Prince Caspian

We spent our Memorial Day afternoon at the theater, where we saw the new Narnia film - Prince Caspian. Though I didn't think it was as good as the first Narnia movie, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, this one was filled with not-so-subtle messages about what it means to live as a Christian in a fallen world. I read one review that said the subtitle for this movie could have been "Onward Christian Soldiers," an observation with which I completely agree.

Early in the movie the theme was set when it was said, "When Aslan (the Christ figure) bears his teeth, winter meets its death." The rest of the movie is the struggle for the true kings and queens of Narnia to reclaim their birthright, provided by Aslan's previous sacrifice of himself in spite of the fact that he has not made his presence known in a physical way in a long time.

I won't describe the plot here. There are many sites online that do that. I will mention a few powerful scenes that really touched me in the movie.

One was when the bear rushed at Lucy to attack her. They were surprised that he acted in such a "savage" way and that, unlike when they had left Narnia, he didn't speak. The point was that, in Aslan's physical absence, he had forgotten who he was. Forgetting Christ reduces everybody to savage behavior.

Another great scene was when the Penvensie children were told that, again in Aslan's absence, the trees had gone so deep into themselves that they no longer danced. It is a very touching scene toward the end of the movie when Aslan comments that the trees have slept long enough. He roars and they awaken to dance again. It made me think of how the Apostle Paul described creation groaning, waiting for the coming of Christ.

I loved the way that Lucy could see Aslan when the others couldn't - an obvious reference to the reality that we must have childlike faith and "be looking for Him" in our daily lives if we are to see our Aslan.

If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it. I'd give The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe five stars and give this one four stars. It's definitely worth the time and cost of the ticket.