SNMR 2.14: "Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Tonight's SNMR feature is"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005, PG-13, 135 minutes)

Here's what I wrote after V, M and I went to see it in the movie theater last year:

The movie was excellent and I highly recommend it. Definitely needs to be seen on the big screen, though. The special effects were excellent. I think they did a great job staying true to the book. I don't think they added much, if anything. If you haven't read the book or are generally unfamiliar with the story, I don't want to spoil it for you. So I'm not going to give away any plot details here. I think they did an excellent casting job for the most part, though I would have chosen another actress other than Tilda Swinton to play the white witch Jadis. She wasn't bad in the part, just not as wickedly beautiful as the books make her out to be.

From the DVD's dust case:

Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present CS Lewis' timeless and beloved adventure. Now - with stunningly enhanced special effects - you'll experience the exploits of Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of "hide-and-seek" at the country estate of a mysterious professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, once peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and magnificent lion Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a spectacular, climactic battle to be free of the Witch's glacial powers forever!

From Martin and Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2007, p. 203:

During World War II, four English children take refuge from the German blitz in a country manor, where they discover a wardrobe that is a portal to a magical world. The first volume of C.S. Lewis' classic series gets a lavish retelling, long but swiftly paced, with terrific special effects and fine performances, especially by the four kids, and most especially by little Georgie Henley as the youngest.

In order to have a great movie, you need a great story with which to work. Add in excellent casting and stunning special effects and you have a film that will be enjoyed for many, many years. This film has it all - plot, suspense, action, drama and a neat musical score to boot. Storywise, this is chronologically the second book in the series, but was written first. I think you should own a copy of this film, which gets a five out of five stars rating from me.