The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Review by Jack Waghorn

Novel/Film: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Author (novel): C.S. Lewis

Director (film): Andrew Adamson

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Overview: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe follows the story of four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, as they are magically transported through a wardrobe into the fantasy world of Narnia. The children must seek the aid of Aslan, the magical lion, and the only one who can defeat the White Witch, who has plagued Narnia with oppression and eternal winter.




Novel Review:

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe is both a charming and creative story. The language and tone is simple and easy to read, as obviously this novel is intended for children. I was impressed by the sheer amount of creativity and imagination it invoked while reading. It’s a short read, and an adult will be able to pour though it in less than a day.

I would have preferred the story to take it’s time, as it a little rushed in some places. The pacing can be off sometimes, for instance, the character Lucy discovers Narnia on only the fifth page of the text. This may just be simplicity intended for children however.

The description of the setting was very well done. It was very easy to visualise the environments, which I think is essential for a children’s books, seeing as how children have such vivid imaginations.

A technique that served the novel well was the multiple viewpoints. Most novels will only follow a single character though the events of the plot. The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe however follows all four siblings, focusing on individuals when it’s needed. This serves the novel well because we can see single events through the opinions of multiple characters, allowing the reader to get a greater prospective on the situation.

There really isn’t too much to say about this novel. It’s so simplistic but does its job so well. It has a charm that just makes it so likeable. It’s a perfect example of a novel that follows the hero’s journey. A must read for all children and even adults.
Film Review:

Again, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe film, directed by Andrew Adamson, is just one of those films that I enjoy watching.

This is because the film is completely loyal to the original source material. Everything that was in the novel made its way into the film.

Obviously it’s very difficult to translate a children’s book into a feature length film, especially considering that children’s books are so short in length. So when filming The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe there was a lot of scenes and moments that were not included in the novel to bring it to feature length. This worked to the films advantage, as the audience was show everything from the novel plus more. A big complaint that I hear about movie adaptations it that the film ‘left so much out from the book!’ So it’s safe to say that The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe doesn’t have this problem.

Special commendation needs to be given to the set, costumes and makeup. Although a little heavy on the CGI at times, the film looked exactly how most people visioned it, full of creativity and imagination.

There is always a risk when including child actors in a movie. But all the actors in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe performed their parts well, especially the four children. I just have to say that everything looks and feels exactly how I imagined it would, and for a movie adaptation of a children’s book that’s the best thing you could ask for.

The world of Narnia gives off a mystifying sense and the action scenes are great. An enjoyable family film.



Comparison:

Although I may be scorned for this, I have to say that the film is superior to the novel. Despite the novel being a classic I feel that the film did a much better job at telling the story it wanted to tell.

The main reason I have made this decision is that the film had better pacing and build-up. We are not introduced to Narnia straight away and get to explore the interior of the ordinary house first, a nice contrast to the wonders that reside in Narnia. The dialogue and events are also drawn out, as I felt that they were too rushed in the novel.

I was also disappointed in the novel how we never got to see the battle at the climax of the story. In the novel the characters arrive only in the last few minutes, and the details of the battle are never told. The final battle, meaning the death of the White Witch, seems to be the films climax that it’d been building up to. Granted that this event happened in the text, but it was only mentioned, and never described. This is where the film comes ahead, showing the battle in its entirety and giving a great action scene.
There really isn’t much you can compare between these two mediums. The film just seemed to have everything that the novel has except more. It was loyal to the story, had great visuals and style, only changing what was needed, and honestly tells the story better.