So digitalized that the images start to suggest chintzy old superimpositions
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:202
Fresh:151
Rotten:51
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: With first-rate special effects and compelling storytelling, this adaptation stays faithful to its source material and will please moviegoers of all ages.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for battle sequences and frightening moments.
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Dec 9, 2005 Wide
Box Office: $291,685,219
Synopsis: Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe... Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe during World War II--sends Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmond (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) off to stay at a professor's country estate. Away from London and under the care of a strict housekeeper, they are instructed to stick to themselves and stay out of trouble. But when an innocent game of hide-and-seek leads young Lucy to a spare room containing a large wardrobe, she discovers something that will change their lives forever. Inside the wardrobe there is a world frosted with ice and filled with magical beings. Known as Narnia, the land is stuck in eternal winter at the hands of the cruel White Witch, played with great force by the pale, strong-featured Tilda Swinton. When she steps back into reality, Lucy struggles to convince her skeptical siblings of the things she's seen. After much disbelief, the others finally enter the world as well, learning that the creatures of Narnia have long been waiting for humans like themselves to appear and break the witch's spell. But in order to be of any help to the lovable talking beavers, fawns, foxes, and centaurs that they meet, the four will have to face betrayal by one of their own as Edmond cracks under the witch's tempting offer of unlimited Turkish Delights. Under the leadership of the great lion Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson), can Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and the oldest, Peter, prove themselves heroes in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil? High-budget special effects, impressive performances by the film's young newcomers, and beautiful set design move this film far beyond previous television adaptations. [More]
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, James Cosmo, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Rupert Everett, Kiran Shah
Director: Andrew Adamson
Director: Andrew Adamson
Screenwriter: Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Producer: Mark Johnson
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
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Reviews for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch,...
The story never quite lives up to the grandeur of the visuals, and the narrative tends to drag, especially in the first half.
Appreciable is its willingness to tantalize with slow reveals, thus allowing its otherwise obvious religious readings to imbue themselves more fully into the unfolding narrative.
It is marked by a peculiarly English celebration of the Church Militant. That noted, it's also a ripping yarn.
Certainly a feast for the eyes; once the story moves to Narnia, the film is never dull to look at.
The Chronicles of Narnia joins the ranks of other fantasy classics ... in creating an amazingly believable fantasy world.
With its crisply told narrative, excellent production values and great ensemble cast [it] is one of the best big-budget spectacles Hollywood has released this year.
This is a worthy opening salvo, a film that succeeds through the sheer weight of our expectations, and that won't disappoint younger audiences.
It’s an enjoyable adaptation and good enough for us to welcome this new franchise.
It is spendthrift in budget yet cautious in style, steadfast in holding to Lewis's imagination yet timorous about using any of its own.
My guess is that [it] will appeal to all of us in need of a jab of earnest, old-fashioned moralism to save the day
...an engaging and visually-stimulating adaptation of the first book of Lewis' immortal seven-part Narnia series.
There's something giddily entertaining about watching married beavers bickering--without the usual Disney attempt at cuteness.
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