Narnia the Movie

I remember a friend saying that the beginning of Lord of the Rings brought tears to his eyes because he saw up on screen the world that had meant so much to him in the reading.

Because I've read the Narnia books, to myself twice (once as a teen, once last year), and to my kids twice (yes all of them), I spent the first minutes of the Narnia movie crying silently in the theater because I really go along for the ride with these stories. And I knew what was coming! But then I was disappointed. Reviews I've read focus their praise on the film's childlike fantasy and escapism. But for me the power of the books isn't just escape or a childlike view. The power is in the appearance of Christ in Aslan and the way he effects those he encounters, no question.

And I realized that when I read Lewis' written account of Christ (which, I guess, I know can't really approximate the reality), I am free to supply the sound and the image with my own imagination ... i.e. my internal experience of Christ supplies the 'effects' when I read. So I was always very moved when reading the books. But the film overwhelmed my imagination and it wasn't better.

I'm only talking about Aslan really, because I spend a lot of time thinking about Christ. And I guess if I'm honest, the White Witch couldn't compete with my understanding of Jadis (who fills in for Satan in the books, another character I spend time considering).

But I don't really ever think about fauns. The faun was nice ....