Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Rated by 5 members
Long and lush and directed by Shrek's Andrew Adamson, Narnia makes a case for love among siblings by granting them a common enemy. The scariest scene comes at the start: a night sky is filled with smoke and warplanes. As the Germans bomb London during WWII, the Pevensie children scramble to the backyard bomb shelter. designates moral positions in part by associating certain animals and mythical creatures with them. These embodiments take a cue from the Lord of the Rings franchise, assembled according to beauty and horridness: sleek and elegant animals like cheetahs and horses and centaurs form Aslan's crew; ogres, dwarves, and minotaurs constitute Jadis' fearsome assembly. None of the Christian elements are obvious and a viewer could watch the movie without realizing any of this -- as with the book.
The final battle returns the children to the film's opening: they witness (and now enact) violent destruction of bodies and material. The fight images are rendered in grand terms, as the two armies gather on hilltops and leaders raise their arms to prompt forward motion. This motion initially is like thunder -- a rush of rumbling hooves and wheels. At the moment of first impact, when a cheetah and a tiger leap on one another, the sound goes out for an instant. It's awful, maybe thrilling, but only for a moment. It recalls the awesome power of war, to pretend glory and abstract honor. And that is scary.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianBridge to Terabithia
City of Ember
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
