The Lion, the Witch...etc -

I figured that I ought to do my own film review of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". I went to see it yesterday. First of all, just an observation - those people who arrive just as the film's opening credits are running, and there were lots of them last night, and who manage, despite the fact that the cinema is in almost pitch black darkness, to see the two seats in the middle of the row where you are sitting, and who step on your toes, trip over your bag, to get to said seat, while carrying the large sized popcorn box, and giggling - yeah, those people - they should…they should…well, I don't know what they should do with them! There should be some rule that stops them coming in after a certain time! Me - I like to be there ON TIME!

Back to the film! I read the books - the whole series - when I was about fifteen or so. I thoroughly enjoyed the books. My favourite one has always been "The Horse and the Boy". I wasn't a Christian at the time, and what I can remember was that I wanted to meet Aslan. I think at the time I was going through teenage angst and needed someone to even like me a little! The film brought all that back to me! It made me want to dig out the books and read them all again!

I thought it was a very good film, but definitely for children. From what I can remember, it didn't stray from the book. I thought the beavers were just wonderful! Joe keeps quoting things that Mr Beaver said, in his best "Mr Beaver" voice! The queen was disappointing. She wasn't scary enough, or mean enough to match up to my imagination. When I think about it, I read "The Magician's Nephew" first, the very first one chronologically, so I knew where she came from and had all that built in to my impression of her.

The children were OK. I wanted to adopt Lucy and bring her home. I liked the practical nature of Susan. I liked the title given her by Alsan when she got her crown - Queen Susan the Gentle. I can remember once when Joe and I were discussing kindness, I asked Joe if he thought I was kind. He answered very gently, "You try to be." Kindness is Joe's middle name - he doesn't need to try to be, but me - well, I am a thick skinned teacher - I shall gladly take "You try to be."

Alsan was excellent! The voice was very awesome and majestic. His gentleness, and power, and strength and his love really came out. I am trying to think whether I found the animation convincing - I am not sure. When I watched the Lord of the Rings, I never thought for a moment that Gollum wasn't real - but then I know what lions are supposed to look like and do. In the book there was a very "scary" side to Aslan, particularly in his dealings with the queen, which didn't really some across as that scary.

Is the film a witnessing tool? I don't know. I probably spoiled it for myself by reading someone's web-log that got too theological about it. He did a spiritual autopsy, dissecting it, and stuff. If you stick to the basic principle - someone dying on my behalf, and not when I am a quite nice person anyway and worth saving, but when I am a traitor. Is that not what the gospel is - that when I was a sinner, Christ died for me?