The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2) (Narnia)

by C. S. Lewis

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
I wanted to read these books for ages! For some reason they are not as famous in Austria so I never got to read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was a kid.
C. S. Lewis tells a cute fairytale with many wonderful details. But what I have to criticize about this novel is that some plot-twist simply lack explanations. I am aware that it's a children's book but nevertheless I would expect a bit more info. However, the book was rather thrilling and I was especially amused by the lovely old professor who took the kids in. I'm sure every kid who reads the book wishes for a grown up like him in his or her life.
Let's move on the film. It's always a challenge to turn a really famous novel into a movie that does the original justice.
So I was pretty surprised that the movie kicked off a bit differently. At first I was irritated but I have to say I really enjoyed it. We get a scene in London, where the kids and their mother have to seek shelter because of the bombings. (And then they are sent to the country)
As the book was intended for children, the entire war aspect was left out and it actually never clearly stated why they even are in the country. So this new scenes added a new layer to the story and gave it far more depth.
While they stuck pretty close to the book for the first half of the film we get some more change and extra scenes throughout the second half. I'm usually not a fan of great novel's being changed so much but in this case it really paid of. It made the story far more exciting and - again - added depth to the movie.
What really impressed me were both the cast and the entire scenery. They manage to create everything you read exactly how you imagine it. The animals, the Witch, even Narnia itself are marvellous. On top of that the cast was chosen perfectly. Especially Tilda Swinton as White Witch gave me the creeps!

I'm glad to say that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a very well made adaptation of a famous book. The movie is just as magical as the novel! Can't wait for the next part!