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The Chronicles Of Narnia 4 DVD Box Set [1988]


RRP: £29.99
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Recommended for Narnia fans
Review date: 2008-07-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

I don't remember the TV series as a child, but I knew they existed and after having got back into the Narnia series around the time of the first movie I wanted to see what they were like.
The first impressions are that they are very faithful to the books- almost every aspect is just as you'd expect from the book. It obviously attracts criticism because of the age of it- the effects, costumes etc are very obviously outdated now, but despite this it holds up in general. Aslan is very well done- the main problem with him is the mouth movement, he's actually better done than I expected him to be! The talking animals are all blatantly people in animal costumes, but they are actually well done- obviously some are better than others though. I was pretty impressed with Glimfeather the owl! The other thing is the cartoony creatures that are used sometimes- these stick out like a sore thumb, but at least they seem to affect the people on screen pleasingly.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is very strong (as you'd expect), well acted and because of being a TV series instead of movie isn't hurried. The acting is good from everyone, the witch is overly dramatic, but it adds to the charm.
Prince Caspian & Voyage of the Dawn Treader are enjoyable, but Prince Caspian is only 2 episodes long, and Dawn Treader is only 4 (the other 2 are 6), so these are obviously more hurried. Prince Caspian isn't given enough attention, it's basically rushed over as a setup to Dawn Treader, but at least what there is is well done. I think it is visual effects wise a step up from LWW. Dawn Treader is really really good, it could have done with being a bit less rushed though.
Silver Chair is actually what I'm currently watching. I'm actually really enjoying it, this and Caspian were the 2 books I didn't like so much, but Silver Chair I really enjoy here. Again it feels a bit squeezed into 6 episodes, but everything seems to be covered from the book somehow.

Overall I can highly recommend them- If you like Narnia in a big way then you can't fail to enjoy them. If you've never read the books then I'd recommend you do that instead- I think for me the whole thing holds together alot better that way. In the TV series I haven't so much had the impression of Narnia as a huge world like the book does such a good job of creating.
I personally wouldn't like to say that it is better than the new movies- more faithful, yes. But they haven't strayed too much I don't think.
Really, the people I'd recommend this to are the fans of the Narnia books, not so much the people who have only the new movies to go by- if you know the book I think you'll probably get a little more out of it.
Unfortunately there is no Magician's Nephew, Horse and His Boy, or Last Battle here, maybe they would have really needed better technology and budget to do those justice though.

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Reviews


The best series in the world!!!!,
Review date: 2008-07-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - four children are evacuated to the country. Whilst exploring the house, the youngest stumbles into the magical world of Narnia.
Prince Caspian - the four children are called back to Narnia to help Prince Caspian defeat his evil uncle and claim his throne.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia along with their cousin Eustace to aid King Caspian as he searches for the seven lords.
I read some of The Chronicles of Narnia when I was very young. I then watched "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" a few years later, and LOVED it! I never read "Prince Caspian" or "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", so that was one of the main reasons I bought this box set. I really enjoyed "Prince Caspian" but not as much as "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "The Silver Chair", which I also read. Having said that, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" is, and always will be, my favourite, partly because it is the one in which my favourite character has a much bigger part than in the other three. For those of you who haven't seen or read those three, my favourite character is Aslan. Even though some of the special effects do look a bit old now, I think that the makers managed to make Aslan as convincing as possible. One of the really good thisngs about this is the fact that Aslan is not computer generated, but animatronic, so the children are actually looking at him, rather than looking slightly to one side of him.
One other really good things about this series is that, because it is a series, the makers have been able to stay true to the books, and, particularly in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", capture that same magic that is in the books.


Painful to watch!
Review date: 2008-06-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

I was a huge fan as a child, so recently I read the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe to my 6 year old son. He loved it and I decided to follow this up with the DVD. After reading great reviews I bought this rather than the new film, huge mistake.

After a few minutes of watching I remembered watching this as a child. The children [particularly Edward and Lucy] are extremely irritating. It is painfully long. The animals characters are dreadfully done, particularly stuffed Aslan with his bobbing head. Terrible terrible attempts at special effects!

Now I know that a lot of this is due to the era in which is was made. This is so bad that I can't face watching the rest of the chronicles - going to sell this on! I immediately ordered the up to date film and it is fantastic!! Characters are great, fantastic battle scenes and most importantly it's actually believable.

