Writings on the Wall: chronic-(whut?)-cles of narnia!

bought disney's adaptation of "the chronicles of narnia" on full screen format dvd specially priced at $12.99 at circuit city because of the memorial day sale. six months after this movie was released, i finally got to see it. heh, i know, it's a shame i missed this in the movie theaters. i wish they never shut down those amc movie theaters in our town.

here we have c.s. lewis' creation among six others--"the lion, the witch and the wardrobe" forming part of "the chronicles of narnia"...or should i say the new testament. i must confess i have never read any book from this collection, but the story as depicted in the movie, is rife with biblical parallels and symbolisms...but set in a magical land filled with mythical creatures and eternal snow. who said there's monsters in your closet? look again, it's a place called "narnia."

the pevensie children are whisked away into this "midsummer night's dream" kind of world, although it's not midsummer, it's been winter for a hundred years no thanks to a curse of an evil witch. the faun in the movie, mr. tumnus, reminds me a lot of that shakespearean play. in this faerie-like realm, the animals speak and centaurs roam free. edmund, one of the kids, is lured by the wicked white witch to turn against his own siblings. now i can't help but compare edmund to judas iscariot, the famous betrayer. in this story, however, he wasn't bought with thirty pieces of silver, but with a few pieces of "turkish delight." and the major biblical parallel in this movie
? the lion aslan's self sacrifice on the stone table (calvary?) and his astonishing resurrection...complete with the breaking of the stone table signifying the return of the messiah, err, the lion i mean. i tell you, it was "the passion of aslan" in that scene where he ascended the steps to his own death. and you can't get any more biblical than being referred to as "sons of adam" and "daughters of eve" in relation to your being human.

it is your usual battle of good against evil...with ordinary people, here mere children, being forced to become heroes. i don't know about you, but peter (the eldest) looks a bit like milla jovovich in "the messenger" when he donned his shield and armor (although i do think he's cute). this movie is also another invitation to visit new zealand, as what "lord of the rings" did with their majestic mountains and rolling hills providing the backdrop for the major battle.

i love faeries and mythical stuff, which is why i like this movie. but not as much as i worship "lord of the rings." it's not your usual fantasy story, because it's spiked with biblical references....which i find somewhat ironic...yet clever. it also teaches family values...sticking for your sibling no matter how much of a black sheep he's been.

last note, tilda swinton is awesome as the icy white witch. i love how they used icicles as her crown. that battle scene where she was forced to shed her winter garb and put on a warrior outfit? she looked like a lioness. hear her roar!