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I finally got to watch The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe on DVD over the weekend, a year after it was released.

When it was first released, the film drew many comparisions to LOTR: I mean, who can forget the breathtaking scenery, heart-thumping battle sequences, magnificent structures and displays of courage that held us all captive for three straight years?

Rather, Wardrobe feels like an extension of a BBC drama, a polished-up, fine-tuned, revved-up piece of work. The child actors bring me back to the days of Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet! The battle scenes are light, the script isn't heavy, and the message is easy to understand. Some critics say that the filmmakers were openly 'heavy-handed' on the 'Jesus message'. Well, CS Lewis did inject some Christian themes into the film (I don't think he made any apologies about it). When I first read the book at a very young age, I don't remember drawing any conclusions about it (but then I was very young and was more thrilled by the adventures one could have beyond the back of a dusty cupboard). What I thought was a rather nice touch in the film was the depiction of the sacrificial stone table cracking after Aslan was killed. No more sacrifices.

Later, I thought about Jesus dying for us to reconcile us to God. The pain and suffering He went through - why? I mean, I know, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son... But I think I still can't fully grasp the extent of this love. It's huge. Not self-seeking. Loving the unlovely. And God pardoned us because of the atoning sacrifice of His son Jesus. The price has been paid. So that those of us who believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. No more sacrifices.