It’s been at least 30 years since I read this classic CS Lewis series. “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” so imagine my surprise when the characters came to life on the movie screen. However, I remembered enough of the plot not to feel too old to be there, even though parts of the movie still felt new to me. My daughter commented that the movie lacked the depth of the books; I grant that she is closer in age to the “reading” event than I am, but for a movie, it seemed like a good waste of 2.5 hours.

Tea pevensie the children are separated from their mother during World War II and forced to live in a sprawling mansion with virtually no adult supervision, save for a housekeeper they call “The Mcready,” whose sole purpose is to warn that “The Professor “can never be disturbed. So he does not run, do not jump, breathe lightly and walk on tiptoe. Well, we know how long that lasts. She seems more like a meth-stoned housekeeper (tense, terse, and prone to exaggeration) than a babysitter. She becomes the heavy-footed woman, stomping off camera to make the children scatter. Basically no supervision at all.

Tea “Chronicles of Narnia” It is about four children who discover that their closet is a portal to a magical world. I remember that he captivated me when I read him for the first time; I was much younger then and less jaded. However, the beaver in full metal body armor made me stop. I never envisioned a beaver ready to “take down”, armed to the nines and ready to take on all who come.

These children also survive for long periods of time in a snowy forest, which could only happen in a Lewis novel. Actually, they would have just as much chance of surviving in a snowy forest in sub-zero temperatures as Captain Kirk would have leading a celibate life.

The children go from one war zone (WWII, Europe) to another war zone called Narnia, where the warriors are not our brave soldiers in combat gear, but a collection of talking beavers, fauns, goblins and others. Half-man, half-animal creatures armed to the teeth with enough strategy and tactics to survive a riot in south central Los Angeles unscathed.

It’s been snowing for the last 100 years, which can bother anyone, all thanks to the woman everyone is either enslaved to or preparing to fight. Enter the White Witch, incredibly well played by Tilda Swinton, an extraordinarily pale-skinned woman with white hair, and when I say almost colorless, I mean she makes ghosts look tanned.

We have the usual religious nonsense that accompanies this book: “Two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve,” who happen to be the children themselves, must break the curse. You see, humans are virtually unknown beings in the mystical world of Narnia, and children are viewed prophetically. All the beavers, fauns and whatnot have whispered that four humans are coming to save the day. These children might be less interested, but as the story progresses, they become more like the heroes of the Narnia fable and less like children trying to run through the closet to safety. They are supported by a powerful lion, Aslan, who is not only powerful, but also good, pure and correct. We have to have one of these in every fairy tale or evil would take over; then we would be watching a horror movie.

They are helped to become heroes by, of all people, Father Christmas (James Cosmo) who is traveling in his sleigh and, after a long speech about hope and the future of Narnia, turns out to be an arms dealer. except for that day of giving toys to the children. I guess he has to do something those other 364 days of the year.

Christmas takes weaponry out of his gift bag, gives the boys an assortment of weapons, a quick speech about the effective use of their tools, then rides off into the snow, presumably back to the North Pole. He half expected him to pull out the Narnian equivalent of a glock, but he managed to stick to the various white trash pre-industrial solutions to disputes: knives, arrows, and swords. -route to rob a convenience store, but I digress. It’s definitely a 2005 Christmas moment.

By and large, Narnia comes to us with the same empowering message created by the book, and it’s fueled by a riveting plot, strong acting, the usual plethora of “Oh wow!” special effects and amazing explosions of comic relief. Beavers are cool; the foolish faun and Aslan, very noble. Of course, it reminds me of “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter”. but it’s less cumbersome than the previous film and less silly than the last.

Classification: four out of four stars