Film Review - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

From the very first scene, thrust into the middle of a bombing raid over London, we get to meet our four young adventurers, rushing for cover in their family shelter. Soon after this, they get transferred as refugees out to the country, to be housed under the protective wing of a professor, and the watchful eye of his strict housekeeper. One day, while playing, the youngest child finds a route from the back of a wardrobe into Narnia, a magical land where they get caught up in a monumental battle.

The time spent at the beginning forming the characters helps the audience to understand how they all relate, and sets the scene nicely. Obviously, the second they wander into Narnia, everything changes, not least the landscape, and the computer generated imagery largely comes into its own. Working with scenery and characters that are generated during post-production can be challenging for any actor, but there are some decent performances nevertheless. The best come from Tilda Swinton, playing the white witch, who manages to carry off a cold steely character without making a pantomime baddie, as Glenn Close did with her Cruella De Vil. Another to shine was, perhaps surprisingly, the youngest of the children, Lucy, played by Georgie Henley. Some of the voiceovers were also spot-on. Laim Neeson plays the resurgent Aslan, and he seems increasingly capable of playing leaders, with a calm dignified air of self-assurance (as he did excellently during Batman Begins).

But humans aside, it's the CGI that dominates this film. Actually the Computer Graphics looked very good, and there were only a couple of occasions when it appeared a little clunky. Aslan looks every bit the hero returned, which is clearly important for the central struggle of good against evil. The White Witch's police force of wolves were realistic and menacing, and the beavers added a light comic touch to the procedings. The scenery is at times stunning, and for the most part believable, if a little Shrek-like at times. And peppering the landscape are some amazing, mythical creatures, dwarves, Lord-Of-The-Ring-style orc-like creatures, prehistoric birds, centaurs, fauns; it's not a film to take too seriously. Despite that, you never have to consciously suspend disbelief, you are at once interwoven into the fantasy fabric unquestioningly, which is a measure of the success of the mood set.

All in all, it's a simple story, simply told, a fable of good and evil struggling for supremacy in a parallel world. As such, it is good natured family fun, and will be appreciated by all age groups. 7/10