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Narnia is my new favorite movie. I think it comes from having heard and read the books. My parents read all seven of the Narnia books to me as a child several times. I only read them as an adult about a year ago. When you come to the end of the books it is sad because you do not want the story to be over.

For me, the movie is like a continuation of the story because it visualizes it and adds depth and detail. This is the movie I have waited for my whole life. There is only one other story I would like to see as a movie more than this series.

I have wondered how those who have not read the books might respond. I can also understand that not every adult is going to "get it."

I think the main reason you don't is because you haven't read the books. Most of your objections are explained in them.

You said you felt the story started slowly:

"The setup took far too long. I wasn't watching my watch but it must have taken over 20-30 minutes for the first kid to walk out the back of the wardrobe closet into the land of Narnia. I didn't understand the emphasis placed on this part of the book as it had little to do with subsequent events. Did it matter that much to the story that the the kids were sent off to the professor because their mother was concerned about the danger of WWII? There was a passing reference later about being shipped off to avoid the effects of war only to be dropped in the middle of the war in Narnia (and whether they should get involved at all), but it fell limply to the ground."

The entrance into Narnia by Lucy is the first plot point of the movie. This is how pretty much all successful movies do it. Here is the typical structure for plotting a successful movie (numbers are screenplay pages and equal minutes in a film):

1 opening image
5 theme stated
1-10 setup - shows the main character(s) motivations
12 catalyst, aka inciting incident - forces the main character(s) to take action
11-25 unsuccessful attempts to resolve problems leading to bigger problems
25 first plot point or twist taking story into the new direction of the second act
26-54 explore new world and expand on additional subplots
55 midpoint
55-75 escalating danger
75 all hope is lost
75-85 desperate attempts to achieve the main goal or just survive
85 second major plot point leading into third act resolution
85-109 finale - back and forth struggle leading to the resolution of the main conflict
110 closing image

Of course not all stories fit neatly into this paradigm, but most successful movies follow it pretty closely.

In my opinion, Narnia executed the first act flawlessly.

There are inherent weaknesses to the story, mainly what has already been pointed out in relation to the child audience. For me, however, this movie was an incredible example of movie making and, as I already said, the movie I have been waiting for my whole life.

I will be a repeat viewer and plan to buy it on DVD also. But for anyone who is considering waiting, I think it is a movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen.