Quick Review: Chronicles of Narnia

The time is 3:30 a.m., and the first bell will ring in four short hours. Luckily, I have permission to not come in until the end of first block, my planning period. I am just getting in from a midnight showing of The Chronicles of Narnia.

I will be brief, for my bed is calling.

In short, the movie was wonderful. The child actors were brilliant in their parts, and the CGI effects were amazing. I believe that even Peter Jackson would have been impressed. The producers did the book justice, and I think that even the most ardent C.S. Lewis fan will be pleased.

I have to wonder if this is going to be the cinematic event that the American church is trying to turn it into. Is the movie incredible? Yes. Was I deeply moved? Absolutely. But that is because I know the story… both of them, in fact. As a heart-stirring reminder for a believer, the movie is without compare. But as an evangelistic tool, I have to wonder. Sure, Disney was brilliant by hiring the same marketing firms used by Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and I am glad that the American church is engaging culture to a certain extent. I am just not sure that this is going to open up many conversations.

I read on a blog yesterday (sorry, but I don’t recall whose) that there is another movie coming out that just might stir up more conversations than The Chronicles of Narnia. The problem is that many believers are going to dismiss the movie outright and come across as judgemental.

“What movie?” you might be asking.

The DaVinci Code. I believe that it has the potential to lead to many wonderful conversations, and I hope that more believers will study up so that they can be adequately prepared to deal with the questions being asked.

As for the Chronicles of Narnia, I highly recommend that you go. I intend to go again… maybe I will see you there.