So I just got back a little while ago from the watching the movie (sometimes it pays to work at a movie theater and be able to see movies before anyone else). I won't give away any spoilers, for those who want a fresh viewing. But my official review of the movie is:
AWESOME!!
The movie is by no means perfect, but the filmmakers have done C.S. Lewis justice, and then some. If you've read the book, then you know that it's a pretty thin book. There are parts that Lewis describes in very little, if any, detail. The movie does a wonderful job filling in some of the gaps, taking the parts that lived only in readers' imaginations and bringing them to stunning visual life on the screen. For instance, the epic battle at the end. In the book, the battle takes up maybe a page and a half. But the battle takes up a good 20 minutes or more of the end of the movie, and it truly was epic. The special effects artists/costume designers did an amazing job bringing to life the mulitude of creatures: centaurs, fauns, satyrs, griffins, minotaurs, ogres, harpies, dwarves, etc, and all the various animals.
The actors were, for the most part, excellent. There were times when the children's acting left something to be desired, but hey, they're kids. And newcomers at that. Tilda Swinton played a wonderfully cold and cruel White Witch, and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan provided a very human touch to the King of Beasts.
If you're a fan of the fantasy genre, take the time to go watch The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
