The Chronicles of Narnia

Introduction

Today, I want to introduce you to a series of really famous books, that had a huge impact on literature, fantasy and cinematography in the past century. This series is actually one that is very dear to my heart, and I’m excited to take you on a journey to discover them, without spoiling it. :)

A quick overview on the masterpiece…

The Chronicles of Narnia are a series of 7 books written by the famous Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, and published in the early 1950s. The books which include titles such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader have gained a lot of popularity amongst young readers as well as adults, fantasy fans and readers in general. Fans come from diverse backgrounds and religions, fact that soon brought the series international attention.

The book series has been translated in multiple languages and 3 of the books, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader have been adapted into movies by the Walt Disney Studio, the first movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe arriving in cinemas in 2005. The movies, just like the books, have soon become famous, adapted into various languages and rapidly gaining international attention.

Non-spoiling summary

The book series follows the history of Narnia, a magical land created by Aslan - the noble lion who embodies good and righteousness. Narnia is home to talking animals, mythical creatures, legendary beings and later, Sons of Adams and Daughters of Eve - as they call them - or human beings - as we call ourselves. The Kingdom faces different challenges, and the series follows through different parts of Narnia’s history, including its creation, fights against ruling tyrants, uprisings to bring up justice and righteousness, rebellions, quests for the throne for the rightful heir, epic battles and legendary adventures.

The series explores themes such as friendship, love, loyalty, bravery, the importance of standing up for what is right, sacrifice, resilience, hope, forgiveness and so many other important lessons given in a family and child-friendly, narrative way with captivating adventures. Children would fall in love with the characters, adventures and battles with no doubt. As for adults, the rich allegory between the story and Christianity, as well as life’s struggles and challenges catch the attention, keeping the reader focused and captivated by the book and making the reader’s mind to analyse, compare and make links between the story, Christianity and life.

Christian reviews…

C.S. Lewis masterfully weaves biblical references and Christian doctrines to the fantasy of a magical land behind a wardrobe, all throughout the series. Christian audiences have a high respect for the series and consider it a masterpiece. Children are captivated by a fantasy series that teaches good morals and Christian values rather than secular notions and ideas, and offers epic battles, fights and struggles without showing explicit violence and traumatizing sceneries. Chrisitan parents on the other hand use it as a tool to introduce their children to the sometimes-complicated-to-explain Christian doctrines and valuable lessons of life, such as courage, fight for what is good, the price to pay when standing one’s ground, friendship, loyalty and love, as well as the notions of sacrifice and forgiveness.

Young Christians as well as Christian adults and even elder Christians are captivated by the beautiful crafting and allegory that may be explored in Lewis’s masterpiece. Some also consider it a great tool for evangelism, allowing non-Christian audiences to view a Christian series while understanding the concepts and being drawn to Christian literacy through the fantasy and epic side of the story, showing real life stories, our standing, as human-beings with God and with evil in the world.

Some Christian audiences may have been sceptical and have had a negative answer to Lewis’s book as it mixed true Biblical references to fantasy, some thinking it might damage the view of God or might cause our reverence to Him to be taken too lightly.

Non-Christian reviews…

Non-Christian audiences have also had a mixed feeling about the movie. Some readers think it is a great masterpiece, with relevant lessons about life, such as courage, bravery, friendship, loyalty, and fight for what is right, as well as moral values beautifully woven to fantasy in a way that captivates readers and helps the readers remember the valuable lessons.

On the other hand, some might see the series as ‘too Christian’ with Lewis involving too much Christian doctrine into fantasy and mixing religious matters and entertainment a bit too much. Some parents may not allow their children to read the series as they do not want them to be ‘indoctrinated’ or ‘brain-washed’ by Christian values, giving the fact that the story mixed Christian concepts and fantasy so well that it is hard, nearly impossible to separate them.

Some parents however may like the way their children are taught good, important life lessons through fantasy, may it be Christian.

The live-action Disney remake…

             The remake of the book series into a movie series by the Walt Disney Studios in 2005, 2008 and 2010 proves the series’ strong impact and weight for a multi-national, diverse audience. It also proves that the series’ filling with Christian values and concepts does not hinder its world-wide relevance and recognition.

The Walt Disney Studios were faithful to the series and to C.S. Lewis’s original masterpiece by adding most if not all of the allegory and Christian values and concepts into the movie remake, including the phrases “…in your world, I have another name. You have been brought here to know me a for a little here, so that you may know me more there…” said by Aslan, seen by some Christians as an allegory of Christ, to young Lucy Pevensie, in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Professional reviews…

Professionally, the series is a beautiful series with fantasy that attracts readers of all ages, social groups and cultures, and that captivates today’s audience as much as it captivated Lewis’ audience a 100 years ago. The stories are captivating, epic, entertaining, inspiring and engaging, giving the readers plenty of opportunities to interpret the text, think things through, use their imagination and critical thinking. The series is filled with complex moral dilemmas, issues and real life-relating situations. It is a complex story of endless wonder and moral complexity, woven together like a spider-web, beautiful, complex, yet simple and engaging readers for an amalgam of reasons.

The movie series’ soundtrack is epic, symphonic, inspiring, engaging and filled with suspense in the same time. It could almost literally teleport viewers in the magical realm of Narnia.

Personal opinion and recommendation

The series are easy to read, entertaining and worth spending time and money for. The Disney remakes are entertaining, complex, epic and worth watching. When you finish the series, whether it be the books or the movies one, it leaves you with a sweet-sour taste. A sweet taste thanks to the beautiful story, and a sour taste because there’s no more to read/watch. I really enjoyed the series. And I’m not one to generally like fantasy literature. This series however, definitely challenged my opinion.

 I advise the book series as well as the movie remake series to any reader and any movie viewer from all ages, backgrounds, culture, religion and generation. It is worth reading. It is worth watching. You won’t regret it, by any means.

PS: I will leave the links to the books series and the movie remake series in the reference section below. :)

References:

The books series:

-          Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Narnia-Box-Set-Lewis/dp/0061992887

-          Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/series/43814-the-chronicles-of-narnia-chronological-order

-          More about the Chronicles of Narnia - https://www.ign.com/articles/the-chronicles-of-narnia-books-in-order

The movies series:

-          IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363771/

-          Narnia Web - https://www.narniaweb.com/narnia-movies/

-          Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Narnia-Complete-Collection-Wardrobe/dp/B07NQNSW57

-          The movie should also appear on free & paid popular movie websites