ent to the safety of a country estate as the harsh realities of World War II and the Blitz take their toll on London, the Pevensie children—Peter (Moseley), Susan (Popplewell), Edmund (Keynes) and Lucy (Henley)—kill time by playing a variety of games, among them hide and seek. During one session, Lucy, the youngest, hides in a big wardrobe, sliding deeper and deeper into it until she emerges in Narnia, at first glance a beautiful, snow-covered forest. Lucy soon encounters Mr. Tumnus (McAvoy), a friendly, walking and talking half-man/half-goat. Eventually Lucy returns home and leads Peter, Susan and Edmund through the enchanted wardrobe and into Narnia, a place not nearly as welcoming as Lucy initially imagined.
The Pevensies discover that Narnia and its menagerie of strange and wondrous creatures are under the spell of Jadis, the White Witch (Swinton), a sorceress who's come to rule the land and cursed it with an endless winter that's so far lasted 100 years. All of this has occurred in the absence of Aslan (voice of Neeson), a great and kindly lion rumored ready to return to his seat of power. Jadis senses forces conspiring against her—the Pevensies were, according to prophecy, destined to arrive in Narnia one day and will eventually lead Narnia to a brighter and warmer future.
And so Jadis plots to capture and kill the children, and Aslan, too. The easiest mark is Edmund. He's no fan of older siblings Peter and Susan, whom he feels behave like bossy parental stand-ins when they're only kids a few years older than he. Jadis tricks Edmund, luring him with the promise of infinite supplies of a delicacy called Turkish delight, and then imprisons him. Next to Edmund? Tumnus. He befriended Lucy, turned on her, reconsidered and was captured by Jadis. All of that sets the stage for rescue missions and battle sequences and heroics. Aslan does return and helps Peter, Susan and Lucy prepare to fight the good fight, a fight that climaxes in a showdown of epic proportions.
Fleshed out for the better
As written by Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fine, entertaining and magical story, but it's not a very long tale and it stints in developing its central characters and the look of Narnia. Adamsom and his collaborators, in creating their film, use the book as a blueprint and build from there, filling in the finer details and the broad-stroke ones, too. Each Pevensie child is fleshed out and given an emotional center. Lucy is the wide-eyed innocent, wise, brave and trusting. Edmund is the angry young man who realizes his me-against-them attitude is more a figment of his imagination than a reality, and he only wishes he'll have a chance to undo the trouble he's caused. Peter is the good-natured big brother who must assume even greater responsibility. And Susan is the nurturer and doubting Thomas compelled to take action in the heat of the moment.
People can—and most assuredly will—debate the Christian themes that abound in the film; Aslan is the Christ figure here, as in the book, but it's thankfully nowhere near as heavy-handed on screen as on the page. They can grouse about some of the special effects, which are superb throughout, with several notable, nettlesome exceptions. Aslan is majestic. Tumnus and a couple of bickering beavers (voices of Winstone and French) are downright perfect. However, some shots look like Hitchcock-era rear-screen projection, and a sequence in which the kids ride a chunk of ice along raging waters looks exactly like what it was: a sequence staged on a soundstage, with the kids in fake, only-in-the-movies blue water.
Minor flaws aside, the film sinks or soars on the merits of the performances, and they're wonderful. Henley is an adorable charmer, and Adamson wisely tells much of the story through her eyes (and from her perspective, actually). She genuinely inhabits the role, as opposed to so many other child actors, who seem to be play-acting. Popplewell adds genuine warmth to the proceedings, and Moseley does nicely conveying Peter's decency and sense of responsibility while also holding his own in scenes with Swinton that veer from dramatic to action-oriented. Keynes nails Edmund, arguably the most pivotal role and certainly the most fully developed character. More importantly, when the four youngsters are together, you believe they're a family. As for Swinton, she creates a memorable baddie, a soulless, power-mad creature at once compelling and repugnant. McAvoy is also a standout, playing beautifully off Henley and Keynes.
