My daughter and I went to see the new movie “The Lion, The Witch and Wardrobe” last night. I have to admit that I was dreading seeing the movie. I read the books for the first time when I was in 4th grade, and more than any other book I read as a child, these were treasures. They have had a HUGE influence on me – something that my role as an Anglican clergyman should make sort of obvious.

The good news is that the movie got the important stuff right. Sure I had some niggles with what I saw, but most of what was on the screen had exactly the atmosphere and sense of wonder that I find in the stories every time I read them. The actors were spot on – and most importantly – the CGI characters were perfect.

I loved the atmospherics of Narnia that the movie presented. Loved the landscapes that were shown. Like Tolkein, so much of Lewis’ Narnia is seen in the landscapes that he describes and the physical features he includes in the narratives.

The movie picked up on the symbolism of the books as well – but not in an overt or obvious way. I even made some connections to Christianity that I hadn’t made before by watching this movie. Yet none of it seemed preachy. And most important it kept the sense of mystery and surprise that Lewis wanted to give to his readers.

All in all, it’s a fine movie. I’ll be seeing it again. I hope they make more.