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| ![The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61pxWtyY3uL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Andrew Adamson
Actors: Jim Broadbent, Patrick Kake, Shane Rangi, Cassie Cook, Jaxin Hall
Studio: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.99
Buy Used: $14.50
You Save: $20.49 (59%)
New (44) Used (11) Collectible (1) from $14.50
Rating:  762 reviews
Sales Rank: 2400
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 135 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 5.4 x 0.5
MPN: DISBR56149
UPC: 786936751963
EAN: 0786936751963
ASIN: B000YAFJXE
Theatrical Release Date: December 9, 2005
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Watched once....free 1st class shipping.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 756-760 of 762
 "Aslan is Jesus, like it or not: Lord of the Rings on a Two-thirds Scale" December 9, 2005
Jerry Parks (Lexington, KY USA)
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
br /Having never read the books, and having spent my life studying theology, let me preface this review by saying I went into the theater not fully knowing what to anticipate. Having now seen the film, I can say without reservation--this film is unabashedly Christian to its very core, and Aslan is Jesus, like it or not. br / br /I will not summarize the story. A summary can be found elsewhere. In addition, I will address only three aspects of the film: the performances, the special effects, and the theology. Again, more detailed reviews can be found elsewhere. br / br /The children do an outstanding job as Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan. As has been suggested, their characters do loosely represent Judas, John the Apostle, Peter, and Paul. In these children, the personifications of betrayal, love, leadership, and logical reasoning are not represented accidentally. br / br /Other than the White Witch (who is wonderfully bad), and the Faun, there are few other human characters of real importance. This is a movie that lives or dies by animation, story and special effects. br / br /The special effects (as well as the scenery) are highly reminiscent of 'Lord of the Rings'. There are orc-like fiends, trollish enemies, and talking trees. There's even an iteration of the 'army of the dead' at the final battle. Especially effective are the centaurs, and other heavy emphasis on Greek mythology such as the Medusa's touch which turns creatures into stone. br / br /Although the film is over two hours long it is slow to unfold. I found it only moderately interesting until the melting of winter--halfway through--which came none too soon for me. Once we meet Aslan, however, the movie becomes an adventure of an entirely different genre. He is majestic, benevolent, and just. He is "...good, but He is not tame." br / br /The final battle is by far the best part of the film. One would swear Peter Jackson was in full charge. It is 'Lord of the Rings' on a two-thirds scale, and no less convincing. At times, I found myself surprised to find the children here as warriors. They seemed more and more out of place as the scale of the epic final battle grew increasingly grand. In the battle's final sequence, the children's story became an eternal epic of good against evil, and the kids--briefly--seemed a mere afterthought. br / br /Though there is death in the film (the battle, Aslan, the witch, et al), we see no blood. No need to worry here. Nevertheless, the lion's death is as emotionally wrenching as it is theologically profound, so consider that when you take the kids. br / br /Theologically, no Christian will be disappointed. Aslan is Jesus Christ. His willing sacrifice in place of the betrayer (Edmund) is unnerving and realistic. He is bound by the great law of sin and death at the Stone of Deep Magic, and majestically informs the White Witch: "I was there when it was written!". Aslan's death is painful to watch, and the White Witch's eulogy is the darkest part of the film: "You died for nothing. So much for love!" Nevertheless, through Aslan's sacrifice, the Stone is broken, and Edmund (later called 'the just') is redeemed. br / br /The theme of resurrection is grand, if a bit off in its theology. Aslan implies that anyone could sacrifice a life for another, and reverse the curse of legalism and death. Theologically, of course, only Christ could accomplish this. Yet the shattering of the stone of law upon which Aslan is murdered is profound