Etcetera @ The Movies: CNLWW - [Matthew]

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...

First of all, holy poo-- that’s a long, though unavoidable, title (‘32 points, Scrabble fans’).

The film is, of course, based on the children’s novel of the same name by C.S. Lewis. The screenplay adaptation was written by Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely.

CNLWW (that’s the shorthand I’m using) features exceptional acting, especially from the kids. In particular, ten year-old Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy, steals the picture. Several scenes are very emotional and she absolutely nails it. How little Dakota Fanning didn’t muscle in to get this part, I don’t know.

Also worth mentioning acting-wise… The Ice Queen, played by Tilda Swinton (she played the Angel Gabriel in Constantine). Swinton makes a wicked good Wicked Witch of the North. Throughout the movie she shoots daggers with her eyes, but in the final sequence, she actually gets to use real daggers and she proves to be one bad mammajamma.

Mr. Beaver, voiced by Ray Winstone, is charming as well.

Aslan the Lion’s voice may be familiar, yet not immediately recognizable. Liam Neeson plays the part, nicely capturing the strong-but-gentle, dangerous-but-good quality of the Christ-lion.

CNLWW’s special effects are remarkable, and when you think about it, that’s saying something. Consider how far technology has come just in the past few years. For a film to really grab you, the effects must truly be next-level.

The biggest challenge, and thusly success, fx-wise is the film’s wall-to-wall animals. Think about it: Lord of the Rings had imaginary creatures (‘How lifelike is the Balrog? Didn’t look like the ones I’ve seen’). In contrast, CNLWW is nothing as much as a gigantic digital menagerie of anthropomorphic animals and each looks completely realistic.

CNLWW’s story takes a little while to get cranked up and going, but once it does, it rolls right along. It has a very simple, uncomplicated storyline, as opposed to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, which must have felt like transcribing the phonebook onto a cocktail napkin.

Comparisons with LOTR are inevitable, but really it’s like comparing apples to Orcs. Unlike LOTR, the epic scope of CNLWW unfolds and builds gradually. The battle scenes are good, but few. A far cry from the skirmish-a-minute pace of Peter Jackson’s opus. Director Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Shrek 2) has made a clear choice to keep this a children’s film: Lots of action, but no real violence. No blood is seen whatsoever, even after Peter runs a wolf through with his sword.

CNLWW, while fantastic and well executed, is not perfect. There are a few moments, like where the kids lead an army into battle, where it felt silly. If you can manage to keep thinking of it in terms of a children’s fairy tale, it works.

Second, the sequence wherein Aslan sacrifices himself to save Edmund feels sudden, rushed and -- I hate saying this -- heavy-handed and didactic.

In all, CNLWW is a charming, entertaining, often thought-provoking family film, generously sprinkled with a surprising number of truly funny moments. At the end of the advanced screening, the audience applauded (silly audience… C.S. Lewis wasn’t even there that night).

I have a feeling you’ll like it, too.

**** (out of 5)

Rated PG for battle sequences and frightening moments
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Opens Nationwide Friday, December 9th

PS: Stick around after the first set of credits to see an additional (albeit unnecessary) scene that leans toward the next installment in the series.

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