Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Set in WWII times in England, we follow the adventures of the four Pevensie kids as they move in with eccentric professor Jim Broadbent (who is pretty badly wasted), and discover a magic wardrobe that transports them to the land of Narnia, which is ruled over by the sadistic, malevolent White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who keeps it forever winter, but never Christmas. James McAvoy plays Mr. Tumnus the well-meaning faun who first encounters the youngest Pevensie, Lucy, whilst snotty brother Edmond is recruited by the White Witch with promises of Turkish Delight (not to be confused with Afternoon Delight, which brings a whole different kind of pleasure!). Leading the charge for the creatures of Narnia to stand up against the White Witch is the Messianic lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), whilst the White Witch is served by a sinister pack of wolves. James Cosmo (Hamish’s insanely macho father in “Braveheart”) has an inexplicable but amusing cameo as Father Christmas who appears to be doing a bit of arms dealing whilst waiting around for Christmastime.

A tough one, given that C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories are among my all-time favourites, and yet I seriously do not remember a heat packin’ Santa Claus anywhere! However, this pretty, generally faithful 2005 Andrew Adamson film adaptation is acceptable and engaging enough at the very least. Although overly reliant on CGI that is sometimes effective (The wolves often looked very real, the Minotaur is a personal fave, and Aslan looks great, with CGI-created eyes that are quite convincing) and other times phony (the beavers are never for a second credible), this is a pretty decent stab at an adaptation, enough so that I do not fear the worst for subsequent cinematic excursions to Narnia.

Unfortunately, this somewhat low-key film lacks that little extra spark that was there in abundance in the cinematic adaptations of the works of Tolkien, one of Lewis’ friends and colleagues (or competitors, depending on what you’ve read about the authors). Furthermore, the film starts off in a frustratingly rushed manner, perhaps because a leisurely pace works better in a novel than on film. It certainly improves once in Narnia, though, with some terrific CGI-fuelled battle scenes involving various animals and creatures set to kick some PG-rated arse. Sure, these scenes look a little subdued compared to the goings on in Middle Earth, but Narnia’s a more child-friendly place anyway (well, so long as the White Witch ain’t around…)

Best of all, the film has a wonderfully icy performance by Swinton, not the first name that springs to mind when casting a blockbuster, but she is pitch-perfect, exactly as I imagined the character to be. Skandar Keynes is also well-suited to the role of Turkish Delight-loving, selfish Edmund. Less effective is Georgie Henley, who seems a year or two too young for the role, and the other two kid actors shouldn’t have bothered turning up, for all they are required to say or do. My biggest gripe with the casting and characterisation is McAvoy as the faun Mr. Tumnus, my favourite character from the book (and TV version that I saw in the mid-80s for that matter). McAvoy gets the darker elements of the conflicted faun reasonably well, but his effectiveness is muted by the fact that I never once believed his (crucial) sincere side. He looks seedy and intense from the get-go, Tumnus is, after all, a well-meaning and most cordial creature. The voice work is uneven too, Ray Winstone’s cockney Roy Kinnear-as-beaver schtick is quite enjoyable, and Rupert Everett is appropriately sly in the all-too-small role of a fox, but Neeson hasn’t the booming voice necessary for a lion/messiah, and there’s at least one unfortunate voice casting of an American (Michael Madsen).

Overall, it’s enjoyable enough, kids will love it, but hopefully it’ll also lead them back to the books themselves. As a fan, I simply expected more…the impossible perhaps. Still, it’s fun.

Rating: B-