Narnia is in trouble, and the blame rests not upon the draconian King Miraz. In the sequel to the movie, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Narnia II: Prince Caspian is dragged down not by it’s reliance upon computer generated imagery (CGI- and it’s actually quite good), but rather with a suit of armor that poorly fits C.S. Lewis’ grand story of resurrection and redemption. Caspian is a live-action movie bursting with extended battle scenes, gory bloodshed, and even a romantic side plot. The problem with these artistic additions, of course, is that they do great violence to the integrity of Lewis’ original masterpiece. The movie’s main hang-up lies in Caspian’s failure to decide who its target audience will be. While Lewis’ books were certainly meant for children, only an irresponsible parent would take a child to see this movie due to its graphic depictions of violence. I certainly would not want any child of mine watching people’s throats being slit open on a 40 ft. screen. On the other hand, the writers and director tried to appeal to adults by giving the movie a Lord of the Rings feel. But Narnia is not Lord of the Rings and anyone who reads the two tomes side by side realizes this almost immediately.
There are, however, redeeming aspects of the movie. In one particular scene, which was an addition to Lewis’ original story, the Narnians, under the direction of the High King Peter, launch a surprise attack on King Miraz and the Telmarines. While debating the merits of such an operation, Lucy and Susan challenge their brother’s lack of reliance upon Aslan and question his eagerness to save Narnia with the sword. Susan wisely counsels, “You assume that there are only two choices, we can die here or there.” But Peter is not dissuaded and his ambition and arrogance ultimately costs the Narnians dearly as they lose several from their ranks. In another scene, both Caspian and Peter are offered the opportunity to deal with the Telmarines by bringing back the evil White Witch. All Caspian and Peter must do is offer one drop of blood to their former foe. However, before they can succumb to their lust for power, the gallant Edmond shatters the portal through which the White Witch would come. As the icy edifice crashes to the ground, a stone relief of Aslan takes center screen.
These two scenes, while artistic additions to Lewis’ work, actually enhance the message of what Lewis wanted to convey in his chronicles. When humans undertake trying to change the world through their own means, they only wind up paying a tremendous price in the form of human life. Indeed, the scene with the White Witch is provocative because it is the sacrifice of human blood that must be offered up in order to secure an ostensible victory of ones enemy. However, in the process of offering up one’s blood, that person ultimately forgets that it is Aslan’s (or Jesus’!) sacrifice that has won the victory. No more blood must be offered. Certainly the writers knew what they were doing with this scene as the entire episode took place in the same location where the White Witch in the first Narnia movie killed Aslan.
At the same time, Peter and Caspian’s over-eagerness to take up the sword is critiqued by the very outcome of their actions. Susan’s questioning of Peter’s grasp of the available options hits home to a country who seems to think that the only two choices when facing terrorists are to fight them at home or overseas. Furthermore, Peter’s insistence that these are the only two options, and his subsequent failure as a leader in this regard, might remind us of a certain current U.S. President. Either way, the point is well taken.
But do not be mistaken to believe that the movie is not that advocates pacifism, as Lewis himself was not an outspoken pacifist. However, Lewis’ books are clear on one thing, and that is the superiority and higher ways of Aslan that are beyond human understanding. If Aslan wants to do away with someone, that is his prerogative, and Lewis makes this abundantly clear in his work. However, while the glorification of violence was nothing that Lewis’ books ever conveyed, Caspian certainly comes close to doing so on its own accord. With battle scenes that take up nearly a third of the movie, Caspian misses the main thrust of Lewis’ message- it is not about us, it is about Aslan, because without the Lion, we cannot possibly know who we really are or whom we are to become.
The genius and tremendous value of Lewis’ Chronicles is that they introduce people of all ages, and especially children, to Jesus. Aslan is the Lion who creates the world but yet who takes joy in shepherding youngsters through their adolescence. Aslan confounds the wisdom of the wise and humbles those who deem faith as nothing more than child’s play. And this is why Caspian cannot ever do half of what Lewis did. Caspian, at the end of the day, is about making money and creating a franchise. Lewis and his character Aslan would never have anything to do with things of this sort. When reflecting on the role of Aslan in his writings, Lewis once wrote, “He (Aslan) is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, ‘What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?’ This is not allegory at all.” This is the essence of Lewis’ Narnia. It is not concerned with actors who become teenage heartthrobs, amazing battle scenes, or Aslan lunch boxes, but rather with revealing in a very creative way the God who became flesh and walked among us.
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'Creatures, I give you yourselves,’ said the strong, happy voice of Aslan. ‘I give to you forever this land of Narnia. I give you the woods, the fruits, the rivers. I give you the stars and I give you myself.’” –Aslan in The Magician’s Nephew chap 10, p 118
