A very satisfying adaptation of the first book of the Narnia chronicles! Andrew Adamson and company do a marvelous job of bringing Narnia to life, aided by top-notch work in costuming and in CGI. Yet the real strength of the film is in the acting, led by fine performances by the four actors portraying the Pevensie children. William Moseley in particular is effective as Peter, while Georgie Henley all but steals the film in playing a sweet and plucky Lucy. Tilda Swinton is as regal, cold and cruel as the White Witch should be. The voice acting was also on target, led by the experienced Liam Neeson as Aslan.

For a movie over two hours in length, the plot flows quickly, following the book closely (with the exception of a few minor sequences, none of which should offend fans of the book). Those who love the elements of Christian allegory in Lewis' work will still find those subtexts present in the movie, especially in the scenes involving Aslan; yet, those who see the film simply to enjoy a well-told fantasy adventure shouldn't be put off by them at all. And this is certainly a family film in the truest scene of the word - very young children might be scared by some of the White Witch's creatures, but I couldn't see anything else that might upset viewers over 6 or so.

The only real weakness of the film, IMHO, is the musical score, which doesn't really match up to, say, Howard Shore's work on the LOTR films; but it is rarely intrusive, and the music for the impressive battle scene does prove to be effective.

This was a very satisfactory start to what will hopefully be a series of Narnia films - a movie that should satisfy hardcore Lewis fans as well as newcomers to Narnia. One warning, though - don't leave the theater the second the credits start rolling - you may miss the short final scene that actually closes the film!