Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton
Written by: C. S. Lewis (novel), Ann Peacock(screenplay)
Directed by: Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, is yet another screenplay adapted from a novel. Few of us have not read The Chronicles of Narnia series. But for those few, here is a short plot synopsis.

Four children, two brothers and two sisters, are sent away to live with a stranger to escape the dangers of World War II. The location is England. At the new home, they discover a wardrobe that is a doorway to another world inhabited by minotaur*, centaurs, a Lion god and an evil witch, amongst others.

The costume design is brilliant. Tilda Swinton looks magnificent as the evil witch. Her awesome screen presence is significantly enhanced by her fabulous outfits and hairstyles.

There is a wonderful contrast between the drab, brown colors of England and the sharp, vibrant colors of Narnia. This choice in cinematography clearly illustrates the differences in the mood of the two worlds.

There is also a clear distinction in mood between the stark whites and blues of winter and the pastels of summer. This is illustrating the change from the rule of the evil witch, who keeps Narnia in winter for several years, and the freedom from her powers, resulting in summer.

While the film is visually stunning, I just wasn’t impressed by the story. I don’t mind CGI graphics for set design, but CGI characters mixed into live action bothers me. I’m not really sure why. There’s just something unsettling about it. There was a significant amount of CGI’d characters. I find it distracting. Maybe I’m paying too much attention to the marvelous details of the CGI. CGI has advanced so much, it is amazing. But it just bugs me.

I don’t mind an all CGI film, like Shrek or Madagascar. CGI set design, I enjoy. Sin City, shot entirely on green screen, is one of my most favorite films, largely due to that fact. I find the cinematography of it to be awesome, especially because it so perfectly emulated the comic book from which it was adapted. But the CGI with live action really turns me off.

Another turn off of THIS Chronicle, and I suppose then the whole series, is what it is intended to symbolize. It is written to parallel the story of Christ, according to the Bible. I have serious issues with the Bible and don’t care for anything that glorifies it. I tried to ignore the undertones of the story, and just focus on it being another display of the battle between good and evil. But I must say, I didn’t really succeed.

Finally, I’ve had enough of the good versus evil already, at least where good and evil are so strongly divided. I prefer a story where the lines between good and evil are a little blurry. There was some blurriness here. The younger brother of the siblings betrays his family by siding with the witch. But it isn’t as though he did it knowingly. It was a mistake that occurred because he is a child, naïve to the forces of evil. If he had intentionally sold them out, I would have been more intrigued.

It’s also getting difficult to see the need for more good versus evil epics. We have Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. What’s the point of another epic series, other than to make lots of money for Hollywood? It could appeal to a generation who hasn’t been watching movies for several years. To them, it is likely still original. But for older generations, it’s likely to seem cliché.

I suppose it’s a great kids’ film. A lot of the “bad” things that occur, like killings, aren’t shown. There isn’t even any after-gore.

So if you have kiddies, take them to see this. I’m sure they’ll love it. And if you care to try to teach the story of the Bible to them, this would be a great analogy, I suppose. I think it’d be nicer if you taught them science and logic, but I digress.

However, if you are an adult without kids: You might enjoy the scenery, but ultimately, I think the story is bland. But I think that’s my bias talking.

Still, I’d recommend skipping it and going to see Harry Potter or watching Lord of the Rings: All of the epic-ness, none of the didactic-ness.

*It IS minotaur, both singular and plural, as in deer or moose - at least per the spell check.