Every Chronicles of Narnia Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Every Chronicles of Narnia Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

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Several of C.S. Lewis’s fantasy adventures have been adapted for the screen, but which movie did the best job of capturing the magic of Narnia?

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Every Chronicles of Narnia Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The Chronicles of Narnia movies make up one of the most famous, beloved, and influential children’s fantasy series. C.S. Lewis’s classic seven-book saga about magic furniture, faraway lands, growing up, talking mice, and Jesus were first released in the 1950s, but the story saw a resurgence in the mid-2000s when Walden Media produced a movie trilogy. But which of the films most successfully brought the magic of Narnia to the big screen?

2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, adapted from the first of Lewis’ novels, was a noted success with critics and among viewers of all ages. The film was followed up over the next few years by adaptations of the second book, Prince Caspian, and the third book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Despite initial plans for more Narnia movies, and four more books left to potentially adapt, the Chronicles of Narnia movie series wrapped up at three.

Of course, despite their widespread fame and general adoration, both Lewis’ books and the movie adaptations have drawn their fair share of criticism. Most notably, the impact of Lewis’ outspoken Christian faith on the Narnia stories has often been controversial. Some have celebrated the values and messaging of the series as universally uplifting, while others have tied the obvious Christian influence and imagery to problematic portrayals of women and racist, anti-Islamic sentiments (The Horse and His Boy). Award-winning British author Sir Philip Pullman has been particularly critical of the series for these reasons, and his acclaimed trilogy His Dark Materials (now an HBO series) is seen by many as an areligious answer to Lewis’ work.

Such contested readings are inevitable for a series that’s made such a profound impact on so many for so long. The adventures of the Pevensie siblings have made a lasting impact on fantasy, pop culture, and children’s fiction as a whole. The Chronicles of Narnia movies all faced the difficult task of capturing the magic of Narnia on camera, and they each did so to varying degrees of success. With Netflix in the process of producing its own Narnia adaptation, it won’t be long before a new version of arrives. But of the three already made, which is the best, the worst, and why?

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3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Every Chronicles of Narnia Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The third movie in Chronicles of Narnia’s trilogy, Dawn Treader is at best an inconsistent ride, which can be partially blamed on the source material. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an island-hopping journey in the style of The Odyssey. It lacks the propelling central narrative of earlier stories, and the new character Eustace, who replaces Peter and Susan, is not the most likable stand-in, despite being played by a young Will Poulter. That’s by design, of course, but it doesn’t make him any more interesting to watch.

Returning characters like Caspian and Reepicheep make The Voyage of the Dawn Treader fun for fans; there are plenty of standout moments throughout; and the ending is quite goo. But in the cracks, there’s a lot of disjointed writing and scattered plot threads. And it doesn’t help anything that the special effects – used to tremendous effect in the earlier films – are overwrought and distracting more often than not. Still, there’s a good time to be had here, especially for younger audiences. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn’t hold the same emotional depth as its predecessors, but the movie remains a fun voyage for fans and kids.

2. Prince Caspian

Every Chronicles of Narnia Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a good movie, but it falls shy of being truly great due to occasional over-ambition, a hit-or-miss cast of new characters, and being a bit too precious at times. But there’s still a lot of magic here: The beach scene where the Pevensies are transported back to Narnia after a year of absence is effecting and beautiful, and it perfectly captures what makes the series so special. The final scene, when they return home, is equally powerful, if undercut a bit by the awkward, forced romance plotline between Susan and Caspian.

The problem with many sequels is that they rely on striking lightning twice with the cast, but in the case, of Prince Caspian, the Chronicles of Narnia’s four main actors still had great chemistry – and they were also allowed to develop in many ways. Edmund gets to be funny and brave; Peter has to learn humility over bravery; and Susan contends with the challenges of growing up (sometimes effective, sometimes less so). Lucy, meanwhile, remains mostly the same. And then there’s Georgie Henley who is still magnificent, though she isn’t given as much to work with as in the first film. To top it off, there are a few other positive additions, including bit parts from Warwick Davis and Peter Dinklage, and the ever-charming Reepicheep the mouse.

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Unfortunately, the weakest link in Prince Caspian is Prince Caspian. Ben Barnes does a fine job in the role, but Caspian’s feud with his uncle never gets beyond tired tropes, and there’s little investment in his journey, development, and quest to retake the throne. All the emotional weight in the story still comes from the Pevensies, and Prince Caspian suffers from putting so much narrative stock in a character that he feels so bland. That, and the fact that not a whole lot actually happens in the movie, drags it down notably. But the magic is still there, albeit lesser. The music is great, the effects and vistas are still stunning at times, and the family narrative of the Pevensies is enough to keep the audience invested.

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not a perfect movie, but in the realm of family-friendly fantasy, it does just about everything right. Coming off The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’s Best Picture victory at the Academy Awards two years prior, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was set to feed off Hollywood’s big-budget, high-fantasy fixation in a kid-friendly way. It pulled it off in spectacular fashion.

A lot of the film’s success is due to the music and visual effects. Narnia looks stunning under the White Witch’s winter spell, and while the effects are somewhat dated now, they’re still stylish and engaging. Harry Gregson-Williams’s musical score is sweeping and strong as well. But the film’s unique strength is in the performances of Georgie Henley as Lucy and Skandar Keynes as Edmund. Their story is simple, but personal; the script is elegantly focused; and their journey, because of that, still holds up.

William Moseley and Anna Popplewell are great as well, and the chemistry of the four as a group is excellent. There’s also a loveable (and terrifying) collection of guest star performances between the film’s start and finish, including James McAvoy’s Mr. Tumnus, Tilda Swinton’s White Witch, and Liam Neeson’s Aslan. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a compelling story all the way through, with a stunning world, stellar climax, and effectively handled themes of childhood, family, maturity, and courage.

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