to all who understand the implications therein. br / br /Other recognizable Christian motifs include the oil with which the girls seek to anoint Aslan, the removal of the curse from the world of Narnia at destruction of evil, and the transcending "It is finished!" as the army of the good "look to the skies!" for assistance at Aslan's victory over all evil. The final confrontation of all that is good with all that is bad is as poignant as it is brief--just as the Scripture describes it. br / br /Not knowing the story, the one somewhat surprising inclusion was the Santa Claus figure. To me, this did little to add to the story, and seemed a bit strange. I know 'winter without Christmas' had to include the Santa figure, but to me it was a distraction to a profound narrative. br / br /I give the film five stars only because I cannot give it four and one-half. I understand that it is faithful to the Lewis story, which is good. I really enjoyed this film, though it is a bit long-winded in getting to the good stuff. Not many films which include talking beavers, Turkish delight, and Santa Claus will bring one seeking deep theological truth to tears. This one will. Highly Recommended. br /
A Cinematic Triumph and Loyal Testament to Lewis' Classic Allegory December 9, 2005
W. Scott Heitman (Gainesville, Fl United States)
12 out of 18 found this review helpful
I admit that going into the theater I was skeptical. Could Disney possibly handle the allegorical elements of Lewis' work with the necessary care? Would the movie be missing any core scenes? The trailers I had seen seemed to indicate that some things would be changed...and for the worse. br / br /My fears, it would appear, were for naught. Not only is the movie ENTIRELY true to Lewis' story AND allegory....it also manages to be as cinematically engaging as anything else I've recently seen. Not only that...it accomplishes all of this without the slightest profanity or drop of blood; this movie, like the book, has a heart of gold and should make for great family fare. Detailed breakdown as follows: br / br / br /ACTING: For a movie with 4 kid/teen actors as the main characters, the acting was surprisingly good. Give me any one of these four over Dakota Fanning. It's good that the acting worked, too, because here is a story that wouldn't work without it. The rest of the cast is equally fantastic: Jim Broadbent plays a very endearing professor, Liam Neeson voices the all-important Aslan, and Tilda Swinton (think Gabrielle from Constantine) plays a very dislikeable White Queen. br / br / br /STORY: How much or how little a viewer gets out of the story br /will depend on how familiar they are with its Christian allegory aspects. So many scenes and lines are handled with the proper emotional deference considering what lies behind the surface story. Lewis' depiction of Christ as Aslan and Satan as the White Witch is timeless. There is just so much emotion here in this movie that draws upon these two metaphors. SPECIFIC SPOILER: For instance, there is a scene where one animal excitedly asks another animal "So what is Aslan like!?"...the animal replies with a joyful expression, "He's everything we've hoped he is and more." The sincerity and joy of this line is simply SO RIGHT when we consider that, in fact, he's talking about Christ. That's the joy that the angels and some followers of Christ express over meeting Him and being with Him. br / br /While the movie is very loyal to the books, there are also a few scenes added on. Surprisingly, these scenes work very well and add a bit more depth to the story. br / br /The movie can and will be enjoyed on a non-religious level. On it's own, it's a heartwarming, and engaging story. Paired, with it's allegorical elements, however, Narnia is an emotional epic surpassing the Lord of the Rings. br / br / br /SCORE: Amazing. The score elevates every important scene of the movie without being distracting. br / br / br /CINEMATOGRAPHY: Like the Harry Potter movies, Narnia features some very impressive fantasy scenery. Several shots were simply breathtaking. It's also worthy to note that the battles scenes came off very well. I went in not expecting to see any good action, but the choreography of the fights was impressive and visceral without being gory. br / br /Once Lucy entered the warddrobe, I knew I was in for a great, emotional ride. I can't say how well Memoirs of a Geisha and King Kong will do, but my money is on Narnia for best movie of the Holiday season. Don't miss it!
