The film is absolutely beautiful to look at. One should go see the movie for that alone. While there were some moments that seemed to have worked better in book format as a whole the story moved well and accomplished its goals. The acting was great, especially at the touching opening scene, but as the story progressed the children seemed to get caught up in the greatness of it all and started behaving less like real children, which was the initial charm of the movie. When the story focuses on the story of Narnia it's equal to Star Wars or Harry Potter in its complexity. It's most touching and true when it focuses on the relationship between the characters. It fails to really give us a close look at any one character, but the story is not really about that. Maybe it's best we don't get attached to one single character as they may be absent from future movies.

The special effects are perfectly done. They feel realistic but with a touch of artistry. It's not one of those movies where CGI is used only for the sake of using it, the real live animals and the CGI blend in perfectly. The score is great, with an addition of Alanis at the end, but it doesn't have any recognizable traits (ala Jurassic Park or Star Wars).

I'm not familiar with the books but didn't find it hard to feel the story and didn't feel anything was not "revealed" within the movie. Costumes and cinematography are top notch.

See the movie. I think they're just gonna get better as they go on.