I always live in hope when it comes to these films – I did when I heard Peter Jackson had been selected to direct LoTR; I looked at his ‘grim reaper’ type character in The Frighteners and thought, “ah, he’ll manage the Ringwraiths well at least.” And he did, although I would have preferred them less physically substantial than they turned out to be.

I love film; I love its power to bring a story to life, to combine visual art, musical excellence, powerful acting into something larger than the sum of its parts but the old saw, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ is true even when it comes to filmmaking – and they have the power to distort, poison, and even destroy.

I am gingerly hopeful for Voyage of the Dawn Treader because they’re using a different director and team of writers (the folks who worked on Amazing Grace, the Wilberforce film) but after seeing this greenlit by Walden Media, I’ve got far less confidence in their judgment.

But, as you say, we’ve got the books! Just so long as new readers read ‘em in the order of publication, the order in which CSL wrote them. It may be fun for established readers to read the Narnia books in chronological order according to Narnian time but, we’re Earth humans, we don’t have to!

Thank you for this excellent review. I have not seen the movie yet, but it sounds as if I would have exactly the same objections and distresses which you experienced.

I feared greatly when I heard that they were going to make these into movies. It appears that my fears were justified.

Thank God (!) that the books live. We can take our loved ones to the true Narnia in them.