But Aslan cannot serve as a Christ-figure for many who will be dissuaded by too much fighting in the last third of the story. He advises lead warrior Peter to kill and kill again. Soon-to-be-crowned queen Susan of Narnia shoots a special arrow into the heart of an enemy. Aslan himself takes out the White Witch discreetly but definitively.

The violence in this movie will lead at least some viewers to conclude, most charitably, that C.S. Lewis was a Christian of his time. Unquestionably, he was an able defender of the faith during a most horrible war that was fought, many were convinced, to preserve Christian civilization against a pagan enemy. From that era, Lewis penned a wildly entertaining tale that has been made into a marvelous movie.

Those, however, who believe that their Christ is the Prince of Peace and Justice, will hesitate to make any direct or conclusive Christian association.

In New York, Skandar Keynes (Edmund) said of her icy tormentor: "Tilda was a cool lady but at first she was told not to talk to us and not to socialize with us. I was trying to work out what was wrong with her. She was always being sort of given looks by Andrew not to talk to me and I think it helped in our first scene."

William Moseley, the oldest of the four sibling protagonists in the movie (the other two are the lovable, radiant Georgie Henley and Anna Popplewell), concurred: "Yes, Tilda was an amazing actress. What struck me about Tilda in our battle scenes was that I thought I was fighting a girl and I didn't really want to hit her too hard. But when Tilda wielded that sword at me for the first time, it shattered against my shield (laughing). I didn't think she wanted to be patronized. We had this mutual understanding. When she steps onto the set, there's something awe-inspiring about her and grabs your energy and attention. I think that's what makes the action great."

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe - The Game follows the storyline of the movie, playing as the four Pevensie children, but interjects extra scenes that give the kids obstacles to overcome. The actors are recreated in pixelated glory, along with many of the Narnian locations that they visit in the film. Though there's not a great deal of variation in the appearance of these outdoor scenes, the game provides enough fun to keep you coming back.

Each of the four kids has his or her own unique abilities. Peter is the great swordsman and fighter, with Edmund nearly his equal. Susan can use her bow and arrow, as well as Mr. Tumnus' panpipes, which allow her to put various beasts to sleep at key moments. And Lucy can heal all of the children, as well as "tame" various creatures -- allowing her to ride on them and control their movements, including their attacks. At various times, you'll have to team up two of the children to overcome gigantic obstacles, and in a nice touch, the game allows you to choose which of the four children you want to play at any time -- and you can switch between them freely.

For an American film the film feels very British. (Interesting trivia question: I can think of many American films set in Britain, but only two British films set largely in the United States. Those would be Phase IV and much of Goldfinger. What others are there?) It took a moment for me to realize one of the characters was actually Father Christmas. Oddly, nobody notices that his joyful gifts for the boys are actually lethal weapons for the children to use, and painful weapons at that. The sword looks like a particularly nasty piece of work.

The problem is that Aslan may be noble, but he is a long way from being an interesting character. He is guided by philosophical principles that are never very clear. And though he manages to get human expressions on a lion face, he is too lofty be earn much viewer respect. The four children also remain undeveloped as characters. The viewer is expected to like them mostly because they are children, but we never see very far into their character and each follows the path of least resistance. (Admittedly that leads the boys into a battle, but it is still the path of least resistance.)

In the author's birthplace of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Harper Taxi Tours plans to supplement its politically themed itineraries with a C.S. Lewis tour. Stops will include Lewis' childhood church, St. Mark's, and the Victorian home, Little Lea, in whose "Little End Room" the young author concocted his first stories while gazing at the Mourne Mountains -- "which under a particular light," he wrote, "made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge."

Elsewhere in Northern Ireland, visitors to Crawfordsburn Country Park can see the lamppost that inspired the one in Narnia, and the 17th-century Dunluce Castle on the Antrim Coast, believed to be the basis for Cair Paravel, the royal fortress in Narnia.

Narnia Playstation2 game

Narnia Boxed Set, with Colored Illustrations

Beyond the Wardrobe: The Official Guide to Narnia

Narnia Soundtrack

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