Film #103 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Viewed April 13, 2006
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW) is the best fantasy film I’ve seen in a long time. Perhaps ever. Regardless of whether you are a fan of the original C.S. Lewis novels or not, LWW entertains on every possible level: heartfelt drama, lighthearted comedy, outstanding spectacle and pulse-racing action. It is far and away the best “blockbuster” film of 2005. It outdoes Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith for consistancy and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for coherance. (And King Kong for just about everything.)
Any way you look at it, LWW succeeds. It is a faithful adaptation of the book, eliminating little and making sure the alterations and additions do not jar or feel out of place. It succeeds visually, as the live action and CGI effects blend seamlessly to create a convincing view of Narnia. It is well cast, well directed, the music is strong and appropriate. There is no offending language or attitudes and even the much-talked-about religious themes aren’t strong enough to offend anyone but the most obstinantly secular.
Credit for most of the success in LWW must go to director and co-screenwriter Andrew Adamson. How the same man who made the vastly overrated “Shrek” movies could make such a brilliant piece of cinema is quite beyond me. But create it he did. He shows an understanding of young actors that is often missing in these kinds of films. Despite comparable ages, he elicits stronger performances from his four young leads than Chris Columbus could from the young actors in the early “Harry Potter” films. His adult actors are also quite strong, but that’s to be expected from a group with such a wealth of experience.
And speaking of the actors, the children, as I noted, are excellent. William Moseley as Peter and Skandar Keynes as Edmund stand out particularly, but this is mainy due to their characters strong personalities (the hero and the malcontent). Georgie Henley (as the youngest, Lucy) and Anna Popplewell (Susan) are just as good, but, reflecting their lesser natures in the original book, bring less drama to the table.
Tilda Swinton gives a star performance as the White Witch. She is able to personify the evil of the character without ever having to stoop to melodramatics or scenery chewing. In the earliest scenes, we can see why she is so attractive to Edmund, as well as the evil underneath. Not an easy task to accomplish, but she does.
Smaller adult roles are just as good. Liam Neeson brings his Qui-Gon Jinn voice out of mothballs again with just the proper hint of additional gravitas for the role of Aslan. Ray Winston and Dawn French have the important task (as the Beavers) of being the first true talking animals that we meet. If they had botched it, the whole film could have fallen down. And Michael Madsen gives a delicious reading of Maugrim, the wolf, oozing evil with every word.
Perhaps the best small role is Jim Broadbent as Professor Kirke, the owner of the titular wardrobe. If you know your Narnia, you know that the Professor has an important part to play in the saga (which will be revealed later) and Broadbent projects the perfect balance of straightforward whimsy and deep-seated mystery necessary to set all that up.
The effects were much better than I expected. I’ve been disappointed with effects lately. All the major 2005 blockbusters let me down on the effects level to some degree or other (yes, even Star Wars), but not LWW. Everything from Mr. Tumnus the faun to Aslan the lion (who has the most interactions with actors) has the stamp of authenticity on them.
And I should make a note about the religious aspects of LWW. It’s true that the Narnia series on the whole is based on Christian beliefs and the connections are certainly there in the film, but it’s something you really have to look for. In the original books, I alwyas felt that the connection was subtle enough until Lewis got to The Final Battle, where I thought the analogies were too strong. But in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, I always felt the balance between the religious aspects and the storytelling aspects was just right and I think they maintained that balance in the film.
Wow. I never thought I would enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as much as I did. I was sure it would be entertaining, but I was never much of a Narnia fan (I much preferred Middle Earth) and I didn’t think it would be able to impact me strongly enough. I was wrong. The only thing that can keep this film from being enjoyed by anyone is a mind so closed to thoughts of the Almighty that they shut out anything that comes within a whisker of a religious theme. To the rest of us, it is a triumph.