The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I somehow did not watch this movie for 15 years, despite having enjoyed these books as a child and as a parent. I'm not totally positive what held me back, but it may have been the sense that even with great CGI (check), some strong performances (check), and faithfulness to the book (check) this would be hard to get totally right. I was mostly right about that. That said, we watched right after re-reading this book with my youngest, and I can say that it mostly worked. It is not LOTR (or anywhere close), but that's not a fair standard - especially for a children's book. The middle sagged, and the embellishments were unnecessary...but it was worth watching.

Since I was a child I loved the magic of Narnia. What I didn't realise as a child was the sadness of war that came in both worlds. I first read the book, then the cartoon version of the movie, The TV series didn't work too well for me, but this movie does! Visually stunning, Aslan is just what I thought he should be. I wish the film producers would continue the story ... I was hoping for the Silver Chair. Let's capture a new audience to feel the magic for next Christmas :) x

I remember seeing this movie over ten years ago in the cinema and even back then I thought it was a great movie. Even though it's not as good as the book (which has always remained a classic in children's literature), I consider this film to be The Lord of the Rings for kids and like the Lord of the Rings, it was filmed in New Zealand as well and some aspects reminded me of the Lord of the Rings trilogy like the effects or the action scenes or the fact that it all took place in a fantasy world. I enjoyed all the actors that played the Pevensie children and I loved Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan. I'm very glad that I read the book before I saw the film. I also enjoyed the two other sequels. But I think the Narnia movie trilogy is kind of underrated. While it's nowhere near as good The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they deserve more credit.

When I first saw "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in theaters, I left with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The reason? At the time, I couldn't help but comparing it to the "Lord of the Rings" series. However, after reading Tolkien's classic novel again and then re-re-watching this movie, I can now see it as a great adaptation that is very true to the source material.For a basic plot summary, this film tells the story of the Pevensie family siblings, who are shipped off into the English countryside to avoid the carnage of WWII. While at the mansion of their eccentric uncle, they find a wardrobe that mysterious leads to another world called Narnia. Little Lucy (Georgia Henley) goes in first and meets a Faun named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy). Then Edmund (Skandar Keynes) stumbles in and meets a much more nefarious personality...the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), self-proclaimed "Queen of Narnia". Later on, older siblings Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley) discover Narnia and find themselves in a conflict that they themselves have been deeply prophesized within.The Narnia books were made for children (but well-written enough for adults to enjoy the experience), and that is exactly what this movie is like. If you try (like I once did) to compare it to LOTR, it will never measure up because you are not comparing like quantities. LOTR is an epic drama, while the Chronicles are a lighter-hearted children's drama. This film really captures that spirit, what with the great special effects, the sibling interplay, and just the general whimsical- ness of the overall production. It's "played straight", don't get me wrong, but there is a lot of fun involved too.What might just stand out the most, though, is the acting. Little Georgia as Lucy almost steals the show at some points with her incredible emotional range for such a young child, while Skandar's Edmund is spot-on as the mischievous Edmund (a character who is so important in showing that even in Narnia it can be difficult to tell the good from the bad sometimes). Also, casting Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, the true ruler of Narnia, was a stroke of genius. Each time the great lion speaks, it will send chills down your spine.So, even though I didn't fully appreciate this movie when it first came out, I can now see it as a faithful adaptation to its source novel. Both mediums are meant for children and not to be compared to older, more adult fare. I don't know of a child alive who wouldn't be captivated by this movie, and I'm sure that's just the way C.S. Lewis would have wanted it.