I saw Voyage of the Dawn Treader last night. In preparation for it, I watched The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian earlier this week. It’s a great way to fill a week.
Watching these films took me back to the first time I read The Chronicles of Narnia. They were actually some of the last Lewis works I tackled, probably because I wasn’t attracted to the idea of spending my time with children’s books. Yet, once I started, I was drawn into them due to Lewis’s talent for storytelling and his ability to combine a fascinating narrative with striking Biblical truths.
The new movie has many strengths: special effects that, even while they have become a staple in the business, still are amazing; character development [as much as one can in two hours, as opposed to a book]; and an alarming message about the dangers of temptation, delivered in a non-preachy manner.
So I guess I’m offering a semi-review here that concludes with an enthusiastic endorsement. If you haven’t seen it yet, take the opportunity this week.
What would C. S. Lewis think of the transference of his books onto the screen? That’s speculation, but I hope he would approve, particularly now that the technology has advanced to the point where his flights of imagination can be realized visually. There are four more Narnia books, and if this one does well—and it was #1 at the box office its first week—another one will go forward, either The Silver Chair or The Magician’s Nephew. As long as the franchise stays faithful to the Christian message, I pray for its continued success.