An Excellent Family Film December 9, 2005
Bryan Carey (Houston, TX)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Based on the classic novel from C.S. Lewis, this film is destined to become a classic in its own right. It is a family- type movie that parallels the book very closely as it follows four kids on their journey to the land of Narnia where they find themselves locked in a battle between good and evil. br / br /There are many reasons to enjoy this movie but let's start with the film's strongest point of all: Its special effects and make-up. The land of Narnia is populated with many different creatures, some of whom look mostly human; some which look like ordinary animals; and some who resemble a hybrid between an animal and a person. The special effects offered here are excellent, and the team in charge of making this movie deserves extra credit for making these characters seem so life like. Among the characters that are part human and part animal, the ones that stand out are the man/horse creatures. They feature a man's face, arms, and torso attached to the body of a horse and they look very real. With the creatures that are entirely animalistic- like the two beavers- the special effects are still excellent because the appearance is just like the real thing. And the mouth movements are very realistic- so much so that you forget you are viewing something created in a studio. br / br /The most impressive of all the characters is that of Aslan, the Lion. This "character" looks just like an actual lion, with a mouth that moves in sync with each word he speaks- exactly like a person who is speaking the same words. Again, the special effects are near- perfect. You cannot tell you are looking at an object created in a Disney studio. It seems very life- like in every way. br / br /Besides the excellent special effects, there are many other reasons to enjoy this movie. There is a nice assortment of suspense, humor, fear, and other emotions and many of them come out of nowhere. They keep the film less predictable than it otherwise would be, and that says a lot when you consider that this film is based on a book. I also like the cinematography. The landscape is snowy at first but then switches to a lush, green, mountainous terrain later in the film. This movie was shot in New Zealand (even though it is supposed to take place in England) and the beauty of the New Zealand countryside adds greatly to the film's appeal. br / br /Performances in this film are top- notch and I was especially impressed by Georgie Henley, the young actress who plays Lucy. She is the most expressive of the four kid's characters, displaying an array of emotions with conviction, just like a seasoned Hollywood professional. The others are all very good, too, and they all deserve credit for adding so much to this movie. br / br /The overall plot of this film is enjoyable and complete- free from any empty holes that leave the viewer puzzled and annoyed. It is also fast- paced, with many scenes depicting fights and open battles as the kids and Aslan take on the evil witch and the various forces of evil. br / br /Overall, this is a very good motion picture and the type that most people will find entertaining and memorable. It is great for the entire family, and it will likely be one of the top movies this Holiday season. br /
 Family Fun! December 9, 2005
Martin Phillips (Chicago, IL USA)
7 out of 17 found this review helpful
I have seen this movie twice and enjoyed it more the second time. You have to watch this movie through the eyes of a child. br /DO NOT go into it thinking "Lord of The Rings" or "Harry Potter", even though it is fantasy it is a totally different feel. It is a very close adaptation to the book only adding a few things that I believe helps the character devolopment for the children more than the book did. The CGI is great in most of the movie, other parts seem a little rushed through with the CG effects, but I really did not notice all that much because I felt like I was visiting an old friend. If you loved the books I am almost positive you will love the movie. If you did not like the books you will not like the movie. The allegory is intact, and I love it! These Messiah figures are in countless other movies like Matrix, E.T., Star Wars etc. but I do not see anyone winning about those. Aslan works for me, The White Witch and MR. Tumnus (are those His real legs? Amazing CGI on this guy!) is amazing. Lucy is a great actor so is The Professor. br /The other kid actors are so-so but Edmunds pretty good. br /Just remember to watch it with a childs eyes and know there is no blood. This movie has its own feel you either like it or you don't. I am a big fan of the books and I loved it.
