I was born in 1995,
which is long after the lifetimes of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R
Tolkien. Yes, despite this large time gap, their written works have
been some of the most enjoyed and formative pieces of fiction of my
life, and I look forward to sharing them with my kids. Even now,
almost 30 years after my birth, their works continue to be
best-sellers, which numerous spin-off works being developed.
Why is this the
case? How can books, written in mid-late 20th Century
English, with a prose quite different from out age still be so
popular? I contend that it is the same reason why they were so
popular when they arrived on the scene. Their works (the Chronicles
of Narnia & the Lord of the Rings respectively) are built on and
extol the virtues that are grounded in reality. The timeless struggle
of good vs. evil, overcoming of great obstacles with the power of
friendship and duty to those you love that surpasses all else. All of
this built upon the Judeo-Christian framework of Western
Civilization.
Because of this
their works continue to be popular because they are in essence
timeless. While the writing is different than our own, and the events
that shaped their experiences that influenced their work are now
several generations in the past. The truth of their work still rings
true to the human soul. Because both men, as followers of Christ
understood and saw the world as the product of a loving intelligent
designer who is perfect, the source of all virtues, their words
penned still speak to us. This is solidified by the reality that
during the times of their writing, both Lewis and Tolkien were
outliers in the world of writings, as everything else popular at that
time was reeling into the post-modernist nihilism of the post-WW1
era. And yes, we can barely name other contemporary authors.
And then we come to
the modern adaptations of some of their works. While I won’t touch
on the more recent Narnia movies (which are for the most part
faithful to this vision), the Amazon TV show Rings of Power,
and potentially the upcoming Narnia show from Netflix have me
concerned. While much attention to the details is paid for specific
fan service (many easter eggs of the lore are scattered throughout
the visuals of the show), something is still missing. In the world of
animation there is a principle called “the uncanny valley”, where
something looks super realistic, and yet there is an unsettling
because something is just off. To the human eye, there is a distinct
lack of life in what we are perceiving despite it being almost photo
realistic. This is the problem that the Rings of Power
has.
The
show seeks to encapsulate everything that makes Lord of the Rings so
successful, but missed the most important part of it. While the focus
is on getting all of the visuals of armor, weapons, orcs and other
fantastic creatures photo correct, there is still something missing.
The heart of soul of the world that Tolkien created is but a void.
Despite all the flashy fantastical features the show presents, it is
really just dead and hollow. The dialogue is wooden and flat. Why?
Because the creators of the show don’t just not believe in how
Tolkien saw the world, but probably despise it.
I
get it. We are numerous decades since Tolkien died, and times are
different. The values and virtues of the old have been replace. And
that detrimentally impacts the imitation of works from that era. No
matter how hard they try with all the animation and big budgets that
Amazon can provide, they will never be able to capture the world that
Tolkien built because they wish to cast their own vision and world,
instead of the one that made the stories so beloved in the first
place. This is why the most
recent iterations of the Star Wars universe have been nothing but
sad. Arrogant, cringe-worthy unmitigated garbage. Full stop.
To
put it frankly it is a bastardization. I do not say that lightly not
without thought. It is but the sad feeble attempt of a culture devoid
of meaning and purpose that is attempting to monetize the beauty and
truth constructed in a story that has captivated many. And until that
worldview is recaptured and nurtured any
attempt to imagine these stories differently will like always flop.
People know when they are seeing the shadow of the thing instead of
the tings itself.
Now
to the hopeful part. Things don’t have to stay this way. We can
again recapture the beauty of seeing the world that developed these
amazing stories. The truth of the matter is that the virtues extolled
and written about in their works are not enough on their own. There
is always something greater than the virtues themselves, and that is
the one from whom they flow. We again have to capture the beauty and
mystery of Christ and His Gospel, and how He works and transforms our
lives. Even in the face of adversity and evil, good stands firm to
love those, even those who hate you.
We
live in a world that in many ways is tearing itself apart. Our
self-centered narcissism has turned into self-consumption like a star
collapsing in on itself. Instead we can present a different
narrative. One where love is the ultimate victor over power and evil.
Where being the last is really being first, and reminding people that
all that glitters is not gold.