"There I have another name"

Later this week the third film in the Chronicles of Narnia series will appear in American theaters. This review in World Magazine by Megan Basham is encouraging to those of us somewhat disappointed by the treatment Prince Caspian received and worried that some of C.S. Lewis's quite specifically Christian allusions might have been altered or eliminated for a general audience. On the new film of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:

For those who know and love the books (and even for those who don't), the first third of the movie is pitch-perfect. Perfect in the way Peter Jackson's rendering of The Shire and Gollum were perfect. It begins with Will Poulter as the smarmy, pestilential cousin of the Pevensies, Eustace.

Poulter owns the character like an old-time stage actor. His body language is starched, his speech affected, and his mannerisms irritating. In short, he is exactly what one would expect from someone named Eustace Clarence Scrubb. Even more impressive is Poulter's portrayal of Eustace's redemption. As believable as he is before the lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson), peels away his dead, gnarled shell, he is equally authentic in his transformation into a new creation with a tender heart. Simon Pegg, voicing the valiant mouse Reepicheep, is another phenomenal addition who is easily on par with all the great character actors peopling Harry Potter's world. ....

...Christian audiences may be stunned and grateful to see how the filmmakers reveal the true nature of the great lion. His direct-from-Lewis explanation that he is in our world too and we must learn to know him by another name will be like a spring in the desert for thoughtful parents whose time is often spent in theaters enduring cheap bathroom jokes and even cheaper believe-in-yourself messages. And it certainly makes Walden worthy of helming Narnia into the future. .... (more)

WORLD Magazine | Dawn Treader | Megan Basham | Dec 18, 10