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Movies / Upcoming / The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

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Reviews Counted:202

Fresh:151

Rotten:51

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: With first-rate special effects and compelling storytelling, this adaptation stays faithful to its source material and will please moviegoers of all ages.

Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

US Box Office: $291,685,219

Synopsis: Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe... Director Andrew Adamson gives a new dimension to C.S. Lewis's enchanting story with this long-awaited Disney adaptation. As the story begins, Mrs. Pevensie--in order to keep her children safe during World War II--sends Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmond (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) off to stay at a professor's country estate. Away from London and under the care of a strict housekeeper, they are instructed to stick to themselves and stay out of trouble. But when an innocent game of hide-and-seek leads young Lucy to a spare room containing a large wardrobe, she discovers something that will change their lives forever. Inside the wardrobe there is a world frosted with ice and filled with magical beings. Known as Narnia, the land is stuck in eternal winter at the hands of the cruel White Witch, played with great force by the pale, strong-featured Tilda Swinton. When she steps back into reality, Lucy struggles to convince her skeptical siblings of the things she's seen. After much disbelief, the others finally enter the world as well, learning that the creatures of Narnia have long been waiting for humans like themselves to appear and break the witch's spell. But in order to be of any help to the lovable talking beavers, fawns, foxes, and centaurs that they meet, the four will have to face betrayal by one of their own as Edmond cracks under the witch's tempting offer of unlimited Turkish Delights. Under the leadership of the great lion Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson), can Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and the oldest, Peter, prove themselves heroes in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil? High-budget special effects, impressive performances by the film's young newcomers, and beautiful set design move this film far beyond previous television adaptations. [More]

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, James Cosmo, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Rupert Everett, Kiran Shah

Director: Andrew Adamson

Director: Andrew Adamson
Screenwriter: Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Producer: Mark Johnson
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch,...

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/15/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's easy to see why Disney chose to start with The Witch and the Wardrobe.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
12/14/05
Stephen Rowley
Stephen Rowley
In Film Australia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

New Zealander Andrew Adamson clearly relishes the task, and in the spirit of Lord of the Rings, conjuring a fantasy world of talking beasts, giant armies, spectacular landscapes, terrifying dashes of humour and entire worlds to save from doom.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/11/05
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So digitalized that the images start to suggest chintzy old superimpositions

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
09/01/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

The story never quite lives up to the grandeur of the visuals, and the narrative tends to drag, especially in the first half.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/08/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

Appreciable is its willingness to tantalize with slow reveals, thus allowing its otherwise obvious religious readings to imbue themselves more fully into the unfolding narrative.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
05/18/08
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

It is marked by a peculiarly English celebration of the Church Militant. That noted, it's also a ripping yarn.

Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
05/17/08
Thomas Peyser
Thomas Peyser
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

A slow, cold first half is followed by a lively, sunny second half.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/13/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

The bigger the scope gets, the less we really care.

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/26/08
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

Certainly a feast for the eyes; once the story moves to Narnia, the film is never dull to look at.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

The Chronicles of Narnia joins the ranks of other fantasy classics ... in creating an amazingly believable fantasy world.

Full Review Source: DVD Review | comment Comment
07/10/07
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
DVD Review

With its crisply told narrative, excellent production values and great ensemble cast [it] is one of the best big-budget spectacles Hollywood has released this year.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

This is a worthy opening salvo, a film that succeeds through the sheer weight of our expectations, and that won't disappoint younger audiences.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
02/10/07
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph

It’s an enjoyable adaptation and good enough for us to welcome this new franchise.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is spendthrift in budget yet cautious in style, steadfast in holding to Lewis's imagination yet timorous about using any of its own.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
11/11/06
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation

My guess is that [it] will appeal to all of us in need of a jab of earnest, old-fashioned moralism to save the day

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
08/20/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Aslan = Jesus. Now you don't have to buy a ticket.

Full Review Source: West Valley View | comment 12 Comments
07/27/06
Michael Clawson
Michael Clawson
West Valley View
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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