Don’t get me wrong, “Prince Caspian,” the second of Disney’s movie remakes of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia novels is pure fun, an old-fashioned tale of a wicked uncle who usurps a throne, only to be overthrown by his goodly nephew—Caspian himself, with the help of talking animals and some swashbuckling strangers.
Director Andrew Adamson knows how to breathe life into this classic material, too. The swordfights are suspenseful, the effects cheesily magnificent and neither the sweaty chases nor the intricately planned attacks always go as you expect. In a Hollywood first, even the dwarf is funny.
But it’s also the most Christian movie your kids will drag you to this year.
The first tale in the Narnia series, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” is an allegorical retelling of the cosmic battle between Jesus and Satan, as told in John’s gospel, with a dual ending: first the ritual execution of the lion-god Aslan on the mythical Stone Table, then his resurrection. That movie almost necessarily ended up as a blend of Dr. Doolittle and “The Passion of the Christ.”
Lewis’s “Caspian” is a more delicate, and stranger, brew, and Disney could have easily judged that the public’s appetite for Judeo-Christian topics had been satisfied, not only by the first movie in the series, but “Evan Almighty” and other biblical films set loose by Mel Gibson’s successful “Passion.” Set a year in our time and 1,300 years in Narnian time after the first book, “Caspian” takes the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Edmond, Susan, and Peter, back to their erstwhile kingdom to install Caspian as king of Narnia.
The hitch is that Caspian is a Telmarine, one of the race of invaders who have dominated Narnia for centuries, driving the magic of the forest into remission. The surviving— the talking beasts, dwarves, centaurs, and the like—don’t like the idea of a Telmarine king, and Miraz, Caspian’s uncle, doesn’t like the idea of a challenger to the throne.
The faith parallel for all this is rather obscure: Lewis is recalling the battles in the early church between those who thought Christ was a uniquely Jewish messiah, and those (who eventually prevailed) who believed he had come to save all people, Roman, Greek, Syrian, or Jew. This factional strife raised questions for the early church about how Christians were to persevere without the physical presence, and leadership, of Jesus.
Disney might have ignored all this, confident they could depend on “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s” big box office. Instead “Caspian” gives Lewis, and Jesus, his due. Peter Pevensie, in a moment of doubt about his abilities as High King, shows how the questions of the early church still apply to Christians today. “I wish he would show himself to me,” Peter says to his sister Lucy about the Christ figure Aslan. “Just to prove that he’s there.” Lucy replies, in a typical retort of Lewis’s: “Maybe it’s us who need to prove ourselves to him.”
It could be, of course, that Disney believes that most audiences will do the ignoring for them, happy to come along for the CGI ride. More likely, “Caspian” is the strongest indication yet that spirituality is just one more flavor that Americans expect to imbibe at their local cinema.
posted May 15, 2008 at 10:48 am
Giving the viewing public some credit is good. Also, the “message” does not have to be so blatantly opbvious that the entire work becomes either propaganda or saccharine. You would be surprised how many people will get the significance of Peter’s doubt and desire, if only in a subtle way. But that seems to have been Lewis’ intent, so good for the film’s producer and director!
posted May 16, 2008 at 12:28 pm
If you really dig into Lewis’ books, not just his fantasy novels, but his books about Christianity (Mere Christianity), the devil (Screwtape Letters), etc., you will most likely come away with the opinion that Lewis isn’t trying to OVER-MESSAGE you or FORCE propaganda on you, he’s just subtly telling you about truth.
Here’s hoping that Adamson got it right.
Dan
Truth On Cinema
posted May 17, 2008 at 9:57 am
This movie was awesome (I went to the first matinee yesterday). The biblical references are clear to Christians. The movie started out with the battle of good v. evil as we find Peter embroiled in battle in a subway, much like Peter in the early church. If I were a priest/minister/preacher, I could preach a didactic sermon series on each scene/segment of the movie. Things moved so quickly that I didn’t even care that it was 2 1/2 hours. When and where Asland appears made mindful reference as to what C.S.Lewis’ vision of the final battle between good and evil might look like. BTW – Did anyone notice that near the end of the movie, the face that Asland summons in the water, looked very Shroud of Turin/Jesus – ish?
posted May 19, 2008 at 10:11 am
it was an awesome movie. i didn’t even care that i had to pee for 2 hours at least
posted May 27, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I just saw the movie a second time tonight and I loved it! It makes feel so happy afterwards and positive… very powerful movie. I loved Aslan’s anticipated entrance at the end and I think they are doing a great job at interpreting the books into film. Keep up the great work! I would so love to be apart of the film production for these movies in any way. I really liked the scene with White Witch; just the power I felt in that scene of good overcoming evil was intense!
posted June 23, 2008 at 2:10 am
Just saw the movie tonight after trying for weeks to carve out the time. I am a huge fan of the books and found “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” far more faithful to the book that it was inspired by.
I am troubled by the need for so much change in such a timeless story.The additions were more exciting certainly but are not at all faithful to the plot. Also the dropping of the entire sequence with Bacchas and the meaeneads was dissapointing. With all the Christian allagory I wonder why Lewis’s obvious love of the natural world gets unremarked?
To me the “Christian” pararels, as portrayed in the movie, are not positive.For example expecting a very young girl to walk off a ledge into the unknown is ridiculous. Expecting the same of a young warrior might be forgivable. In the book she must simply follow him against the wishes of her siblings on an unpromising trail. Much more belivable of a loving force we are to believe portrays Christ.
The changing of that sequence actually bothered me the most. Lewis gave us a more understandable Aslan even if he was not a “tame Lion”
Narnia was my first introduction as a child to a different world view OTHER than Christianity. That is why these books are precious to me. It is a shame that these other views are not honored also. I think that we missed Lewis’ point. The soul of goodness is the aspect of Divinity no matter how it presents itself.
Finaly; in the “Last Battle” Aslan meets in judgment with a young Calorameen warrior who has always followed the ways of Tash, a foreign demon God. When the young warrior asks why he has been admitted into Aslans country Aslan replys that no good service can be given to any but him no matter the name. I wonder how many Holy wars could have been avoided with this sentiment as Truth. And that I think was C S Lewis’s point.
All in all a wonderful movie anyway and I will enjoy owning it. Thanks for reading the rant!
posted October 16, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Jesus is the ruler
posted June 17, 2009 at 5:22 am
uh, i was wondering if anyone knew how jesus is portrayed in the movie Prince Caspian? Thanks.
posted February 20, 2010 at 8:39 pm
aslan is the biblical parallel to Jesus. c.s lewis got the idea from God is called the Lion Of Judah among many other names