Please don't buy this, get the new film instead! It is actually more like I imagined in my head from reading the book.

Chronicling Narnia
Review date: 2008-02-01 Rating: 6 out of 10

The Chronicles of Narnia are apparently the new big fantasy movie series, with the second film "Prince Caspian" coming out this spring.

But it isn't the first time that C.S. Lewis' classic fantasies have been adapted -- in the 1980s, the BBC made their own adaptation of the first four adventures of the Pevensies and their relatives. Some of the actors and special effects are frankly lacking, but mostly they are just solid storytelling.

"The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe" introduces us to the Pevensie kids, four teenagers who are staying in the country during World War II. But during a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy (Sophie Wilcox) hides in a wardrobe -- and finds that the back opens into a snowy forest land, populated by mythic creatures. It's the land of Narnia, where the Pevensies are destined to become kings and queens -- if they can destroy the evil White Witch (Barbara Kellerman), with the return of lion messiah Aslan (Ronald Pickup).

"Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader" takes us forward a few years -- and centuries in Narnia. Warlike humans have invaded Narnia and driven the talking animals, centaurs, dryads and others into hiding. But young Prince Caspian (Jean Marc Perret) believes in them, and joins them to defeat his usurping uncle Miraz. And the Pevensies are called from their world to help.

No sooner have Edmund (Jonathan R. Scott) and Lucy finished one adventure than other begins: while arguing with obnoxious cousin Eustace (David Thwaites), they are sucked into a painting and land beside the Narnian ship Dawn Treader. It also happens to be Caspian's ship. The three kids accompany the young king through a sea of horrors, dragons, gold springs, slavers and magicians, right to the edge of the world...

The newly reformed Eustance takes center stage in "The Silver Chair." At his chaotic school, he confides to a bullied classmate, Jill Pole (Camilla Power), about Narnia -- and the two of them find themselves whisked there by Aslan. Aslan gives them a quest: Find the aged Caspian's missing son Rilian (Richard Henders), who was seduced away by a malevolent witch. Eustace and Jill reluctantly go, and soon find themselves enmeshed in a plan to conquer all of Narnia.

The BBC has been known to make adaptations of countless books, so it's not surprising that they tried to tackle the Chronicles of Narnia. The result is a mixed bag, with some bad acting and sketchy CGI, but still a satisfying fantasy series with some truly creepy, uplifting or just interesting.

Expect a very faithful adaptation -- the BBC preserved virtually every character, most of the scenes, and all the Christian allegory of Lewis' books. As a result, there are some truly chilling and magical scenes, like Eustace's transformations and the owl conference. The settings are magnificent, especially the giant "Dawn Treader" and Caer Paravel.

Unfortunately, it does have its bad points, mostly in the tedium that is "Prince Caspian." Some of the special effects are quite dated, including some early blue-screen effects that are almost convincing, but not quite. Costumes are very very Dungeons and Dragons, especially Miraz and his army -- very Ye Olde Batmanne. And Aslan is played by a large and almost realistic puppet, except he looks like he has arthritis and large quantities of Botox.

The acting is a mixed bag -- Scott and Thwaites give the best performances, especially since they both play obnoxious little pains who have to learn the error of their ways. And there are loads of entertaining supporting characters, like Big Mick (I swear that's his name), both Caspians, Jeffrey Perry, and Warwick Davis (in owl and mouse costumes). The only sour notes are Wilcox and Kellerman; one whines, one cackles and screeches like a hammy banshee.

Those anticipating the return of Aslan and the Pevensies should check out the BBC adaptations -- while they have some big flaws, they are still entertaining enough to enjoy.

Chronicles of Narnia Box Set
Review date: 2007-02-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is an excellent set with all episodes in very good condition. The special features are also a good addition. I watched this series when it first came out on tv as a child so I have good memories of it. People considering purchasing this having never seen this series before, but having seen the Narnia film, may find the effects disappointing. It was the late 1980s, however, and brings back a lot of memories. It is a most faithful adaptation of the 4 books by Lewis.

Product Details/Specifications


Artist(s):
The Chronicles of Narnia

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503188924
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Box set, Collector's Edition, PAL,
Release date: 2005-11-14
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 600 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1988
Language: English (Original Language)

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