Plot:
During the Battle of Britain in World War II, most children were sent from their homes in the battle zone to outlying rural areas. Four such children included Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter Pevinsie. They left home and were sent to live with stodgy Professor Kirke. They try to find something to do in the large house, and during a game of hide and seek, Lucy, the youngest, finds a magical world in a wardrobe. She seems to have spent hours with a fawn named Tumnus, but when she comes back, no time has passed.
Of course, her siblings don't believe her, until Edmund follows her. While Lucy is with Tumnus, Edmund stumbles across the White Witch, current leader of the land of Narnia. She is interested in the boy, and his siblings, and wants him to bring them all back.
After breaking a window, the four are running from their caretaker, and hide in the wardrobe. All four are sent into Narnia, and begin exploring. They are met by two beavers, and learn the tale of Narnia. The land is in winter, since the Witch has taken control. The legend is that four children of Adam, humans, will save Narnia from the witch. And Aslan, the lion, is on the move according to the prophecy. And these four, the beavers surmise are the humans of legend.
The beavers start leading them across the frozen land, but Edmund runs. He was promised many things by the Witch, and goes to her castle. She is not happy that only he returned, and things don't go well for him after that. The other three make their way to Aslan, being accosted by the Witch's wolves and other ghouls. They join with Aslan's army, and rescue Edmund. The Witch visits Aslan, seeking restitution for the capture of Edmund, and Aslan offers himself. He is sacrificed, and the rest go into battle without him.
As the battle rages, Aslan is reborn, and brings with him enough reinforcements to defeat the Witch. The good guys win, and the four siblings rule Narnia for years. Until one day when they find a lightpost in the middle of the woods. Seeing some faint recognition, they keep going into the trees, until they spill onto the floor of the room with the old wardrobe. And no time has passed.
My Thoughts
I read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series when I was young, among other fantasy and sci-fi classics, and I enjoyed every one of them. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was one of my favorites growing up, and when I saw the movie version, I was thrilled. It had the same feeling of bringing the book to life like I had imagined it, much like the Fellowship of the Rings did. Every inch of Narnia was perfect, and the characterizations were spot-on excellent. It had the same sense of wonder and danger that the book held for me. And the effects were nearly seamless. They were pretty close to the LOTR effects, but just a little bit below. All in all, it was an exciting visual feast that made me happy, both as a movie goer and a fan of the story and novel. The second movie is out in 2008, Prince Caspian. I am eagerly awaiting this one.
