I was pretty disappointed. Being a huge fan of the book(s), I was really looking forward to seeing them brought to life.
Positives:
1.) Effects were great, the wolves were well animated, and the battle scene was awesome. Anitmation on Aslan was also good.
2.) The White Witch was excellently cast, and I thought her part was well written and pretty close to the book. Her stone spell was just as I'd imagined it.
However, I was disappionted in the movie because:
1.) Aslan is not nearly as badass in the movie as he is made out to be in the book. In the book, he roars, and the trees bow down, but in the movie, the kids just cover their ears for a second and it's over. He is also a shade "darker" in the books. More powerful and mysterious.
2.) The children were HORRIBLY CAST. Lucy was a good actress, but something about her look just seemed off. Peter was too young, and too much of a pretty boy.
3.) In the books, Peter evolves and ages from a child into a charismatic and strong leader. The movie makes him out as a child all the way through. (ie. before the big battle - Centaur: "Numbers don't win a battle" Peter: (in wobbly tone) "No, but I bet they help")
4.) Edmund's character is done entirely wrong. In the book, he is helping the witch willfully the whole time, whispering in her ear, telling her what Aslan said and where he and the other children are. You are meant to hate him all the way through, and almost have to force yourself to forgive him at the end when Aslan redeems him (symbolic of the unconditional forgiveness in the Bible, the difficulty of forgiving Edmund makes us feel the magnitude of our own forgivness by God). In the movie, he basically just likes sweets, and commits a small betrayal in the beginning, and the witch holds him an unwilling hostage the rest of the time until he is rescued.
5.) The whole movie was way too childish. I think they should have gone with a PG-13 rating and made it a bit darker, portayed more of the plot intricacies of the book. I especially think that the Biblical allegories should have been emphasized a bit more. Regardless of what you believe, it's a major part of the Narnia series, and adds another very deep (and enjoyable) layer of meaning to the tale.
C.S. Lewis wrote the Narnia books as way more than an entertaining story for kids, and the film totally ignores anything but the superficial story, and even implements it poorly at that.
PS - this is a repost of my comments in the other Narnia thread.