Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Now I know what you're thinking..."Really? She's going to do this movie? Doesn't she know that this is an easy movie to find spiritual themes?" You're right, this is a rather easy movie when it comes to seeing it with Christian eyes. But how often do we look at something obvious and miss the importance because it's something we're used to? Ever tried to get a fresh look at the Gospels? We look at this movie and see the clear parallel between the gospels, the idea of grace and dying for love, but what about the other messages?


Genre: Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign, Drama, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes
Rating: PG for battle sequences and frightening moments
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson
Synopsis: Four young adventurers playing hide-and-seek in the country home of an old professor stumble upon an enchanted wardrobe that will take them places they never dreamed. Stepping through the wardrobe door, they are whisked out of World War II London into the spectacular parallel universe known as Narnia--a fairy-tale realm of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam the hills. But Narnia has fallen under the icy spell of a mad sorceress, cursed to suffer through a winter that never ends by the White Witch Jadis. Now, aided by Narnia's rightful leader, the wise and mystical lion Aslan, the four Pevensie children will discover their own strength and lead Narnia into a spectacular battle to be free of the Witch's glacial enslavement forever.


I do want to focus on the general theme of love, but under a different context: that of familial love. The four main characters - Peter (William Mosely), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) - are typical siblings...they argue, they fight, and they drive each other crazy. As a typical "oldest child" Peter is bossy and a know-it-all which, of course, causes problems between him and Edmund, who often feels lost in Peter's shadow. So when Edmund is given an opportunity to have something better then Peter, he takes it without thinking - setting events into motion that aid the main theme of the movie.


It seems to me that this movie portrays a very basic familial idea...that family - whether biological or chosen - is so intertwined with our lives that any and all interactions will impact our lives and our everyday choices. This of course doesn't absolve us of any responsibility for our own choices and actions, but I do believe that - as Peter and Edmund exemplify - family relationships do play a role in who we become.

There are two scenes in the movie that stand out to me. The first is the scene where Peter, Susan, and Lucy chase after Edmund when he goes to the White Witches (Tilda Swinton) castle and Peter is adamant that they must save Edmund. The second is in Aslan's camp when the White Witch comes to claim Edmund as her own and Peter stands in front of Edmund and challenges her. It seems to me that of all places it could show up, the family is the most important place for love. It is the first place we learn about love and the one place we can always return to find it again.