A muddled 'Narnia' falls flat

Everything looks great, but 'Narnia' fails where 'Lord of the Rings' succeeded.
By ROGER MOORE
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Here it is, "Lord of the Rings" Lite, an entry-level movie for all those children too young for "LOTR," too old for "Veggie Tales."
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" reminds us of the risk that original, pricey "The Fellowship of the Ring" was.
This is what "LOTR" would have looked like, had Peter Jackson blown it.
Not completely blown it. With state-of-the-art effects that bring the animal kingdom of C.S. Lewis's Narnia to life, battles cribbed from "LOTR," more stunning New Zealand scenery and a curtain call visually swiped from "Star Wars," this "Narnia" gets the look right.
Yes, you may believe beavers, wolves, foxes, eagles and lions can talk -- with British accents.
But it's a muddled, abbreviated version of the tale, an epic without the sweep, the poetic dialogue or the emotion to hold our interest. The Biblical allegory is intact, and perhaps that will be enough for some. But this "Chronicle" is for fans, or believers, only.
As we watch computer-generated German bombers pound London, four fresh-faced English schoolchildren are packed off to stay in the country during the Blitz.
Peter (William Moseley) is the oldest, the one responsible for the others.
Susan (Anna Popplewell) is the rational one.
Edmund (Skandar Keynes) is the resentful, impulsive, hothead younger brother.
And Lucy (Georgie Henley) is the youngest, the one who ducks into a wardrobe in a disused room of the mansion where they're staying, slips behind the overcoats and steps into a snowy world of fauns, witches and talking animals.
The others doubt her when she comes home. Edmund could confirm her story but doesn't, the little fink. His first trip into Narnia lets him face temptation from the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who seduces him with candy.
The conflict ahead
And then they all step through the wardrobe into Narnia, where their coming has been prophesied and their roles foretold. A messianic lion, Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), is now ready to lead the forces of good against the forces of ice, the White Witch, in a Narnian Armageddon. The kids have to don armor, pick up swords and arrows, and take up the cause.
Director Andrew Adamson of "Shrek" isn't used to working with live actors. So his vocal performers -- Neeson as the lion, Rupert Everett as a sly spy fox -- come off better than the overmatched kids. If there's more than one "Chronicle," perhaps they'll grow into the roles, like the "Harry Potter" gang.
Swinton brings some heat to a couple of scenes. But mostly, she's just there to wear the big snow dress and ice crown. She's set dressing.
Adamson and his team do well by the spectacle of it all. There's a swell chase with trash-talking wolves, for instance. But it's an unemotional journey, and the faux crucifixion lacks digital heart.
Speaking of that, Lewis and his heir have gone out of their way to discount, downplay or deny the Biblical allusions in the text, even as Disney panders to church audiences in its marketing. Either Disney missed that memo, or Lewis was a fibbing old hypocrite. It's all over the movie. Aslan even has a sad walk through the Garden of Gesthemane. But this Son of Man likes to be scratched behind the ears.
What you look for in this sort of screen fantasy is a world you can lose yourself in, an adventure you can imagine yourself having. Perhaps this "Narnia" will work for the same people the books have always worked for -- children, 12-and-under.
There's a quality to it. The production values are there.
When Santa shows up, and he's packing heat (he arms the children), or the battle is joined and the polar bears charge into the cheetahs, and the digital beavers bicker like an old digitally married couple, the hardcore may experience the thrill of recognition. But the rest of us can be forgiven a perfectly appropriate giggling fit.