Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

A well-made and beautiful movie that really isn't all that interesting.

I assume most people know the plot: kids into wardrobe, meet the witch, she wants them dead, go go gadget lion.

Overall, the movie wasn't that impressive. It was a well-made movie, though. The visuals were stunning, the effets great and the soundtrack was fantastic. The acting was even quality. I just wasn't interested in the plot. Maybe that's my problem. I recently read the books. Those didn't catch my imagination either. They are children's books. This is a movie based upon a child's book. It kept to the simplistic plot of that book. Maybe had I been more attached to them as a child, rather than really reading them at 24, the movie would have been better. As it stands, I could have cared less. I mean, Harry Potter is supposedly a childrens book but I find that highly fascinating. It can't be about me not suspending my disbelief. I fully accepted magic, travel between worlds without any passage of time and talking animals. I just didn't care about the movie.

I think part of my problem is the characters are all so 2-D. They showed just one side and never grew at all. Susan was a complete, cold-hearted bitch. The only worthwhile or interesting thing she did in the entire movie was shoot the dwarf. She kept yelling at everyone, haranging Peter and always saying everything was a bad idea.

Lucy was an obnoxious little pratt who happened to look like a pig (her nose was already upturned). She was likely a simpleton (not in the same way SouthernCanadian is). A true dimwit.

Peter was just completely lame. What a boring character.

Edmund was the only one to show any growth at all. He learned lessons and you could see it. I didn't see it in anybody else.

I really wasn't convinced by these characters. I'm not convinced they'd make good kings and queens. I mean Lucy is going to gush anytime she sees a shiny object and cry anytime a bug is crushed. She'll be so distracted that nothing will get done. At the end, Peter asks Ed, "When are you going to start doing what you're told?" Ed should have replied, "When you start telling me the right thing to do." Peter had not done anything right in the movie. Every time he wielded a sword it looked like he was about to lose his own arm.

Overall, though, it wasn't a bad movie by any means. It was just average. As I said, it was very well done but I simply was not entrhalled by it. I wasn't in a rush for it to end like some bad movies. The soundtrack was phenomonal. I usually don't pay attention to that but I couldn't help but notice it. It was that good.

2.5 of 5. Just average.