Wonderful. Fantastic. Amazing. Incredible. Phenomenal. December 9, 2005
Dave (from Gondor)
18 out of 23 found this review helpful
Through some sweet connections (or a fluke), I was able to attend a pre-screening of the film. Having tracked the film's progression for `only' the past three years, it was definitely a highlight of the month. Dressed in chain mail fabric facsimile, a fine royal red tunic with the rampant yellow lion emblem on the front, and a cloak (left over from Return of the King) wrapped about my shoulders for warmth, I joined my sister (dressed as the White Witch), brother and friend in walking in to the theater. br / br /But you don't care what I was wearing or who I went with; you want to know about the FILM. br / br /You almost certainly know the basics by now. Four children are sent away to the countryside during the air raids, to the house of an old professor. There, Lucy (the youngest, portrayed by Georgie Henley) finds a magic wardrobe which ushers her into a wonderful, wintry country. She meets Mr. Tumnus, a faun (half-man, half-goat, superbly portrayed by James McAvoy), and learns about the country and its cruel ruler, the White Witch. The scenes are carried off delightfully. If one can use the term "chemistry" without signaling thoughts of love or romance, then that is the fitting word. Tumnus is enlisted to watch for humans and deliver them to the witch, but helps her escape instead. Lucy returns to find that no time has passed - and that no one believes her. br / br /Edmund (portrayed by Skandar Keynes), the brat of the family, mocks her until he too stumbles after her into the wardrobe. He meets the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), and upon returning from Narnia, spites Lucy by insisting there is no such place. But their two older siblings, Peter (William Mosley) and Susan (Anna Popplewell) are soon brought into Narnia with them, where they learn that their coming has been prophesied for ages, and that they are destined to be entangled in the very thing they were sent away from; war. Edmund slips away to the White Witch, with betrayal in mind, and the other three children must flee the White Witch's wolf-minions. Aided by the beavers (Ray Winstone, Dawn French), they meet the somewhat messianic lion king Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) and must contend with Edmund's treachery, and the armies of the White Witch. br / br /POSITIVE: This is truly an excellent film. Obviously, someone who dresses up in costume won't be exiting the theater thinking it stunk, but it really was. The roles of C.S. Lewis's literary creations come to life splendidly in all four of the children, in the good and bad creatures, and in the snowy landscapes. The creatures for good are wonderfully performed, particularly in Orieus (Patrick Kake) the centaur (half-human, half-horse) who was an excellent hero role, and got too little screen time in my opinion. The White Witch is carried out magnificently by Tilda Swinton. When we first meet her, she is enchanting and charming towards Edmund, a perfect mother-figure. But her presence as the epicenter of evil in Narnia is entirely convincing as well. br / br /The battle scenes are edge-of-your-seat action, yet not too heavy or dark as some have contended scenes from the `Rings' trilogy were. No blood, but that doesn't mean no violence. (Obviously, no profanity or sexual content of any sort) br / br /Most know how the story will turn out, but the best part of the film is the little moments, the execution and screenplay while carrying out the plot, that make it all so much better. br / br /NEGATIVES: Don't go into this film with Lord of the Rings in mind. In accordance with the BOOK, the movie succeeds and excels in its performance. But it does not rival the scope of Lord of the Rings. It is not meant to. I was fighting to remove Lord of the Rings from my repertoire so I could take the film in by itself. If you look to Narnia to outperform Lord of the Rings, you will be disappointed. br / br /Also, you must know that the story of Narnia has been personalized in so many different ways, ways that director Andrew Adamson could not possibly live up to. Lewis painted with strokes broad enough to leave much to the imagination. Thus, while YOUR mental image of Tumnus may not match the one on the screen, the one on the screen works just as well, or better. So you may be telling yourself "that's not how I pictured Tumnus, but...I like it!" br / br /Along those same lines, let's talk about Aslan. Aslan is an exceptional character in the book, whether you accept the concept of his deity or not. You can connect with him in the book. To put it another way, you get the "warm fuzzy." Yet in the film, nothing seems to distinguish him from all the other talking creatures. Even the music (composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, and magnificently done in almost all other aspects) doesn't truly hype the Aslan scenes up enough to know "this is not just an `ordinary' talking lion." Even his stature, that of an ordinary lion, makes him look UP into the eyes of the four children, and that doesn't seem fitting. br / br /I'm sure it's difficult to live up to the imaginings of a God-like lion, so we can forgive the filmmakers. In all other aspects, the film meets and surpasses expectations. Just be aware of some things not to expect when you walk into the theater. br / br /CAN KIDS SEE IT?: If your kids saw Harry Potter, then yes. Otherwise, there are evil creatures likeunto Lord of the Rings which might frighten younger viewers. br / br /SUMMING UP: This movie won't take the place of your imagination, the books, or the two combined. But like Lord of the Rings, it now provides us another window into the world of Narnia. Not the same as Lewis gave us, but another. It allows us to see things from a different perspective, new and fresh. I give this movie a resounding ten stars out of ten. br / br /
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