It goes without saying though, that it’s the kid’s
that are going to get the most out of it, because you’ve
got it either all figured out within a minute, or suddenly
realised that it’s a tad infantile.
Those feelings can be transferred to an adult watching the
first film adaptation of the 'Narnia' books, The Lion,
The Witch and the Wardrobe.
Based on the book by C.S Lewis, Narnia centres on
four youngsters who discover a secret portal into another
world in their new guardian’s wardrobe. Beyond the fur
coats lies Narnia; a Snowy, magical land that’s full
of talking beavers, centaurs, satyrs, wild dogs, horse-men
and predominantly, an evil white witch (Tilda Swinton) that’s
got nothing but wrong-doing on her ‘to do’ list.
And it seems the kids are written into the prophecy as the
ones that will save Narnia, and with the help of the valiant
Lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), they rise to the challenge
and take on the pastel Ice Queen.
It’s as epic - and just 50 minutes shy - as Lord
of the Rings, and nearly (and I stress ‘nearly’)
as wondrous as Harry Potter, and as fantastically feel-good
as The Never Ending Story. In fact this reminded me
a lot of that classic '80s gem - for good and bad, but one
thing it isn’t is unanimously entrancing.
Little Johnny’s going to be on the end of his cushion
for the film’s entire 140 minutes, but Mum and Dad, though
they will enjoy it, will be probably wondering what all the
fuss was about: there’s just not enough here for them.
And if you’re one of the many who are taken ‘from
the moment’ with sloppy effects or overused blue-screen
- then prepare to be transported back to the foyer in several
scenes.
The film might have been made in New Zealand, but a lot of
it looks like it could easily have been on the WETA studio
backlot. There are more palpable super-imposing, overlays
and fake backdrops here than the options menu on Photoshop.
More to the point though, is it a good translation of the
book? Yes, it is, and probably the best we could hope for.
The script is reasonably tight, the actors have been aptly
cast (especially the wonderful Tilda Swinton as the evil Queen
of Narnia), the music is sweepingly strong, the cinematography
is gorgeous (and when they actually do use New Zealand’s
real backdrop for a scene, it looks a treat) and nothing’s
been left from the pages of the book, so purists will be stoked.
At the end of the day though, many will no doubt be hoping
Narnia will be the next Lord of the Rings -
and it isn’t.
It’s simply the equivalent of a fine Never Ending
Story sequel -- and that is not a bad thing, it just means
it’s a tad less accomplished and not something that’s
going to robotically gobsmack audiences.
A few more days spent on those I-macs fixing up the effects,
a handful of animatronic creatures rather than computerised
variety (they just look cheap and unrealistic), and a spatter
more ‘wow moments’ (there’s not a lot of Harry
Potter-esque spectacular-spectacular sequences), and it might’ve
been just that bit better.
Well worth a look though. EXTRASAs with Lord of The Rings,
the studio has gone all out with extras. There are two audio
commentaries (one with the filmakers and one with kids - and if we've
learned anything from Bill Cosby - they do, in fact, say the darndest
things). Easter Eggs, eight feturettes covering everything from
"Directors Vision" to "C.S. Lewis" to "Exploring Narnia in 3-D".
There's a bunch! Some of the more inventive and enjoyable extras
included on the 2-Disc Edition are the fantastic bloopers, 3
Collectable postcards, bookmarks and a detailed map of Narnia in case
you ever wish to A) travel there or B) Get so lost there you would need
a map. A good collection. Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 70% 
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