"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe"

C.S. Lewis children’s fantasy book on “The Chronicles of Narnia” kicks off with the story of where it all began “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”. Written in 50s, this novel while it would have livened up a new imagination in the book is a redundant fantasy land and the battle of good and evil staging up for graphics and gargantuan sets. The new world discovered through a Wardrobe in their asylum home at one Professor Kirke’s house (Jim Broadbent), the four kids Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) blend along with the creatures and fight against the evil Witch (Tilda Swinton).

Fantasy land films exist in a universe of lucidly explained evil and goodness. It is an escape for a writer to have an opportunity for demarcated line for character as it would be an exercise of hard labour and contemplation in the realistic world of despair. The hardship exists in their world too but the identification of altruism and nobility does not masquerade. Andrew Samson’s directorial debut hops at leisure on the innocent kids and the naivety is triggered for the battle against the badness of that world.

There was “The Golden Compass” which came after this of course and has adventure of a young girl in a similar fantasy land but authority, power, freedom questioned and muddled in it. There is a villain but they have a very different point of view and they firmly believe in it even to destroy some one. It is authority against free thinking making an extended approach to both kids and adults. This film I may not know would have sincerely followed the classic book and in that per se, the writer and director can decorate it but cannot destroy its core content. And the core content is a plain simple old story of Witches and Guardians.

The film has a beginning of the sweet girl Lucy stepping on her own into this land and meets up with a faun named Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy). They fear each other initially but become instant mates. Now the innocence of Lucy is used in her embracement of this half creature half human Tumnus and the behaviour of Tumnus suggests that his radar for suspicion is next to nothing. Their moment of knowing each other and the simple betrayal of him and an effort to atone it hoped up for more on characters. But this film is more about the evil being more evil and goodness being more intelligent and feeds the ripened fruit of wisdom and passive teaching of the war of good.

I would have liked to know why the Witch has a desire to be cold (represented in her trait and sword of ice) and destroy the happiness of the people in the region of Narnia. Now did she have insolent rules and improper governance? May be but a frozen gloomy winter is more than something to be made to believe of queen’s reign. The battle for the quest for saving their brother Edmund seems to be the only reason for the kids to get involved. The opposing rebel of the Witch is a lion named Aslan which in the wise voice of Liam Neeson echoes that “We are right”. The film while done well seem to be narrowed down.

In a children’s film, one expect a story like this but the film’s target widens beyond that and looking through an adult version, this is a little bit lengthy film which does not explain everything. As the “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” comes out tomorrow (May 16th 2008), it might have more of the back story on when Narnia was formed and the laws and rules spoken by the Witch and the Lion might get some meaning. This film though with a decent first and second act, not alone states the obvious in the third act but stretches it with no choice.

What caused the agitation against the Witch or what caused her to be the ruler in first place or why Aslan comes and accumulates army and how the prophecy works? Lot of questions is asked with little or no answers. And as distraught and tired Santa Claus giving swords and arrows to the kids is mildly disturbing beyond the “right use” he advocates. It is a formulaic fantasy film which I generally stay away from and hope the sequel proves me wrong.