Chronicles Of Narnia: the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Blu-ray) (2005)

New York Times
"[T]he spirit of the book is very much intact....[The film uses] available technology to capture both the mythic power of Lewis's tale and, even better, its charm." 12/09/2005 p.E1-E13

USA Today
"Its epic scope and elaborate battles will raise comparisons with Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy..." 12/09/2005 p.8E

Sight and Sound
"[Swinton] is magisterially wonderful as the witch-queen of Narnia." 02/01/2006 p.47

Premiere
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[W]e get dazzling special effects, battle sequences, and a menagerie of cool creatures." 05/01/2006 p.93

ReelViews 8 of 10
This marks the fifth time that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has been adapted, but the first time it has been accomplished as a major motion picture...The acting is fine, although lacking in the recognition category. The biggest stars are Tilda Swinton and Jim Broadbent, neither of whom would be considered a "household name." Swinton does a good job boosting the evil quotient of her character, while Broadbent's part qualifies as little more than a heavily made-up cameo. As previously mentioned, Liam Neeson has a sizeable vocal part. Also lending their voices are Rupert Everett and Ray Winstone. Three of the four children are portrayed by actors in their first major roles. Only Anna Popplewell has a prior resume...It's difficult to determine how audiences will react to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Those expecting something in the vein of Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings will not be satisfied. Much has been made about the movie's "Christian connections." However, while it's true that Lewis' books are allegorical (with Aslan representing Christ), the movie doesn't hammer home this point. It's on-screen for those on the lookout, but I can't imagine anyone considering this a "religious picture." It's fantasy lite - a story with dwarves, giants, minotaurs, cyclopses, and witches that can be enjoyed by families. - James Berardinelli
 
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
The film has been directed by Andrew Adamson, who directed both of the "Shrek" movies and supervised the special effects on both of Joel Schumacher's "Batman" movies. He knows his way around both comedy and action, and here combines them in a way that makes Narnia a charming place with fearsome interludes...The effects in this movie are so skillful that the animals look about as real as any of the other characters, and the critic Emanuel Levy explains the secret: "Aslan speaks in a natural, organic manner (which meant mapping the movement of his speech unto the whole musculature of the animal, not just his mouth)." Aslan is neither as frankly animated as the Lion King or as real as the cheetah in "Duma," but halfway in between, as if an animal were inhabited by an archbishop...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. Some of the scenes toward the end push the edge of the PG envelope, and like the "Harry Potter" series, the Narnia stories may eventually tilt over into R. - Roger Ebert