The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe 2005 Review

Plot
The beginning of the movie really threw me off. It begins with a scene I totally did not expect. There were fighter planes flying over and bombing a city. Then I saw 4 kids and their mother in the city running for the bomb shelter. I guess I had false assumptions about the plot, but it all started to come together now.

The following day we see the mother saying goodbye as she packs her 4 kids on a train to go somewhere else until the war is over. A short train ride later, the kids are left at a "train stop" which is just a platform, waiting for their ride. She finally arrives and takes them to their new huge house. She's pretty strict and tells them no running, screaming, touching or disturbing the professor.

The kids get bored fast around here and decide to play hide and seek. The youngest, Lucy, finds herself in a room with a big "wardrobe". It's not what I use the word for but apparently wardrobe means the same as a closet or armoire. She goes to hide in the wardrobe, and as she's walking back she never seems to find the end! Instead, she's suddenly in a freezing snowy forest!

That's all I'm going to tell you...

Actors
Georgie Henley as Lucy, the youngest girl, is definitely the star of this movie. She was the one to find Narnia, and it is through her eyes that we can see all the magical and fantastic stuff around. She is willing to believe in anything that she sees or hears because of her youth and innocence, and this helps you to believe in everything that happens.

Skandar Keynes as Edmund is next. He's a selfish boy that doesn't like being second best to his older brother. This creates a lot of tension between all four right from the start and enhances the plot of the movie. He's also quite a joy kill! These 4 siblings act just like regular siblings which means they don't always get along.

Anna Popplewell as Susan is the annoying older sister that is always proper and logical and...boring! She definitely doesn't believe there is a forest hidden in the closet. Even after she starts to believe, she still isn't sure about the magical things that happen there.

Susan: Lucy says she's found another land.
Professor: Hmmm.
Susan: In that wardrobe.
Professor: What? What did you say? What was it like?
Susan: Like talking to a lunatic!
Professor: No, no, I mean the other land! What was it like?
Susan: You don't mean to say you believe her?
Professor: You don't?

Finally, Peter as played by William Moseley is the older brother who needs to protect all the rest and keep them together. He takes on his role well and can show love and strictness at the same time.

Visuals
The visuals are what make the movie so great to watch. The scenery is beautiful from start to finish! The best is the animals and how real they seem to talk and interact with the human characters. Beavers, wolves and even polar bears! All are so cute, even the evil ones... The people of Narnia are not human. In fact they are all different shapes, sizes and mixes of different animals. Some are just an animal like the Beavers and Wolves, but some are half human/half horse or other mixes. In Narnia these different mystical creatures all live in this land where no humans ever come, so when they first see the 4 kids, they are all very excited! Of course, the kids are excited to see all these magical creatures, and the audience will be too.

Genre
I thought this was going to be a fun filled fantasy full of exploration. Instead it was very dramatic. We learn that Narnia is going through some tough times and not ever creature is ready to accept the humans with open arms. There is still a lot of fantasy and exploration, but there is also a lot of fighting, confrontation and a full out war.

For Who
I was surprised this was only rated PG as I would rate it PG13. Although they never show blood, they come awfully close and show some pretty intense scenes! I would say 10 and over to be safe, but 13 and over to be really safe. I couldn't even watch certain parts as Peter was about to stab a wolf. Yes he was an evil wolf but it still just didn't seem quite right because even the evil wolves were cute!

Fans of the book may or may not like this. I know how book fans sometimes don't like the associated movies. However as someone who never read the book, I thought the movie was great! It had a cute story and lots of great special effects and visuals. Harry Potter is comparable. If you like that, see this.

Conclusion
I'm already looking forward to any sequels they may have as this movie was enjoyable. Although slow at parts, it was worth seeing on the big screen for all the great effects, so rent it and watch on a large TV. There are many cute and interesting characters and lots of lovely scenery. Go rent it today.  Enjoy!

After you watch this film, check out the second in the series: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.