Better than the original

A somewhat negative review of the works of C S Lewis, written during my skeptical period back in 2009. 

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is an American fantasy movie released in 2005. It's based on a novel by the British writer Clive Staples Lewis. The novel has been adapted for TV or cinema several times before.

When I saw an old animated version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", I considered it a very strange story, but nothing more. People entirely new to the Narnia concept will probably react in similar ways when seeing this American movie version. What on earth is this story about?

The truth, of course, is that "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a Christian allegory. If you look carefully, it's all in there. The White Witch is the Devil, the treachery of Edmund symbolizes the fall of Adam and Eve, Aslan is Jesus Christ, and his voluntary sacrifice to save Edmund is the crucifixion. And yes, he comes back and resurrects all the dead. Then comes Judgment Day, when the good battles the forces of evil.

Small wonder people think it's a weird storyline...

As already mentioned, the story is based on a novel by C.S. Lewis, also titled "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". (Incidentally, the professor of the story is probably a humorous reference to Lewis himself.) Lewis' express purpose was to write an allegorical Christian novel for children. He later expanded the concept and wrote six additional novels. Together the seven books are known as "The Chronicles of Narnia".

Frankly, I think this de-Christianized, Americanized and politically correct version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is much better than the original!

The clean shaven, old fashioned kids of the original story (not to mention a notorious British adaptation for TV) are more modern in the movie version. Also, the Christian references are less overt. But the best change concerns the gender roles. Lewis was almost ridiculously patriarchal, so in the original story the girls Lucy and Susan aren't supposed to participate in the final battle between Aslan's forces and the evil legions of the White Witch. And why is the Devil symbolized by a woman, anyway? In the movie, the poor devil is still female, but at least Susan is a soldier. Interestingly, Peter (the older brother) is something of a sceptical wimp!

A covertly feminist version of "The Chronicles of Narnia"? Who could have imagined?

The movie even contains unexpected humour, as when the fox delivers the unforgettable one-liner: "I wish I could say their bark was worse than their bite". The bickering between Beaver and his wife is also extremely entertaining.

This movie adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" also has an ironic twist. It has *very* obvious similarities with Peter Jackson's successful "Lord of the Rings" movies. Indeed, the rip off was clearly visible already in the trailer. The twist, of course, is that C.S. Lewis was personally acquainted with J.R.R. Tolkien. One of Lewis' science fiction novels, "That hideous strength", contains a partial cross-over with the Lord of the Rings universe of Tolkien. It's therefore ironic that a movie adaptation of Lewis' Narnia stories mimics movies based on Tolkien. It seems you really cannot separate Lewis and Tolkien!

C.S. Lewis was an interesting writer of both Christian fiction and non-fiction. I have given Lewis his due in other reviews. I have to admit, however, that I sometimes tend to get tired at his supernatural musings. A big thanks to Walt Disney for remaking this story into a light, entertaining adventure epic.