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True to Lewis. True to the story. Most of all, true to the best spirit of movie-making.

Last night's lucky audience at the Springfield AMC Theater -- the first people in the DC area to see The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe -- were not disappointed. Cheers, laughs, chills and lumps in throats abounded. One of those rare movies that will be a "must buy" when it is released on DVD.

The performances were A-one (the four kids were perfect and the Cockney-accented Beaver was spot on), as were the effects, the landscapes, the score and the dialogue which hewed closely to that of the book. On film. it remained one of those true children's stories that can engage and enthrall the adult imagination as well.

There was no attempt to play "hide the allegory." Credit Peter Jackson (I know he had nothing to do with this film) for showing in the LOTR that one can remain basically faithful to the text and thoroughly faithful to the spirit of a great work that has at its foundation the Christian message and still have commercial success. Also, credit Jackson's standard that computer generated characters be not just believable, but incredible. Narnia and all its creatures were very, very real.

I won't get into a detailed critique. That would spoil the fun and have you thinking about my take versus your own when you see it.

Suffice it to say that young Robert put it best, saying as we exited the theater: "I'd give it 20 thumbs up if I had 20 thumbs." Add his father's two.

topics:
Movies, Oil