If you went in to see LOTR, you will not see LOTR.
If you went in to see Harry Potter, you will not see Harry Potter.
However, if you went in to see Narnia, you will see Narnia.
And it will be beautiful.

Before I went to the cinema to see it, I kept setting my expectations low, reminding myself not to get too excited in case the movie "flopped." It's been known to happen before. I walked into the cinema a half-hour early, with my group of friends, and settled down with my apprehension into one of the nice plush seats, and watched the hordes of advertisements and trailers and such that prequeled the film.

And for the remainder of the evening, I was rooted to my seat in amazement.

Acting: Simply marvelous. Each child was perfectly and, dare I say it, lovingly portrayed and casted. Peter was the nervous but sometimes cocky "head" of the family; Susan was very practical and motherly, albeit somewhat whiny on occasion; Edmund was the perfect brat-turned-good; and Lucy was just plain adorable. Tilda was amazing as the Witch, McAvoy pulled off the part of Tumnus wonderfully, and Neeson did a fantastic job with the voice of Aslan. The Beavers made me smile on numerous occasions, and they looked so realistic that I had to pinch myself to remind myself they were only CG. The same goes for Aslan, although there were a couple shots where he looked a little CGish.

Special Effects: Overall, very well-done! As I said, Aslan and the Beavers were phenomenal, and so believable that I forgot they were CG. The griffins, Phoenix, wolves, and others were also done very nicely. However, the fox wasn't so hot. His creation seemed like it may have been more thrown together than some of the other creatures, and while not horrible, he was not completely believable. Yet that really didn't detract from the film (for me at least) since he was a minor character with a small role in the grand scheme of things.

Adaptation: Obviously there were some things they changed, the main ones being the wolf chase and the expansion of the fox's role. My friend especially noticed that the Witch wasn't white (although this didn't bother me in the least). I whispered to him, "Do you realize how cheesy that would look onscreen? It works well enough in a book, but it's gonna look rather silly on film." He agreed, and commented later in the movie that she looked a lot whiter when the snow was gone. Concerning the wolves and the fox, my dad (who has been a fan of Lewis since college) said that, although different from the book, they didn't detract from the main point/plot of the story--they only added a little more cinematical drama that enhanced the film version of Narnia.

Editing/Screenplay: What can I say? I enjoy making "movies" in Final Cut Pro myself, and I've taken a few classes and such. (Mind you, I'm not an expert--I just look for different things than the average moviegoer might.) My main applause goes to the fact that it was not choppy or cheesy. Choppy and/or cheesy editing/script really, really irritate me, because they draw my attention away from the story and get me all upset. I start thinking about how I would have done it differently, and therefore ruin the movie for myself.

Make-up, Props, Costumes, etc.: Beautifully done! Everything felt very Narnian, like it might really exist somewhere in another country on another planet in another universe. It also looked very natural and realistic, and added to the magical film experience. I especially loved the grown-up Pevensie's Narnian clothes. They were exquisite!

Score: Alas, my only real quibble. While not bad, it was not great, and I couldn't pick out any real themes in it, as in something that stays with you to the point that you start humming it in the shower (*raises hand* guilty!). There were also some places where the music needed to be more toned down, and also some places where I wished the score had been more pronounced. Generally it blended in quite well, which is usually a good thing film-wise. However there were times when I wished I could have heard more music. It wasn't a bad score—it was very good!—it just wasn't as I expected it.

In closing, I think this was a classic film that will be loved by adults and children alike for many years. It doesn't have the "largeness" and the gloomily epic feeling of LOTR, and it doesn't have the dark-magic nature of Potter. However, most anti-religionists out there will enjoy it as a good story. And the Narniacs—those faithful fans who have been anticipating this movie for several years—will cherish it as a great adaptation of the books they've always loved. I most definitely qualify as the latter "species"!

As I said in the beginning of my review, I went into the cinema feeling apprehensive, nervous, and rather pessimistic, because I didn't want to be disappointed.

I wasn't in the least.

Bring on Prince Caspian!