The Chronicles of Natnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe ***
Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Liam Neeson (voice)
Director: Andrew Adamson
Running Length: 2:20
MPAA Classification: PG

During World War II, the Pevensie children - Peter (Moseley), Susan (Popplewell), Edmund (Keynes), and Lucy (Henley) - are sent from London to stay with Professor Kirke (Broadbent). One day, while playing hide and seek, Lucy hides in a wardrobe. She soon finds it is no ordinary wardrobe as it transports her to Narnia, a magical wintery world. She meets Mr. Rumnus (McAvoy), and finds out that it has been winter there for 100 years because of the rule of the Wite Witch (Swinton). After returning to her world, she brings her siblings back with her. Edmund disappears, having been tricked by the White Witch, and the rest must rescue him and save Narnia in the process.

On the heels of "The Lord of the Rings", it is no surprise that this movie has been made. There has been a surge in the popularity of fantasy epics as of late, and "Narnia" is a logical coice for the film treatment. The results are about the same as the "Rings" trilogy. The acting is solid all around. This is impressive since the film is carried by four kids with minimal acting experience. Swinton is menacing as the evil White Witch, and probably the standout performance of the movie. The special effects are good overall. Aslan the lion is impressive, and looks completely real. Some of the scenes look like they were definately filmed in front of a green screen though, and that is distracting. The story is given a good treatment by "Shrek" director Andrew Adamson, but I was not blown away like I hoped to be. The result is an entertaining and good film that falls short of greatness.