All Roads Lead to Narnia

...where Aslan waits for you!

Can I just say that I can’t wait for it to be December already? Not because of the usual goodies and funfare that the holidays bring but because of… The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe!! Saw the movie trailer last Saturday and I am just so IN AWE and EXCITED about what I’ve seen… seeing the lion Aslan so majestic on top of the ice-capped mountains gave me goosebumps. I really hope I don’t cry in the end of this one… although I really wouldn’t be surprised if I do considering I cried while reading the book!!

There are two reasons I’m so excited about this. First it’s because I totally love C. S. Lewis. (This man is one of the many gifts from God to me... along with Philip Yancey, I have to say). His words just cut through to the point of every Christian theme he wants to convey, whether through his essays (Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, The Problem of Pain) or his allegorical stories (The Chronicles of Narnia, Screwtape Letters). The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is as honest and straight-to-the-point as an allegory can be about the reality of our world’s hopelessness and the amazing grace Christ has given to us through His redeeming love. Secondly it’s because I just know this is gonna be a great movie, not unlike “The Lord Of The Rings”. And I’m not alone in these expectations. Searched through the Internet about the movie and found that critics are calling it “The Next Big Thing” because of five reasons: (from http://movies.channel.aol.com)

1. Built-in Fan Base. Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Narnia is based on a phenomenally popular book series. The seven tomes that comprise C. S. Lewis ‘The Chronicles of Narnia” have sold more than 85 million copies since the first one, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” In other words it’s a movie cult waiting to happen.
2. Fantastic New World. Middle-earth has nothing on Narnia, the land four children discover through the doors of the eponymous wardrobe. Populated by centaurs, giants, dwarves, and—of course—a lion, Narnia is the kind of magical place every kid (and kid at heart) wants to believe exists.
3. Potential For More. Unlike JRR Tolkien, who wrote only three “Lord of the Rings”, Lewis has seven installments of the “Chronicles”.
4. A Director With A Vision. Helmer Andrew Adamson knows a thing or three about hit franchises and special FX—he directed Shrek and Shrek 2—so who better to bring a possible new megahit series with a majestic CGI world to the big screen?
5. Family Appeal. With less gore than Star Wars and children as the main characters, “Chronicles” might be “Harry Potter” minus the wizardly magic, meets “LOTR”. In fact the Lewis books’ much-explored Christian allegory themes are already inspiring some to predict similar results as the awesome outcome of the behemoth Christian non-allegory, “The Passion of the Christ”.

I’m definitely standing in line (whether in online or ticket-booth-facing ones) for this movie. My only contention about the movie is that I hope they present the book in all its thematic glory. I hope they don’t just gloss over and downplay its Christian message just to appeal to a wider audience. If they do that, they won’t be giving the Lion the proper place He deserves, they won’t be paying tribute to C. S. Lewis who we all know wrote this story with the mission of evangelism in mind, and they won’t stay true to the heart of the story itself. The movie opens on December 9, 2005.