Number 37 on the all time list.
I continue to dialog with others about the movie. I had a recent exchange with someone who spoke to a person who was upset that the movie showed Aslan making a deal with the devil. How is that the gospel, they decried.
*Sigh*.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
That is not the take away from the movie.
This is.
It is a write up done by a Centurion colleague of mine. Here is her write-up.
"I took my two granddaughters to see it yesterday, and they were appropriately thrilled and delighted. That's the key, I think, to fully appreciating this film. From a child's point of view, it's perfect -- and very much imparts that sense of wide-eyed, spiritual wonder that Lewis had in mind for these stories. My youngest grandchild was literally sitting on the edge of her seat and clapping her hands when Aslan came back to life. The smile on her face at that moment was priceless."
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Diane's youngest grandchild gets it. Lewis would be pleased.
Some people just need to get over it. The movie was awesome, I have seen it twice and my 4 year old was amazed. My wife thought it was to violent (she is a little prudish in this regard) but it was overall awesome. I hope it starts a lot of dialogue in homes, Christian or not.
With the media using Syriana and Munich (to name a few) to indoctrinate the masses with their political views, it is refreshing to see movies like this.
Posted by: Carl Holmes | January 10, 2006 at 10:02
I actually think that both the movies supporters and its detractors tend to impart too much significance to it. It is, after all, just a movie. Sure, Lewis had a Christian message in mind when he wrote the story, but if you analyze it too much (for or against), it's not going to hold up.
Posted by: tgirsch | January 10, 2006 at 12:03
Still haven't seen the movie, but I'm assuming that it is similar to the book...
I think that in general, those who "get" it are likely to be children who have been raised in a Christian milieu. To them, Aslan's sacrifice just makes sense.
Those who don't have that background don't get it. I've seen many reviews by people who liked the books as children but who felt horribly betrayed when they later detected the Christian aspect, and I think that's a not uncommon reaction. As such, I think Narnia works better as a "reinforcer" (?) for kids who already know the Gospel, rather than as an evangelical tool for the unchurched. The latter seem to react badly later in life, if they think Lewis was trying to "sneak in" the Gospel message. It's not clear to me which of group was Lewis's intended audience.
Posted by: Nick | January 10, 2006 at 13:59
Nick:
Not to nit-pick, but since I deal in facts, I'd like to know the number of reviews where the reviewer was "horribly betrayed" when they discovered the "Christian aspect" of LWW. I have read one that made the CNN, USA Today rounds the first week of the movie's opening. I have a number of non-Christian friends who have seen the movie and have enjoyed it (4 families to date). They know that the movie is an allegory, and they don't seem to be bothered. I don't see the movie as a tool to be wielded by evalgelicals, but I do see it as a discussion-starter. It has been the gateway to a few interesting discussions at my end. People GET the resurrection theme! Whether or not they take the next step is another issue. Many people know that the Bible attests to the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, but whether or not they decide to accept it as fact or not is a decision. But the THEME resonates soundly in LWW.
Later,
Posted by: BWB | January 10, 2006 at 16:29
BWB,
Sorry, I don't have numbers. The "reviews" were discussions on various usenet forums, not professional reviews. I'm referring specifically to people who first read the books when they were children(presumably the target audience), so the fact that adults like your friends are aware of the Christian content isn't really relevant.
My impression was that I saw that reaction enough times that it seemed almost predictable. Almost every time it occurred, there were a flurry of responses to the effect of "How could you NOT see the Christianity." The bottom line seems to be that to those who know the Gospel story, the Christian content of Narnia is blindingly obvious. To those who weren't raised in a Christian household, it was completely opaque, and to some people that later realization ruined their pleasant memories of the books. So, if the question is whether early childhood exposure to Narnia might make people more receptive to the Gospel , I haven't seen evidence for that. That Narnia might make a good conversation starter with adults who already have some idea of Christian doctrine is another question, and one on which I might agree with you.
I'll see if I can dig out some of the USENET postings tonight. It's entirely possible that I am remembering a very few bad reactions.
Posted by: Nick | January 10, 2006 at 16:49
Nick,
I read one review like you described. It was in Salon magazine.
It might be an interesting sociological study to see if Lewis achieved his goal. In one sense, however, it is hard to argue that Lewis missed the mark. The impact of the Narnian books on the world speak for themselves. They have touched the lives of millions. For many, they were an introduction to a guy named C.S. Lewis. Later in the life, they picked up some of his other books and found them helpful. That was the case with yours truly.
