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

An awkward and boring mix of Lord of the Rings (camera swoops, the battle cries, slow-motion shots) and Harry Potter (colorful production design and Victorian-style sets), but boring plot-wise and technically very clunky. The final battle is okay, but the lack of blood and excessive visual effects bring down the overall effectiveness to average. The young actors are surprisingly unlikeable and not very equipped in terms of acting, which could still be bearable if they had anything to work with; the dismal script doesn't give them much space. Beautiful production design and artistic style are not everything, and the film starts to become boring after a while, that is if you are older than twelve. (2006-05-12)

For adult viewers, this bit of Disney brainwashing is almost indigestible. It conceptually rips of The Lord of the Rings in numerous scenes (mainly through identical camera runs). It’s actually The Lord of the Rings for the youngest children, who can be made happy just by showing them colorful characters running around in a meadow. You won’t find even a nod to adults here. (2005-12-12)

If I were a little kid, I'd probably be in seventh heaven from all those talking beavers, wolves, centaurs, eagles and other creatures, but as an adult, I was presented with something that was almost unbearable, especially in the second half. At the beginning, when the kids are getting acquainted with Narnia, it's a pretty brisk show, with beautiful winter scenery and sets that Weta did a really good job of producing. But from the encounter with Aslan in the second half comes the unbearable ubiquitous pathos, with fervent glances and profound proclamations, all meant to be deadly serious and without an ounce of levity, as if there was no place for humour in a story with Christian symbolism, which is not as readable for young children and may be completely irrelevant to them. A deeply religious man, Lewis projected the person of Jesus into his book through Aslan, with his sacrifice and resurrection, which he did for an unnamed Christian ecumenical nonprofit publisher whose enthusiastic promotional flyer for the film I got my hands on. It may be the film's essential centerpiece, but the average viewer sees it differently and is more interested in the fact that the CGI characters are legibly digital and have unnaturally jerky movements, and the level of the visual effects in general varies considerably, something surprising for a film with such a budget. The film is presented in such an uninteresting way, I'm sorry, but I don't see it as more than 2*. (2006-03-10)

No grateful spectacle from successful morning teenage fantasy, on the contrary. Missing the last 20 minutes would be the prototype of a truly unpleasant film for me. The children argue the whole time except for the ending, and their actors (possibly except for Lucy) are incredibly annoying. In combination with eye-catching tricks, lecturing Aslan, and not-so-likeable supporting characters, it's truly a big defeat. (2006-03-05)

I can't help it, but the first part never impressed me. The only thing I truly appreciate about it are the tricks, both classic and digital. They simply look amazing. However, the story didn't engage me, nor did the characters, except maybe Aslan. I'm surprised that the series is still continuing and more parts are expected. (2015-03-14)