// December 13th, 2005 // 1 Comment » // films, random
I read a glowing review of the film on Relevant magazine’s website this week and while I don’t wholeheartedly disagree I didn’t think the film was without any fault.
It seems to me that most Christian commentators I have read have been unable to decouple the film from the sledgehammer obvious message of Christ the film presents. C.S. Lewis was a great writer in his day, one that was able to communicate the message of Christ with a clarity and conviction few of his contemporaries could match. I have loved Lewis writings as I have journeyed with Jesus over these past 10 years. I would not however, recommend his books to most of my friends today. His modern legal view of faith is almost entirely disconnected from the context in which myself and most of my peers live our faith. The poignant and important questions he sought to address are simply not being asked in many circles today. It seems a shame to me that the high modern church is today discovering the writing of one of the great authors of the Christian tradition in a time where his words have been rendered, in many ways, irrelevant by cultural shifts. That is not to suggest that Lewis or other writers should be forgotten but it is a reminder that we need to continually contextualize the questions we are seeking to address in the church.
That said, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an enduring story because while much of the allegory is legal metaphor for the sacrifice of Christ, it seeks to return the narrative to story, to place the story of Christ back within the context of our imagination, drawing us into participation in the struggle.
Back to the movie, the film is solid. The acting by the four children is remarkably good. Actually it’s excellent. The CGI and special effects are solid but given the $180 million budget they should be. The directing is adequate but some of the action sequences seem rigid. The actions seem too scripted and lack a raw fluidity you would expect in battle. The film has been branded Lord of the Rings Lite by some critics and this is certainly evident in the costume designs for the Narnian army. They absolutely look like leftovers from a BBC special. Think King Arthur for kids. The only real downside of the film is that the White Witch is so much cooler than Aslan the lion king. In the book Aslan is clearly the star of the story but here the Witch steals the show. Her costumes are great, her lines are better and Tilda Swinton out acts Liam Neeson’s CGI cat. Still the movie is fun and certainly not the colossal let down I was expecting.
*** out of ****
