Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

—1. Overview
—2. Reviews and Blogs
—3. Cast and Crew
—4. Photo Pages
—5. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—6. Posters
—7. Production Notes (pdf)
—8. Spiritual Connections
—9. Presentation Downloads

I found The Chronicles of Narnia by Walden Media to be much more enjoyable as an adult than I found the BBC series—it’s amazing what millions can do! The acting is better, the sets are better, the special effects are better. But the truth is, it’s still the story that makes it work, and we owe our thanks to C.S. Lewis. Many reviewers will give better compare and contrast (with the book) or play-by-plays than I can. But I was so strongly moved by the way in which the gospel of Jesus Christ shone through the movie, that I put my remarks out here for consideration.

Before I get to my main points concerning Edmund and Aslan, I HAVE to highlight the wonderful exchange between Peter, Susan and the ProfessorMoseley, Poppewell and Broadbent.) Straight from the book, the two eldest Pevensie children worry that their younger sister Lucy (Henley) has fallen off the deep end. He asks them if she usually lies and they reply that she does not. He then points them back in the direction of truth through their own question and answer, in a wonderful expression of belief. Is Jesus a liar, a lunatic, or Lord? It seems that he cannot be more than one, and in the case of Lucy, she was the window through which the rest could see the truth. On to the gospel according to Aslan…

( Edmund (Keynes) betrays himself, his family, and Aslan in his falling to the temptation by the witch, Jadis (Swinton.) We hear Jadis’ ridicule of Aslan as she ‘reminds’ him of the old magic/law by which a traitor must be put to death. She knows that Aslan cannot stand to watch one of his or anyone else’s children die, so he must offer himself up in Edmund’s place. We watch Aslan go, knowing how much it will hurt, with those few who ‘remain awake,’ and witness his scorn and torture at the hands of those twisted by the witch. And, we watch as a magic older than time rises to usurp the power of death and Aslan rises again. How can the story not be seen as an allegory of the last days and resurrection of Christ?

With the resurrection of Aslan, the ‘dead’ are raised. More exactly, those whose lives have been cut short by Jadis are restored by the breath, the spirit, of the king of Narnia himself. These become new soldiers, restored in power, in the battle for Narnia, which I see as the kingdom of heaven or God. The tide of the ‘battle’ is turned and the wicked are turned back with the onset of the ‘good,’ the restored, the resurrected.

Within the conclusion of the battle, the restoration of Edmund occurs. His skepticism, doubt and bitterness has been washed away by the perfect, sacrificial love of Aslan and his own self-awareness as a part of the ‘team.’ The young person who has been stuck firmly in adolescence emerges within his test in the wonderland of Narnia to become a man. Of course there is room for improvement, but the Christian journey of awareness and responsibility has been exhibited in an individual at the same time that the land itself is restored.

—1. Overview
—2. Reviews and Blogs