| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe |
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| By Todd Karella December 9, 2005 |
| Rated PG |
| Original Story Synopsis: |
| Movie-Pix Best Guess: |
| During World War II three children are seperated from their parents and sent to live in the country. The children stumble upon a magical wardrobe that transports them to the magical land of Narnia where they must stop the evil White Witch from freezing over the world. |
| This is one of C.S. Lewis' famous works and Narnia fans have been waiting for years for this film. While the story is good, you've got to hope Disney doesn't make it too childish. the other key issue could be how well the talking lion Aslan will translate on the big screen. Either way it should be fun and interesting. If Hollywood can make Harry Potter look good, then they should be able to do it with this film as well. |
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| Movie-Pix Hit or Miss |
| The only complaint is that there are a couple of times when the film feels like it’s shot in a soundstage and not in the great land of Narnia. The initial scene with the White Witch and Edmond is one of those times. The film never disappoints and is one of the best films this year. There should be no excuse not to see it, and it’s worth seeing at least twice while it’s still in theatres. |
| There are two writers that are credited for giving birth to the fantasy genre filled with dragons, wizards, elves and magic. The first is J.R. Tolkien who wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The second author was his colleague C.S. Lewis. Both men lived through the horrors of a world war and it can be seen reflected in their work. Filled with war, suffering and human struggle it’s up to the average man through strength of heart and perseverance to reach extraordinary heights and save the world. |
| As German bombers rain down destruction on London, the Pevensie family finds themselves scrambling for the bomb shelter. The city is no place for children, and with Mr. Pevensie off to fight in the war, Mrs. Pevensie (Judith McIntosh) decides to send her four children into the countryside to live with Professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent). The youngest child, Lucy (Georgie Henley), is afraid to leave her mother. (Peter) (William Moseley) is the oldest and has the responsibility of looking after his siblings. Susan (Anna Popplewell) is the eldest daughter, who has become hardened and a little cynical. Finally, there is Edmond (Skandar Keynes) who is resentful and jealous of having to follow in Peter’s footsteps and takes his anger out on the others. |
| When the children arrive at the professor’s home, they find a strict caretaker, Mrs. MacReady (Elizabeth Hawthorne), watching them. They are allowed to move about the house, but are expected to act like young ladies and gentlemen and to never disturb the professor. One day while playing hide and seek, Lucy finds an antique wardrobe hidden away in an otherwise empty room. Climbing inside to wait for Peter to find her, she moves towards the back and miraculously steps out into a snow-covered forest. As she explores her surroundings, she discovers that she is in another land inhabited by amazing creatures. Her first encounter is with a faun named Tumnus (James McAvoy) who invites her to his home for a spot of tea. Tumnus seems nice at first, but tries to put her under a spell. Humans are not welcome in Narnia. The evil White Witch has standing orders that any |
| human found wandering in the woods should be brought to her immediately. Fortunately for Lucy, his conscious won’t let him betray her. The two rush back into the forest and she returns back through the wardrobe. Even though she was gone for hours, to the rest of her siblings she was gone for only a moment. So when she tells them her story and shows them the wardrobe, they simply don’t believe her. |
| In the middle of the night she returns to the wardrobe and finds that the portal is working again. As she climbs through Edmond sneaks in behind her as well. While Lucy returns to check on her friend, Edmond runs into the White Witch. The witch is kind to Edmond and feeds him sweets in order to win his confidence. She releases him but not before telling him to bring the rest of his family with him upon his return. But when they return, Edmond denies the fact he was there. It isn’t until days later when the children are fleeing from a window they just broke that all four stumble through the wardrobe and into the world of Narnia. Searching for Mr. Tumnus they find that he is missing and has been banned a traitor for fraternizing with humans. |
| When Lucy realizes that she is that human, she tries convincing the rest that they must do something to help her. Before they can decide they are met by a talking beaver that is willing to help them and escort them to meet Aslan (Liam Neeson) a talking lion who is the true king. He also tells them about the prophecy about two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve would come to Narnia and save them from the White Witch and the never-ending winter. |
| Thinking more with his stomach and his desire to show up Peter, Edmond sneaks away to the witch’s castle. This time he is not welcomed since he did not bring the others along. Instead he is thrown in the dungeon and tortured for information of his siblings’ whereabouts. Finding their brother missing, the Pevensies try to stop him. Once they realize they are too late, they immediately set off to meet with Aslan and his waiting army. |
| The queen is aware of their plans and sends her minions to kill them before they can reach the safety of the enemy camp. Once they arrive at the camp they will realize their destiny and lead the army against a more powerful army assembled by the White Witch. The final battle is an amazing mass of CGI and live action. Overall, the special effects are spectacular and realistic. The storyline is well written and conceived. There is plenty of action and the film never becomes too much of a children’s tale. |
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| ~A magical adventure for the whole family~ |
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| Best Guess Results: |
| This is one of the best films of the year, a definite must see. There is plenty of excitement, adventure, good special effects and a unique and interesting storyline. Even though the heroes are children they tackle adult issues and make you think of them as characters in the story and not children at play. While the story focuses on war and violence, it is tastefully done and is a film that can be enjoyed by all ages. |