I liked that bit with the soldier, too, and was glad to see him walk through the door.
Lewis's most famous work during his lifetime wasn't "The Chronicles of Narnia". That goes to a book called "The Screwtape Letters", which is a wry commentary on temptation told through the offices of a wise old member of the Infernal bureaucracy instructing a new recruit in the ways and means of luring souls to Hell. It was published in 1942. It's my favorite of his books. He's got a subtle, dry wit in this one and it's just an enjoyable read even if you don't agree with the theology. While I don't call either book scripture, I do think they have a place in any thinking Christian library.
If you're a Christian, then you're supposed to follow his teachings and example as laid out in the Bible. I'm not in any way taking away from that. But many people have a hard time dealing with these things on that level. It's too big. And even for practiced Christians it's far too easy to forget that the good we see reflected in the Word and in Christ is also within us and within the world around us.
It's hard to know how what to do a lot of the time. Redemption, repentance, salvation. You know, the biggies. There's a lot of heavy meanings in those words. The divine attributes we pound pulpits about are also supposed to be part of our lives on this earth. He forgives us, but we also forgive each other every day with a simple "That's all right" and a hug in answer to a heartfelt apology. We sacrifice to help each other in so many ways. We lead others, even if it's just by giving directions to a lost driver. Others look to us as exemplars, even if we have no idea what the heck we're doing 90% of the time.
A Bible fits so nicely into that nightstand drawer, but often nowhere else in the life. How do you bring it out? That's where I believe Narnia and all it's fellows come in. Stories like this that take just the tiny pieces of these issues and demonstrate how a person would use those precepts in their life, a little at a time. This world itself is good, and has many good things in it. There are shining little bits of Him reflected everywhere around you. If it helps someone to think of it in terms of a little girl hugging her brother in forgiveness and welcoming him back after he is an awful jerk and nearly ruined her best discovery ever, great. More power to all of them.
In some ways looking at it from this perspective is harder than just reading the Bible. It's not comfortable for a lot of people; particularly Christians. It smacks them right up against the idea that their own actions have those sorts of meanings. It's all well and good to talk about Simon Peter dropping his nets and walking up to Jesus when he is called. That's comfortably back in the past. It's a far more personal thing when you are confronted with that torn and patched teen with the sad eyes on the streetcorner or the little old lady in the grocery store and the niggling idea that you should do something.
The themes of living a life on this earth are not in and of themselves christian or heathen. Both Jesus and Mohammad spoke in parables.
As for this film, it's a different kettle of fish. They screwed up on the casting and the story and it warped the whole thing past recognition. The horrific Hayden Christiansen style misscast of Caspian is a dealbreaker. Caspian's supposed to be a 13-year-old kid thrown into the deep end. Not a 26-year-old hottie with a hot accent. The mistakes and timidity make sense for a kid. The way the relationship was supposed to have been worked out between him and Peter works for a kid. Peter fighting that battle for him works for a kid. Not a nearly grown young man. And then there's poor Susan. When did she turn into Legolas? Cri-min-itly. And the addition of the byplay between Caspian and Susan just flat made me mad.
The screentime wasted on that could have been spent on a great many other useful things, like, uh I don't know, the real story. That stupid castle assault that was supposed to stand in for a bunch of battles of attrition served to pull the whole story out of kilter. Turning Peter into a tactical idiot to get those guys killed, and then carrying that idiocy on through the big battle for the How takes a delicate balance of blame for events and smashes Peter flat under it.
I probably should go breathe into a paper bag until they finish shooting "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". ;)