Pevensie children. Not only do they manage to hold up against some of the older, more seasoned actors (like Liam Neeson and Tilda Swinton), they still have managed to keep their careers intact and keep themselves out of the tabloids. I really hope that they continue the franchise and have careers after it. The villain and the supporting cast do great also, like Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, Tilda Swinton as the White Witch, and James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus.
Their characters are incredibly well written and thought out, and they make the movie more character-based than special-effects based, like a lot of mediocre fantasy franchises that ran out of steam after their first or second film. Another thing, they could not have gotten a better actress to play the White Witch. I mean, the only other actress I could even consider would be Cate Blanchett (who was Galadriel in the LOTR films, a role that Swinton was in talks for). That's quite an accomplishment, when a casting choice is so perfect that there's only one (if any) other actor that you would consider in the role.
Secondly, the special effects are top-notch. Not only do they all look incredibly realistic (like Aslan), but they all look stylized and fantasy-like. When I was watching the movie, I truly felt that I was in Narnia, and that's what fantasy films should do, make you feel immersed in the world that they are showing to you. That being said, the action scenes were pretty good too. Needless to say, these are some pretty good effects for a good movie.
Even though I never read the books as a kid, I knew that they existed and had a basic knowledge of what they were about. With a popular, beloved book series , you'd think Hollywood would put some major effort in the first film adaptation of these books, and they definitely did. I got Prince Caspian from blockbuster, and I intend to watch it over the holidays, so you can expect a review of that in the next couple of days, and I haven't decided whether or not to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
If you haven't seen this movie, it's definitely worth a look, even if you're not a fan of the books. Definitely one of the great fantasy films of the 2000's that wasn't Lord of the Rings. I don't know how the sequels fare against this, but a high standard is definitely set by this for the future installments, and one can only hope that they live up to that standard.
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FM_ALEX
December 19, 2010
Yeah this was a great movie, all of them have been so far. But I love the BBC films that were made years ago.
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More The Chronicles of Narnia: The ... reviews
There isn't a weak moment in the film at all. I have never really cared for the Narnia stuff but the movie does a great job of being moral without being moralistic.
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Compliment
After a horrid BBC adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does a decent job of bringing the first book to life. The Pevensie kids were generally well cast, and Georgie Henley as young Lucy steals the show. James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus is also very good. The film provides a visual feast, from snowy mountains to fauns and minotaurs. Harry Gregson-Williams' moving soundtrack provides an epic backdrop for the action. &n … more
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review by KonaCat.
February 11, 2009
World War II is raging, bombs are falling on London, and children are being evacuated to the countryside for safety. The four Pevensie children are sent to live in a big house owned by an old professor. One day they discover an old wardrobe in the attic...that just happens to be the portal to the magical kingdom of Narnia. There, it is always winter, but never Christmas, thanks to the evil White Witch. Opposing her is King Aslan, mighty lion and defender of all that is good. The children … more
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Compliments (25)
"Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen. Bear it well, Sons of Adam! Bear it well, Daughters of Eve!" -Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis When it was announced that Disney had bought the rights to C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, I have to admit that I was worried. Walt Disney Studios haven't always been known to produce faithful adaptations of books (example: The Black Cauldron). But in late … more
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Compliments (24)
I went to this movie expecting to be bored by talking animals and child stuff and was surprised by the quality of this well made film that grabs you from the start. Four children living in WW II London are sent to live in the countryside by their mother to protect them from the frequent air raids. They end up in a mansion on a huge estate. The mansion has one room with nothing in it but an armoir. The children use it to hide and are accidently transported to a fantasy world with talking animals … more
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review by gradyharp.
April 14, 2006
CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia may very well have been a book intended for children but it was also the result of a life through the Great Wars and the effects those wars had one the individual. Gratefully in Andrew Adamson's directorial hands that part of the story that lends the need for the fantasy is preserved. The concept of separating children from their parents during the Blitz in London in WW II is now showing up in many novels. Lewis was one of the first to address … more
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Compliment
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" presents the C.S. Lewis fantasy classic very well. (The story takes place during World War II in England where Lucy, the youngest of four siblings [Peter, Edmund, and Susan] stumbles upon a magical kingdom named Narnia in the back of a wardrobe of a professor's mansion while playing hide-and-go-seek.) The children find themselves in a world of animals, fauns, and other mythical beasts who are captive to a witch's spell casting a perennial … more
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NOTE: The comments which follow are on the special two-disc Collector's Edition, available with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. The film is based on and seems remarkably faithful to the C.S. Lewis classic, the second in a series of seven novels. Here's the basic situation. Four siblings are relocated from their London home to a country estate to be with an eccentric uncle, Professor Kirke, during the "Blitz." While playing a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy hides in … more
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I need to preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. In fact, they are my favorite books of all time. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author--I've read a wide variety of his works (including some essays he wrote about 17th century English literature) and, in my opinion, the man was not capable of bad writing. I remember when I was about 11-12 years old and after a terrible argument in my family, I tried repeatedly over and over and over to get away from it all and … more
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About the reviewer
Stephanie_Smith19
Ranked #9
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Last Login: Apr 23, 2012 10:20 PM UTC
Last Login: Apr 23, 2012 10:20 PM UTC
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About this movie
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It was produced by Walden Media and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes play Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund, four British children evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside, who find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia. There they ally with the Lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) against the forces of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton).
It was released on December 9, 2005 in both Europe and North America to positive reviews and was highly successful at the box office. It won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Make Up and various other awards, and is the first film in the series of films based on the books. An Extended Edition was released on December 12, 2006 and was only made available on DVD until January 31, 2007 when it was discontinued. It was the best selling DVD in North America in 2006 taking in $332.7 million that year. It aired on Disney Channel, uninterrupted by commercials, on June 19, 2009. On ABC Family the film is presented in its extended version whereas other channels present it in its theatrical version. In 2008 it was followed by a sequel Prince
Cast:
Jim Broadbent,
Liam Neeson,
Tilda Swinton,
James Cosmo,
Ray Winstone,
Kiran Shah,
James McAvoy,
Elizabeth Hawthorne,
Rupert Everett,
Charles Williams,
Dawn French,
Georgie Henley,
Skandar Keynes,
William Moseley,
Anna Popplewell,
Judy McIntosh,
Patrick Kake,
Shane Rangi,
Douglas Gresham,
Russell Pickering,
Morris Lupton,
Margaret Bremner,
Jaxin Hall,
Terry Murdoch,
Lee Tuson,
Elizabeth Kirk,
Felicity Hamill,
Sonya Hitchcock,
Lucy Tanner,
Tiggy Mathias,
Vanessa Cater,
Allison Sarofim,
Sam Lahood,
Ajay Ratilal Navi,
Bhoja Kannada,
Zakiuddin Mohd Farooque,
M. Ramaswami,
Nikhom Nusungnern,
Doungdieo Savangvong,
Rachael Henley,
Prapraphorn Chansantor,
Susan Haldane,
Jim May,
Richard King,
Sim Evan-Jones,
Noah Huntley,
Philip Steuer,
Mark Wells,
Sophie Winkleman,
Shelley Edwards,
Alina Phelan,
Sala Baker,
Stephen Ure,
Kate O'Rourke,
Cameron Rhodes
Director:
Andrew Adamson
Genre:
Family
Release Date:
December 9, 2005
MPAA Rating:
PG
Screen Writer:
Andrew Adamson
DVD Release Date:
April 4, 2006
Runtime:
2hrs 19min
Studio:
Walt Disney Studios
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