Critic Gives Narnia 5 Stars

Daily Mail film critic Christopher Tookey has praised The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for its classic quality. Check out the full review here. Thanks to Chesterbelloc for the heads up.

A roaring magical hit

It is not just a ‘must see’ but a ‘must see again and again’. Where is that sixth star when you need it? Not only does it miraculously do full justice to CS Lewis’s classic fantasy, it improves upon it and gives a more sophisticated sense of humour. Even the Christian subtext of Lewis’s book is handled with taste and sensitivity. It’s there, but never laboured.

The quality of the four young leading actors is exceptional – light years ahead of the Harry Potter cast, even on a first attempt. They make an utterly convincing and captivating family, and provide marvellous depth to characters which were fairly sketchy in Lewis’s original.

Tilda Swinton must be singled out for her cold, cruel and commanding performance; Ray Winstone and Dawn French are hugely funny as the voices of Mr and Mrs Beaver (just two of many animated triumphs); Liam Neeson is impeccably leonine as the voice of the kind but powerful Aslan.

Despite the long running time (over two hours) I would recommend Narnia even for small children. Whatever your age, this is a magical movie, and far, far classier and more imaginative than I ever dared to hope.