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

Name: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Released: December 9, 2005
Duration: 143 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Tilda Swinton, William Moseley

2005

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 797 Ratings

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 797 Ratings

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

Movie Details & Credits

Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: December 9, 2005 | Unrated

Starring: Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Tilda Swinton, William Moseley

Summary: C.S. Lewis' timeless adventure follows the exploits of the four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter -- in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of hide-and-seek in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peacefulC.S. Lewis' timeless adventure follows the exploits of the four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter -- in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of hide-and-seek in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the lion Aslan, the children fight to overcome the White Witch's powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis' icy spell forever. (Walt Disney Pictures / Walden Media)… Expand

Director: Andrew Adamson

Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 143 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Elizabeth Weitzman

A generation-spanning journey that feels both comfortingly familiar and excitingly original. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Spiritual redemption is a big theme of Narnia, but on a purely entertainment level, the movie also goes a long way in redeeming the current sad state of children's fantasy filmmaking. Read full review

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

If you're a fan of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, all you need to know is this: Disney has done right by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's impossible to imagine it done much better, in fact. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh

The extensive CGI work is well used and the children are exceptionally well cast, especially the girls. Read full review

Roger Ebert

This is a film situated precisely on the dividing line between traditional family entertainment and the newer action-oriented family films. It is charming and scary in about equal measure, and confident for the first two acts that it can be wonderful without having to hammer us into enjoying it, or else. Then it starts hammering. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Overlong, poorly paced and woodenly acted film. Read full review

Premiere Peter Debruge

The movie is a leaden, slow-moving beast. Read full review

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User Reviews

JeromeH.

Dec 10, 2005

Phenomenal movie! Great christian symbollism (more than our family realized after reading the book). Wonderful acting, great directing and cinematography. Not too violent, as some reviewers have suggested. Go out with your family and see this wonderful movie!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

BrittanyS.

Jan 3, 2006

I thoruly enjoyed this movie. It was one of the best ones I saw this year!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

gm101

Feb 9, 2011

I may not be a Christian, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy this movie. Definitely one of the best flicks of 2005. Very LOTR-esque, but better! I have very fond memories of watching this in theaters.

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

MrPajamas

Jul 22, 2021

I would describe this film in one word. Nice. I'm not saying it's cheerful or for children, but everything is nice. The nature, the creatures that live here. Nice CGI. It's just a joy to watch this movie. As for the story, I think it's a blast and I think the whole idea of the wardrobe isI would describe this film in one word. Nice. I'm not saying it's cheerful or for children, but everything is nice. The nature, the creatures that live here. Nice CGI. It's just a joy to watch this movie. As for the story, I think it's a blast and I think the whole idea of the wardrobe is cool and I liked the overall plot of the film. I'm probably exaggerating, but I love this movie and I personally don't really see much reason not to recommend it. In fact, for me, it's a great movie that I would recommend especially to fantasy fans.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Halfwelshman

Dec 26, 2011

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a really decent, heartfelt fantasy epic for all ages. It's visually superb, particularly the portrayal of realistic talking animals (without which the film could never work), and has some good performances, most prominentlyThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a really decent, heartfelt fantasy epic for all ages. It's visually superb, particularly the portrayal of realistic talking animals (without which the film could never work), and has some good performances, most prominently Tilda Swinton's icily creepy White Witch and James McAvoy's pitch-perfect Mr Tumnus. The central characters of the Pevensies are effortlessly believable as a genuine family of siblings - they squabble, they poke fun at each other and they sulk, but when all's said and done they love each other very deeply. The girls (Anna Popplewell and particularly Georgie Henley) are infinitely more talented than the boys (William Moseley and Skandar Keynes) and make more compelling protagonists as a result, but as a group, they are all engaging. Though it's always entertaining, Andrew Adamson's film is far from original - he owes so much to Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings trilogy, with New Zealand standing in for Narnia as well as Middle Earth, and with the involvement of Weta Workshop. Though it's got some great moments, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe can never escape feeling like an inferior Lord of the Rings - it's nowhere near as rich, well-told or emotionally compelling.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChrisB.

Dec 7, 2005

It's been nearly twenty years since I last read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and I don't remember seeing the Christian symbolism of it back then. Ever since, I had learned more about CS Lewis and how The Chronicles of Narnia very much reflected his philosophy and It's been nearly twenty years since I last read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and I don't remember seeing the Christian symbolism of it back then. Ever since, I had learned more about CS Lewis and how The Chronicles of Narnia very much reflected his philosophy and religion. Fine. But, man, if I didn't get that impression as a kid reading the book, I sure got it hammered into my skull as an adult watching this movie. At the end of it, I felt like I just came out of the cinematic equivalent of a Creed concert. (That's bad, by the way.) What amazes me is how this is being marketed as a good Christian alternative to Harry Potter movies. Where the HP films are fully committed to the pure fantasy that their characters and situations inhabit, Narnia slavishly needs to qualify everything that happens on screen with a biblical reference point, reducing the kids into Sunday-schoolbook caricatures. And having a CG lion as a Christ figure is about as bad as Scott Stapp posing as Jesus on-stage at that aforementioned Creed concert. Other than that, there is some lovely visual adaptation of the cool stuff I do remember from the book. The kids were capable but uneven in their talents, having cast a blockheaded but handsome Prince William-lookalike as the eldest boy, Peter, while the youngest had an almost creepy precociousness in her performance as Lucy. Tilda Swinton as the White Witch was fantastic, her styling was incredible, and I would have loved to see her have more screen time rather than the badly rendered animal villains. The CG characters were noticeably weak, and even Azlan seemed much less majestic than the lion my imagination had painted as a child.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

LukeE

Dec 13, 2005

Absolutely devoid of talent or... well, that's it. Shots and film editing were handled like a freshman at film school, and the special effects looked like stock animations (and at times, b.g. images seemed prerendered liked a Hitchcock car ride). The costumes were shabby, as though Absolutely devoid of talent or... well, that's it. Shots and film editing were handled like a freshman at film school, and the special effects looked like stock animations (and at times, b.g. images seemed prerendered liked a Hitchcock car ride). The costumes were shabby, as though taken from the dressing room of a community theatre, polished up, and dry-cleaned before shooting. And beginning with an air raid? For a moment I thought I had entered the wrong theatre. I'm not sure who approved this script, but fire them. No clear plot structre, a desperate hook (air raid) -- I'm not even sure which scene was intended to be the climax. It's a very casual, classic structure Lewis used, and for any writer to find it hard to adapt is simply laughable -- as is this film. A simple fantasy should not be handled as an epic. It only makes it sluggish. Oh, I'd nearly forgotten the grating soundtrack! Were the sound editor's headphones broken that he continued cranking up the score? Or was this an experiment in cramming unwanted emotion into the audience's ears and hoping to reach our bored little hearts?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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67	#67 Best Movie of 2005
8	#8 Most Discussed Movie of 2005
23	#23 Most Shared Movie of 2005