A new Narnia?

Christian mythology, and a very good one, simple, direct, yet imaginative and shot through with authentic theology expressed so even a child—especially a child—can grasp it. That is how I would describe The Chronicles of Narnia by author C. S. Lewis, an open door to another universe that is nevertheless the creation of the same God who created ours, where we can see how He interacts with people just like us—well, almost just like us, except that most of them are animals who can think and talk—and where He reveals His only-begotten Son in the form of a Lion. This Lion, named Aslan (Turkish for lion), is the Son of the great Emperor-over-the-Sea, and like His incarnation in our universe, in Narnia and for Narnia, He likewise has to trample death by death, as a ransom for someone's sin.

With The Chronicles of Narnia, as with the rest of the writings of Lewis, as well as of the other Church fathers ancient to modern (we know who they are), I am every bit as tenacious of the plain and intended meaning as I am with the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Nothing can be changed, added or subtracted. It is the whole or nothing: Make your choice. And why so tenacious? Because Truth can no more be divided than Christ's seamless robe. To the winner goes the prize. The stakes may be high, but I still want to gamble, and I play to win.

The BBC made a series of Narnia movies in the late 1980's. The technology wasn't as good back then, and to watch them now, in some places it almost seems like watching a home movie, something slightly naive, a bit amateur. But I still watch them, and love. Why? Because they faithfully portray on film what The Chronicles of Narnia are really about, even using the very dialog. Nothing, or very, very little, has been adapted. For manageable length some things have been left out, yet nothing essential was omitted. Watching those old BBC films brings the books to mind, and then I go and reread them, which makes me want to come back and watch the films. Everything is truthful and authentic, beginning to end, if somewhat primitive.

Starting in 2005, The Chronicles of Narnia were again presented in film. The visuals were grandiose, panoramic, even awesome, so far exceeding the BBC version that there's no comparison—on that level. I went and saw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, same as everyone, and was immediately impressed with the visual presentation. Slowly, as the film progressed, though, I began noticing small changes, then larger ones, then wrong emphasis or worse, unfaithful rendering of the characters. Soon, I was shocked by the introduction of scenes that never occurred in the books. The magnificent scenery, action, photography, all were lost on me. Why? Because the story was now different. It was similar but not the same as the book. 'They could've done better,' I thought to myself. I found myself on the wrong side of the critical fence from my friends and family members. Everyone else had nothing but praise for it.

In 2008, when Prince Caspian was released as the second of this new series of The Chronicles of Narnia, against my better judgment I went to see it as well. Again, the visuals were stupendous, but the story was now interlaced with a new theme that was leading it in all the wrong directions, and the characters were shifting even further from the authentic personalities we read about in Lewis' books. I promised myself, never again, I had had enough. And now, here we are in 2010 and the next installment of a new Narnia is upon us. I almost went and saw it yesterday afternoon, just out of curiosity, but honestly, I know it will be over-the-top entertainment, and that is something I am just not interested in. Waiting for such a movie to end is even harder than being trapped in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic going 5 miles an hour for 2 hours. By choice, I try to avoid both.

I suppose I am not the only one who feels like this about the 'new Narnia,' though right now I know of no one who is not raving about having seen The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, or raving about wanting to see it. Let me tell you, brothers, if I go, it will be an act of charity, of fellowship, to see it with someone I love, but not for the film itself. Leave me alone, then, to read the books themselves, or if I want to watch a film version, I will launch my copy of the old BBC version. As schmaltzy as it gets sometimes on the technological level, it's still a true depiction of the old Narnia.

I found this article on the internet that goes into great depth analyzing this 'new Narnia' that the current series of films portrays. If you want to read what others have to say, click the link right below the image of the Touchstone webpage.

Click HERE to read this article at Touchstone.