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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Bereft of Lord of the Rings this Christmas, Disney have come up with the next best thing and have gone all guns ablazin' with an adaptation of C.S Lewis' classic children's tale, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 
The similarities between Lewis' work and Tolkien's is abundant, hardly surprising considering they met as young professors at Oxford back in the 20s. Director Andrew Adamson (his first 'real-life' feature after directing Shrek and Shrek 2) aims to keep this link very much alive; shooting many of the action scenes for Narnia in New Zealand (a la Peter Jackson) and employing Weta - the company that created the special effects for Lord of the Rings - to weave their magic once more.
Adamson has got the balance between action and acting down to a tee, while the battle scenes are impressive (those expecting action of Lord of the Rings stature may be disappointed) it is the relationship between the characters that resonates most succinctly. Lucy's first encounter with Mr. Tumnas (played by the wonderful James McAvoy) is truly magical.
Worryingly Adamson admitted that a few years back a studio (which shall remain nameless) had intended to turn the whole book into a contemporary American rendition - C.S Lewis' would be turning in his grave at the thought. Much has also been made about the American Christian Right hijacking the film, but Adamson is insistent: "Obviously C.S Lewis was a Christian apologist - but to me, spirituality and religion is a very personal issue, and its up to the audience and reader to interpret it as they wish. I've made a movie of the book - and what you get from the book you'll see in the movie." Narnia is in safe hands with Adamson at the helm, he has created a faithful and magical adaptation that will delight generations to come. Helen Cowley 
More information about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe » Critics' Reviews
New York Times
The spirit of the book is very much intact....[The film uses] available technology to capture both the mythic power of Lewis's tale and, even better, its charm. USA Today Its epic scope and elaborate battles will raise comparisons with Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy... Time Out The twin shadows of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises hang unmistakeably over Disneys... read more on www.timeout.com Members' ReviewsReviews Voted Most HelpfulMost Recent Reviews |
And weave their magic they do. It's a risky business finding four children to carry the weight of such a large film, but Adamson's three year casting process has paid off dividends. The children play their parts with aplomb, with a particularly superb performance from young Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie - the finder of the portal from wardrobe to Narnia..
Much has been spoken about Tilda Swinton's role as the 'epitome of evil' the White Witch Jadis and for good reason. Swinton is iconic as Jadis. Her costumes are fantastic, increasing her statue to monstrous proportions and making poor Edward (Skandar Keynes) her unfortunate ward look Imp-like in comparison. The decision to play her with quiet contempt makes her all the more threatening - and even though she doesn't look half as frightening as many of her ugly accomplices - her nightmare inducing performance is on a par with the Child catcher of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame.