Narnia Reviews

As a huge, almost fanatical fan of C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" book series (which I just read out loud to my children this year), I've been on the fence about whether to see the new blockbuster movie, fearing my inner imaginings would be destroyed or dwarfed by the power of film. So rather than be swayed by another fawning professional review, I looked to the readers for guidance.

"Narnia was all I imagined and more!" exclaims Rhoda. " C.S. Lewis's story is faithfully told in this adaptation of The Lion, The Witch,and the Wardrobe. I adored the entire film from start to finish... if you enjoy the books you'll adore the film."

Tmkates agrees. "I just saw The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe...As I have read the entirety of the C.S. Lewis Chronicles seven times, I know that this film stays true to the magic and timeless value of the classic books."

But apparently one doesn't have to have read the books to enjoy the film. Readers sumarayros and brandie_phantomess_of_the_opera raved over the magic and special effects, both admitting they thrilled over the story while never having ventured into Lewis's series. (Now go get the books, kids.)

There was also debate on the movie review page over whether the Christian symbolism in the story is too much, or should act as a deterrent to movie goers. But Mindis_place says, "I am so tired of hearing criticism of Lewis and Narnia because of its role as Christian allegory. I'm Jewish. I loved the Narnia books. I loved the fantasy of stepping through a wardrobe door on a dreary day into a whole other world... Adamson does a terrific job of turning Lewis's rather sparse prose into a real big screen adventure complete with real battle scenes, a truly frightening witch, and a lion who will thrill you to your very soul. If you still have the capacity for wonder, go see this movie."

Twalter agrees, writing, "...lets kill all this anti-Christian stuff, the movie was good no matter what religion it portrays..." But suneetha16 complains that the special efects are no "Lord of the Rings" material and that, "...The movies starts off well but crawls in the middle and then picks up towards the end. The Christian sermonising also tends to put off people."

The only full-scale pan comes from kgenser who argues that "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy upped the ante on special effects pushing all movies to reach higher to move an audience. Genser also dissed the talent and production. "The characters and dialogue were overly simplistic and there were many scenes that clearly took place in front of a blue screen."

Even taking that one into consideration, I'm there this weekend.

If you've got a review on any of the latest films, post yours in washingtonpost.com's City Guide.

By Lindsay Howerton |  December 13, 2005; 1:04 PM ET  | Category:  Arts and Entertainment
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