When it is not attempting (poorly) to replicate the visual splendor and complexity of the Lord of the Rings films (the CGI here can be quite muddy), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe proves to be an old fashioned, delightfully charming work of family entertainment. It is not the centaurs or dryads or giants or talking beavers that captures one’s attention but the subtle and unforced performances of the young actors in the central roles. Director Adamson has coaxed very good work from these kids, and it is their commitment to the material that makes the film soar. Tilda Swinton is fantastic as the White Witch (and her costumes are fabulous), and James McAvoy’s gentle, enchanting performance as Mr. Tumnus was truly memorable (he’s all the rage in our house at the moment). The adaptation opens up yet improves upon C.S. Lewis’ novel, which, after reading it aloud to my daughter last week, can grow a bit twee. After the wearisome Harry Potter IV, I was a bit reluctant about taking Cate to another big holiday film, but she was absolutely riveted. Indeed, the theatre was packed and, considering the number of small children in the auditorium, remarkably—reverently—silent.
jeff, i’m guessing most of us will see and talk about at least two of these films–since you’re not drawing any thematic connection between them why not break your reviews up into three separate posts so that the discussion of one doesn’t get lost in that of the others?
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speaking of obsessive behaviour, since mike started a new topic on syriana quoting jeff’s review from his original 3-in-1 post i’ve used my magical powers to separate the three reviews, and have placed mike’s post on syriana as a comment/response in the new standalone post on syriana by jeff. carry on.