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THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
Movie: 8/10
I haven't read any of the Chronicles of Narnia books since I was in fifth grade. I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and remember very little of it. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but I love Lord of the Rings... Anyway, a month ago I was sent a screener for this film and didn't think much of it. I mentioned it to a few of my friends and suprisingly enough they all knew the film adaptation and loved it as small children. We decided to spend a late Friday night watching this sprawling adaptation of the classic novel made for the BBC and I am happy to report that it is a great film for children and adults. I cannot really comment on it's faithful nature with the source material being that I cannot remember a thing about the book, however just taking into account the film, I was greatly pleased and pleasantly surprised. For those of you who are unfamiliar or have just forgotten much of C.S. Lewis' novel, it is a fantasy children's novel set during World War II and follows four siblings. Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund all are spending their time away from London with an eccentric professor. On a rainy day, Lucy is exploring the house when she finds a wardrobe that leads to the land of Narnia. Meanwhile, Aslan, the king, is away and Narnia has been turned into a permanent winter by the wicked White Witch. The children depart on a mission to save Narnia.
Video: 7/10
Not bad for being over ten years old and a made for television film. It's full screen and you can tell it's a little dated, but for DVD there have been much worse cases.
Audio: 5/10
Just 2.0 Dolby Mono. Again, it was a television show so don't expect THX 6.1 or a DTS track, but stereo would have been totally appreciated.
Extras: 4/10
There isn't much here: a Turkish Delight recipe, an interactive game and a BBC excerpt on C.S. Lewis. Granted, the movie is fairly long and I'm not sure how much space the disc welded, but it would have been nice to hear a literature critic or a scholar speak about the novel and the film. Maybe I'm just used to these two-disc sets, most of which are given to films that don't deserve them. Something would be nice, but then again people buy VHS tapes just for the film, why should DVD be expected to constantly carry extras? Extras are exactly what they are. They are good to have and lack of them should influence the cost of the disc, but sometimes I'm wondering if they are completely needed.
Overall: 7/10
A decent film, decent transfers, no extras. If you're a fan of fantasy, at least give this one a viewing.
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