** – It seems to me that the most important aspect that determines one’s level of enjoyment of a fantasy-themed film or book series is whether or not one buys into the mythology presented. I pretty much buy into the “Lord of the Rings” mythology because of its highly detailed nature and mature themes. I don’t buy into the “Harry Potter” series because I feel that it lacks depth, is far too dependent on magic, and is exceedingly child-oriented. The “Narnia” series – after giving much thought during and after the watching of the film adaptations of the first three novels – is definitely starting to feel like it is leaning far more toward the “Potter” end of the spectrum than the “LOTR” end. Looking at the film on its own merits, this is your pretty standard child adventure fare. The visuals and effects are largely solid, but the design that is brought to life by those means has been so done to death that it doesn’t affect the overall quality of the movie enough to make it a positive experience. Story-wise, I was very disappointed in this third chapter in the chain of what apparently is going to continue into at least a fourth. All it amounted to was a series of problems tossed at the protagonists at roughly ten to fifteen minute intervals that each ended with the good guys winding up victorious (usually through the help of an unexpected ally), followed by a three minute celebration complete with cheering and triumphant music. The dopey religious parallels that author C.S. Lewis jammed into the books is as present in this one as it was in the prior ones, and I have to say that it is really starting to get on my nerves.
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