DVD Reviews
DVD Review: The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
By Patrick Luce
Apr 4, 2006, 15:17 GMT

Based on the beloved fantasy series by author C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is a movie that is filled with great creatures, wonderful acting, an exciting plot, and a deep meaning.

The movie, which is directed by Andrew Adamson, does benefit from ground laid by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but don’t be quick to dismiss it as Disney cashing in or the same thing. The two films are drastically different (although the authors were good friends), and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe might even have a wider appeal to all audiences – it is a bit more kid friendly.

I will say up front that I have never read all of the Narnia books, but did read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid so I had a working knowledge of the story. However, to enjoy the movie, you do not have to know anything about Narnia, Aslan or the fact that Lewis did write the book as an allegory to the story of Christ. The filmmakers delivered a movie that stays true to the Christian message of the book, but one that also entertains all audiences.

The movie opens during War World II, and we quickly meet the siblings Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy Pevensie. Peter, being the oldest, is the natural leader; Susan, being the older sister, is the mother figure; Edmond is the typical middle child wanting to get out of his brother’s shadow; and Lucy is the youngest and has a smile that can melt even the coldest heart. With their father fighting in the war and London under constant bombing, the children are taken to live in the country with an elderly professor in his massive home.

Once there, they grow extremely bored which leads to a game of hide and seek. Lucy, desperate for a place to hide, jumps into an old wardrobe closet. She also discovers that it is no ordinary wardrobe when she backs her way into the magical world of Narnia and meets Mr. Tumnus. She learns about the history of Narnia, the evil ruler the White Witch, and that she is a daughter of Eve. She also discovers a prophecy that two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve will come to Narnia to end the White Witch’s rule.

Upon her return home, no one believes her story, but Lucy knows that she didn’t imagine Narnia and returns for a second visit. This time brother Edmund follows Lucy to Narnia without her knowing. His visit introduces us to the White Witch (Tilda Swinton in an extremely good performance), and we know from the start she is not as nice as she acting with Edmund. It is also clear she intends on stopping the prophecy before it has a chance to come true. After the two kids return, Edmund denies his visit to Narnia and claims he was just playing along with Lucy. The whole incident is once again forgotten until a ball crashes through one of the professor’s windows and the kids are looking for a place to hide. Finally, all the children go through the wardrobe, enter Narnia, and the movie really starts to pick up speed.

The children learn Mr. Tumnus has been taken to the White Witch’s castle, and that she is hunting for them. Upset with the treatment from his brother, Edmund betrays the group and informs on his brother and sisters to the White Witch. He was promised to be a king, but learns that he has made a big mistake. While Edmund is a prisoner of the White Witch, the rest of the kids are guided by Mr. Beaver (my son’s favorite character) to meet up with Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) – the lion and true king of Narnia who is gathering an army to help defeat the White Witch. We also see that winter is ending in Narnia which is another sign of the White Witch losing her hold on the kingdom. I don’t want to go into too much more detail of the plot because it really does get extremely good following the rescue of Edmond, the first confrontation of Aslan and the White Witch and then the final battle between the forces of good and evil in Narnia.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an extremely entertaining movie that is something the entire family can watch and enjoy. All of the children do an excellent job in their roles, and really help younger audiences identify with what is happening on screen. Skandar Keynes’ performance of Edmund is great and the young actor does an outstanding job creating a character that you despise at first, feel sorry for later in the film, and then come to like by the ending. Georgie Henley (who plays Lucy) and Anna Popplewell (who plays Susan) make the scenes of Aslan's sacrifice truly heartbreaking, and probably some of the most emotional in the entire movie. 

Even with all the great fantasy characters, talking animals, and cute kids in this movie, Swinton is still able to stand out in her performance as the White Witch. When we first meet her, she seems nice, but we already know it isn’t true. Her second appearance hints at just how bad she is, and by the film’s final battle we know she is truly a witch. Swinton’s performance is cold, calculated and at times seems truly evil. She owns the part and it is hard to imagine anyone else pulling it off.

The movie also does an excellent job in staying true to the Christian allegory that Lewis did put in his story of Aslan, Narnia, and the White Witch. It is impossible to review the movie without mentioning the Christ themes that are seen throughout the entire film (especially the scenes involving Aslan’s sacrifice) and it was right of the filmmakers to not try and underscore this part of the story. The movie has many levels to it, and can be enjoyed whether you are a Christian or not – just as Lewis’ books could be enjoyed. Christians will see the obvious parallels to what is going on in the film, and the deeper magic that Aslan talks about towards the end.

Although I enjoyed much of the movie, I did think there were some faults to the film. At times, the special effects are not the greatest in the world – mostly seen through the talking animals – and some parts of the movie drag a bit. I understand why the filmmakers took their time with the story, and appreciate their willingness to try and stay true to the book – they even leave in the scene where Father Christmas hands out the weapons to the kids. Still, some scenes probably could have been looked over in terms of pacing. Again, it has been a long time since I have read the book so these scenes may be more important than I felt while watching the movie. Regardless, the movie’s faults fall short from ruining any enjoyment of the picture or the magic of the world of Narnia.

The DVD comes in a two-disc set that is loaded with special features that will please fans of Lewis, the books, and the movie. Disc One includes Bloopers of Narnia – a look at some of the goofs and comedy that happened during the shooting of the film; Discover Narnia Fun Facts – with this feature viewers can access optional pop-up facts about Lewis, the creatures and lands of Narnia and other information about the stories; Kids and Director Commentary – this features commentary with all four children after they watched the movie for the first time, and also features commentary from Adamson; and other commentary from Adamson, production designer Roger Ford, and producer Mark Johnson. The Fun Facts feature also has an introduction by Lewis’ step-son Douglas Gresham.

Disc Two contains the most special features including Chronicle of a Director – which is the personal diary of Adamson and shows his point of view in making the picture. The Children’s Magical Journey is a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, but is presented by the children - which makes it a little more fun that the average look. Anatomy of the Scene: The Melting River goes into what it took to make the waterfall scene of the movie – including the in-door river. They show how the effects and shots from different countries were all put together to get the final product we see on screen. Cinematic Storytellers features eight different film diaries from different members of the film team and give a detailed look at almost every step of the film’s production. This is something die hard fans of the movie will enjoy, but it might be a little too much detail for the average viewer.

C.S. Lewis: From One Man’s Mind is a featurette on the author, and the world he created. I enjoyed this the most out of the special features, and fans of the books will find it extremely interesting. It also helps shed more light on Narnia for newcomers and I would highly recommend taking the time to watch it.

Creating Creatures is a look at the many different creatures that were created for the film – including Aslan – and the different stages of their creation. The feature covers from sculpting and molding to the final realization on screen.Creatures, Lands, and Legends allows you to meet and learn the history of all the strange creatures in Narnia along with exploring the land itself. It provides biographies on different characters, such as the White Witch, offers a 3D map of Narnia, and a Narnia timeline.

The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is an entertaining movie, and one that I would highly recommend taking the time to watch. It is a film the entire family can sit back and enjoy together. Like the book, the film has a deeper meaning than what is on the surface, but also makes sure to have plenty of what is needed to create a magical world, unforgettable characters, and brilliant performances.

The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.