By 
It’s been at least 30 years since I read this classic CS Lewis series’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” And imagine my surprise when the characters came to life on the movie screen. However, I remembered enough of the plot not to feel too old to be there, even though parts of the movie still seemed new to me. My daughter commented that the film lacked the depth of the books; Granted that she’s closer in age to the “reading” event than I am, but for a movie, it seemed like a good waste of 2.5 hours.
Tea Pevensie The children are separated from their mother during World War II and forced to live in a huge mansion with virtually no adult supervision, except for a housekeeper they call “The Mcready”, whose sole purpose is to warn that “The Professor “can never be disturbed. Therefore, do not run, do not jump, breathe slightly and walk on tiptoe. Well, we know how long that lasts. She looks more like a meth housekeeper (uptight, concise, and prone to overdoing it) than a babysitter. She turns into the heavy-footed woman, stomping off camera to make the children scatter. Basically, there is no supervision whatsoever.
Tea “Chronicles of Narnia” It is about four children who discover that their closet is a portal to a magical world. I remember being captivated when I first read it; So I was much younger and less tired. However, the full metal armored beaver made me stop. I never imagined a beaver ready to “take down”, armed to the nines and ready to take on everyone who comes along.
These children also survive for long periods of time in a snowy forest, which could only happen in a Lewis novel. In reality, they would have as much chance of surviving in a snowy forest and below zero degrees as Captain Kirk would have living a celibate life.
Children move from one war zone (WWII, Europe) to, well, another war zone called Narnia, where the warriors are not our brave soldiers in combat gear, but a collection of beavers, fauns, goblins, and others. that speak. Armed half-man, half-animal creatures with enough strategy and tactics to survive a riot in south central Los Angeles unscathed.
It’s been snowing for the last 100 years, which can upset anyone, all thanks to the woman everyone is either enslaved to or preparing to fight. Enter the White Witch, played incredibly well by Tilda Swinton, an extraordinarily pale skinned woman with white hair, and when I say almost colorless, I mean she makes ghosts look tanned.
We have the usual religious nonsense that accompanies this book: “Two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve”, who happen to be the children themselves, must break the curse. Humans, as you see, are virtually unknown beings in the mystical world of Narnia, and children are seen prophetically. All the beavers, fauns and others have whispered that four humans are coming to save the day. These children might be less interested, but as the story progresses, they become more like the heroes of the narnia fable and less like children trying to run back through the closet to safety. They are supported by a mighty lion, Aslan, who is not only mighty, but good, pure, and righteous. We have to have one of these in every fairy tale or evil will take hold of it; then we would be watching a horror movie.
They are helped to become heroes by, of all people, Santa Claus (James Cosmo), who rides in his sleigh and, after a long speech about hope and the future of Narnia, turns out to be an arms dealer in the side stand. except that day of giving toys to the little ones. I guess you have to do something those other 364 days of the year.
Christmas pulls weaponry from his gift bag, giving the kids a variety of weaponry, a quick speech on how to use his tools effectively, then rides into the snow, presumably back to the North Pole. He almost expected him to pull out the Narnian equivalent of a glock, but he managed to stick with the various pre-industrial white trash solutions to disputes: knives, arrows, and swords. I’m digressing. It’s definitely a 2005 Christmas moment.
Overall, Narnia comes to us with the same empowering message created by the book, and it’s fueled by a riveting plot, strong acting, the usual plethora of “Oh Wow!” special effects and amazing comic relief pops. Beavers are cool; the foolish faun and Aslan, very noble. Of course, it reminds me of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter”. but it is less cumbersome than the previous movie and less silly than the last one.
Classification: Four out of four stars