Reviewed by Andrew Wooding

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Director: Andrew Adamson (2005)
Distributor: Buena Vista International Certificate: PG

Spoiler notice: If you read on will become aware of some of the content of the film.

With the huge success of fantasy in recent big budget movie series – such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter – it was inevitable that someone would turn their hands to the ever-popular Narnia books by Christian author, CS Lewis. Technically, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in the seven-part series (The Magician’s Nephew precedes it), but it was the first of the books to be written and it is still the most popular, so naturally the filmmakers have started with this one.

I’m a huge fan of Peter Jackson’s adaptations of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books, and I love how JK Rowling’s wit and imagination has been transferred to the big screen, so how has CS Lewis’s fantasy fared? Is it a success, and should the other Narnia books be filmed as well?

I don’t want to come across in this review as a sort of Scrooge (bah, humbug) but I do need to confess that I was very disappointed by this film and probably won’t be seeing it again. But don’t let my opinion put you off. The film has done extremely well at the box office, children seem to love it, and one of my favourite movie critics (Roger Ebert) whose opinion I always respect wrote a very favourable review indeed.

For me, it might be a case of revisiting something that I enjoyed as a child and finding that it is not as good as I remembered. But maybe the film wasn’t made for me, a jaded 41-year-old – this is definitely a children’s film, more so than the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films, and it is a fact that children are flocking to see this in their millions.

The director, Andrew Adamson, has only worked in animation before (he directed the two Shrek movies) and it shows – many of the characters feel like two-dimensional cut-outs rather than real flesh and blood creations. On the positive side, Georgie Henley (who plays the young Lucy) is entirely convincing with her reactions – she can go from joy or sadness to intense fear, and you really believe she is feeling those emotions. An actress to watch out for. I also liked Jim Broadbent’s few scenes as the kind-hearted professor (wait a few minutes into the closing credits for another of his scenes).

This has been described as Lord of the Rings for kids, and just like that trilogy this has breathtaking battle scenes and much of it was shot in New Zealand. Despite my disappointment, I still wish this film well and hope it makes enough money to justify a sequel. It is always good when a film with such a positive spiritual message, and a Christian one at that, has a big budget behind it and is a mainstream success at the box office.

THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH 

Some key themes: The battle between good and evil; God’s willing sacrifice because of his love of humanity

“But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5 v 8).

It’s no secret that CS Lewis was a Christian, and it’s also no secret that his most popular children’s book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is a clear allegory of the basic Christian message. God has been referred to in the Bible as the Lion of Judah, and in CS Lewis’s story he is represented by a lion called Aslan, who is the king of Narnia.

But something has gone wrong. Narnia appears to be under someone else’s power – the White Witch, who represents evil, or the devil. And one of the four children, Edmund, has done a deal with the White Witch and become a traitor. Bad news. The law of the land is that a traitor must be put to death for his sin, and this is a law that even Aslan cannot change. But Aslan strikes a deal with the White Witch. He is killed in Edmund’s place and Edmund is set free. The White Witch is very happy about this – Aslan is her enemy and she is happy to strike the fatal blow. She doesn’t realise that love and sacrifice release great power – Aslan returns to life, the White Witch is defeated, and Narnia is restored to its former glory.

Does Aslan’s sacrifice sound similar to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, dying in our place because of our sins? That’s because it’s meant to be similar. This was entirely CS Lewis’s intention.

One more thing that impressed me about Aslan. This is the age-old story of the battle between good and evil – shown as the battle between Aslan and the White Witch. But they are far from equal. Good is the strongest, and evil is nothing compared to it. There is a scene where the White Witch taunts Aslan, and Aslan roars ferociously back – so much so that the hairs stood up on the back of my neck! I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him! Aslan is referred to by Mr Tumnus as a wild and untamed lion.

Does this say something about God – the strongest, most powerful, scariest force in the universe, yet someone who holds back his scariness when he’s with the ones he loves? Try to imagine God like a wild and untamed lion.

Discussion questions....

· CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien were both part of The Inklings, a Christian writers’ group. Which do you prefer: CS Lewis’s Narnia series or JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

· Have you ever re-read a book or re-watched a film that you enjoyed as a child and is not as good as you remembered? If so, what was it, and why were you disappointed?

· What other animals would you use to represent aspects of God’s character, and why?

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