Maleeha Vincent
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
de_niro_2001
C S Lewis died the day before the first ever episode of Dr Who was broadcast and like Dr Who this version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has excellent production values but low budget special effects. I think the animatronic of Aslan must have absorbed quite a lot of the special effects budget. The two-dimensional animations of the various creatures contrasting with the three-dimensional Aslan mar the impact of an otherwise good production as do the rather humanoid beavers and wolves. But Barbara Kellerman is every bit as good as Tilda Swinton and the four child actors playing the Pevensie children are excellent. Thanks to the films of more recent years and a DVD promotion by the Daily Mail this BBC version of the second Narnia book will have gained a new following. It might lack the special effects and spectacular New Zealand locations of the 2005 film but I still recommend it highly.
freemantle_uk
The Chronicles of Narnia has had an enduring nature, entertaining children and adults alike. There has been adaptations of it's most famous book, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, from a rubbish animated movie in the 70s to Disney's fine blockbuster effort. One of the best known version is the BBC version from the 80s.Told in six 30 minutes episodes, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of four children, brothers and sisters, Peter (Richard Dempsey), Susan (Sophie Cook), Edmund (Jonathan R. Scott) and Lucy (Sophie Wilcox), who have been evacuated to the countryside from wartime London. In the mansion of the professor where they are find a wardrobe which leads to a magical world, Narnia. But Narnia is under the tyrannical rule of the White Witch (Barbara Kellerman), keeping the land in a state of permanent winter. There is a prophecy that four humans would save Narnia, but Edmund is taken in by the White Witch's promises, and its up to Aslan (Ronald Pickup) to guide the children.A clear comparison is with the Disney version, and like say an adaption of play, where different people can make two very different versions of the same material. Whilst Disney and it's director Andrew Adamson had access to a multi-million dollar budget and made their version a large-scale epic, the BBC and Marilyn Fox had much less to work with. Because of this the BBC made a more low key version, and their version make the children younger, like in the book. The BBC does not flag up the action element, and tires to give a more low key tone. This version has the major religious films of betrayal and redemption, well handed by Fox. Edmund is shown to be more naive and lying to himself about his betrayal, then in the Disney version where he was the more angry younger brother. Fox has a different style to Adamson, and its shown with small things like Edmund debating his conscience, and Maugrim voice-over when the children read his notice. These difference don't make either version better or worse then the other.This version casted more nature looking children in the main roles. Peter and Edmund just looked like normal boys, Susan had a natural pretty look, whilst Lucy was shall we say, not the most photogenic child in the world. Sadly these child actors were lacking and were not that convicting, with Sophie Cook offering the best performance. The best actor in the TV serial was from Barbara Kellerman who just oozed evil in her show stealing performance as the White Witch.Because the BBC had a limited budget and it was filmed in the 80s, the special effects are awful. Their is a limited scale, and some thinks looked daft, like the Beaver costumes, and the usual of animation, with some silly designs, like some sort of winged four legged creature with a roster head. But the costume for Aslan did at least look better and more like a real lion.The BBC gives The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a quaint claim and is worth watching for younger viewers, but don't expert an action packed adventure.
pawleydeitra
This movie may have been true to the book,unfortunately that's the only thing it had going for it.The casting however was awful somehow the four young actors and actresses who were chosen to play the children were horribly miscast. The acting seemed a bit too forced at some points. Sophie Wilcox was unconvincing as Lucy(Lucy is not supposed to be ugly) Richard Dempsey who plays the oldest is shorter than Edmund. I know some people say'Oh she wasn't that bad" but in my opinion and a lot of other peoples she was awful. Though the 2005 didn't go entirely by the book,they managed to do a better job yes,they had a better budget,but the least BBC could have done was spend more time with the casting of the children because that just ruined the entire movie for me.
annabaker13
Even though The 'so called' new - brilliant-wonderful-exciting film of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe has come out on DVD and has probably got quite a few votes and fans- I still say, the original will always be a winner- because for one most of the original stuck to the actual book, and didn't try to cheat. The witch in the new film is not angry enough as the other witch in the original. The wolfs didn't speak either in the original film as well. And I also don't think we wanted to see London being bombed down- as that didn't happen in the original. Also they used ordinary actors- not flashy ones who think they can out do the best, and the original film. I apologise to those who love the new film- i do love it its just that I wish they wouldn't try and out do the original- because that will be forgotten.