Re: using the film as a "tool"
When you see all of life from the eyes of faith, literally anything can be a spring board to conversations with spiritual depth.
One of my favorite areas to talk about is right up your alley ... science. I once began talking about the Mars Rover missions with a friend, and very naturally ended up talking about love of Jesus Christ.
Talking about Narnia is even easier.
As far as explaining the offer of eternal life to those who trust in the finished work of Christ, I use the Bible ... not the Chronicles of Narnia ;-)
Posted by: Mr. Dawntreader | January 10, 2006 at 17:37
Jeff:In one sense, however, it is hard to argue that Lewis missed the mark. They have touched the lives of millions.I think this overstates the case a fair bit, although I suppose it depends on what you think "the mark" is, and what "touching lives" means. From everything I've seen, the Narnia books were enthusiastically embraced mainly by people who were already highly receptive to the Christian message, which is to say they were almost certainly going to be Christians anyway. And as Nick points out, those who weren't already receptive to Christianity generally completely missed the Christian allegory.
So while Narnia may well have given Christians some valuable entertainment and something to discuss amongst themselves, I don't really think the books had any sort of world-changing or society-changing impact. People in general don't have a quantum shift in their outlook on life just because they read (or now viewed) Narnia.
Posted by: tgirsch | January 10, 2006 at 18:42
And let's not forget that good Christian friend of Lewis', Tolkien, detested the books.
Myself, I sort of like the series. Though I tend to favor Waugh or Greene or O'Connor for fictional treatments of Christian themes.
Posted by: RalphFinch | January 10, 2006 at 21:41
Tom,
I disagree with the idea that Narnia gives Christians something to chat about...I think that is far too simplistic. As LWW climbs the charts of movie revenues earned, I cannot believe that ONLY Christians are going to the movie, etc. Again, the movie has provided me with many opportunities to discuss faith, etc. with non-Christian family and friends. As a caveat, I certainly do not believe that Lewis was under any sort of divine inspiration, so I would not expect people to have a "quantum shift in their outlook on life," as if they were reading Holy Scripture.
I don't believe that people who "weren't already receptive to Christianity" miss the point. Again, the folks I have spoken to who are NOT Christians get the point of the resurrection theme. These were the same folks who get Gandalf as the "Christ-figure" in LOTR. The resurrection of one who dies for others pops out...clearly. Why? Because it is so dramatic. Ted Turner once said he eschewed Christianity because the idea of someone dying in his place repulsed him. Whether you believe in a resurrection or not, I know that it's pretty obvious.
Thanks for the good posts.
Later.
Posted by: BWB | January 10, 2006 at 21:53
I agree in part with tgirsch that the Narnia books were enthusiastically embraced mainly by people who were already highly receptive to the Christian message. But I don't think that the Narnia books were intended to be used as a "come to Jesus" type of book. Rather, they were written by Lewis as a way of illustrating in terms that a child could understand why Jesus died on the cross. Sure, most non-Christians who read the books may have missed the allegory, but they certainly didn't misunderstand the basic nature of the message: Aslan died so Edmund would not be enslaved to the White Witch. If they understand that (and I think everyone got it), then they are certainly capable of relating to the idea that Jesus died so we would not be enslaved to sin.
Posted by: BK | January 10, 2006 at 22:09
BWB:As LWW climbs the charts of movie revenues earned, I cannot believe that ONLY Christians are going to the movie, etc.That wasn't really my point. Of course there are a lot of non-Christians going to see it. My point is that for the non-Christians (and, frankly, for many of the Christians), it's "just a movie." It is a mistake to impart too much social importance. It's not going to change the world, nor is it going to fundamentally change the way people think about and talk about Christianity.Again, the folks I have spoken to who are NOT Christians get the point of the resurrection theme.Sure, some of them get it, but they process it within the "just a movie" midset -- it doesn't affect how they view life, or how they conduct themselves.
BK:Rather, they were written by Lewis as a way of illustrating in terms that a child could understand why Jesus died on the cross.I think this is exactly correct. Any attempt to paint the books (and the movie) as anything more than that is a stretch.
Posted by: tgirsch | January 11, 2006 at 15:10
I enjoyed the movie a lot (as I have Lewis' written works), and I've enjoyed your comments and the interplay of voices they have spawned.
Posted by: Muley | January 13, 2006 at 13:18