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

“The wardrobe will open. The Witch will rise. The lion will reign”. Yes, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has finally been brought to life on the silver screen.

Written in 1950, Narnia chronicles the adventures of the Pevensie siblings, namely Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), who travel through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a respected lion messiah, Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson).

Throughout their journey, the Turkish delight-hungry Edmund will learn that it pays not to talk to strangers, Peter his leadership skills and Susan to not be so judgemental and such a know-it-all.

Narnia is the first in a series of seven books written by Lewis. It teaches you the true meaning of sacrifice and forgiveness (a poignant scene involving Aslan and the White Witch), and also its element of humours (the talking beavers, with the voices of Ray Winstone and Dawn French).

The four very new actors, in their debut film, have done well. Combined with more seasoned players such as Neeson, Swinton and Everett (voice of Fox), Narnia is a great delight to watch.

Narnia is undoubtedly the next biggest film production of its kind after the Lord of The Rings (LOTR) trilogy, with its filming from the springy New Zealand countryside to the snowy mountains of the Czech Republic. But the best part is yet to come.

It blows you away with the combination of special effects companies such as Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas’), K.N.B. EFX Group Inc (special makeup and creature effects) and Weta Workshop (also involved in the production of King Kong).

Watch out for the big battle at the end, as talking beavers, fauns, centaurs, dwarfs and many more will fight the battle for Narnia.

One warning though. You might want to put away any tendency to compare Adamson’s production to that of Peter Jackson in the LOTR trilogy. Adamson has put together a seemingly impossible feat and he should be given due credit for a job well done, or in this sense, a film well made.

The battle for Narnia has begun.