The kids themselves are OK; they didn't have much to work with. IMHO, Liam Neeson was a poor choice for Aslan, because his voice was *instantly* recognizable. James McAvoy was a treat. The real winner for me was Tilda Swinton; I have even more of a crush on her now. She's magnificent in the big battle scene.
And I totally don't remember Santa Claus being in the books. But hey.
Some of the monsters look *really* bad, especially next to the ones that look really good. (The ones that look right did, in fact, look damn good.) I did crack up in a couple points, when there's just random animals walking around having conversations in the background of one of the shots. Oh, and I totally want a Mr. and Mrs. Beaver movie.
But, it was enjoyable, for a kids movie, and a fantasy movie. I don't mean to bury it completely. It's just not a very deep one.
If any of you are Narnia geeks, who love the books and know all the details, drop me a line, I have questions.
(Note: I only read the first book or so, and that when I was eleven or so. So I really don't remember much of any of it. I'm judging the movie on its own regard.)
Trailers update tomorrow or so.