Narnia is a special place. Not only is it a place far removed from the human world, it is a place where access is granted to a select few and it harder to get to than Hogwarts. I had watched this movie several years ago and remember that I didn’t enjoy it or fully understand it. If memory serves right, I read this book sometime ago in school, but that really didn’t help either. The four human children, Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter are the past and present of Narnia and with the help of the lion Aslan (Liam Neeson), will try to break an evil spell over the lands and gain their rightful place. Since Narnia is a land where you have to believe to see it, you can understand how the older siblings struggle with their roles and the younger ones kinda fit right in, although don’t fully comprehend what is at stake. Around every corner the spells will play with the emotions and minds to prevent their inevitable accession to the throne from happening. I give the movie credit for having pretty decent special effects for 2005, but I wasn’t as engaged in this one as I would the sequels that follows. For an introductory movie about one of the greatest book series ever written, it accomplishes what it set out to; introduce us to a magical world and the characters who live there, while setting up for future battles of these kings and queens of Narnia. 6/10
Ten Stars or Less 