We went to see Narnia Friday night. Okay, so you've probably read lots of reviews by now, with everyone giving their take on it. Well, here's mine, and it may be different than some of the critics you've read. Here's why. A friend of mine had this to say: "It was okay, but I was disappointed at how lame some of it was. I was caught up [overwhelmed] by the Lord of the Rings, but I laughed out loud at points in Narnia."

Here's an easily forgotten but crucial presupposition: Narnia is a kid's world and should be understood through that lens. JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, both orthodox Christian writers, put their fantasy worlds to paper in very different ways. Tolkien created a massive epic set in Middle Earth, spending the better part of his productive life working out the languages, mythology, history, maps, genealogies, poetry, literature, and characters. That is an adult's world that an eight year old might think rather boring. What's more, the redemptive themes are a little more complex and easy to miss. Lewis, on the other hand, gives us a bedtime chronicle, a dream world where fauns have tea, horses talk, lions rule, ice witches seduce with Turkish delight, arriving at all of it through the back of a wardrobe full of mothballed fur coats.

So if the dialogue seems overly dramatic, I say it is because to children, everything is invested with a great deal more urgency and importance. The main characters are children, for goodness sake! The postmodern, smug, self-satisfied adult will find these books and this movie much too obvious, too direct, not nuanced enough. In JK Rowling's parlance, these people rolling their eyes are Muggles. I think Lewis would put them in the same category as the adolescent Susan, who doesn't return to Narnia until The Last Battle, because for a time she chooses to stop believing in Narnia, preferring boys and makeup and feeling very grown-up.

Some may counter that CS Lewis himself said that "a children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story." Adults should be able to enjoy any good children's story worth it's salt. But we don't have to suck the life from it and make it smart, chic, and modernist to be an acceptable use of our time. And it's not a matter of two standards: one higher standard for "grownup" movies and B-list production values for the kiddoes. It is simply being true to the nature of a thing. Documentaries don't have to be funny. NBA games don't need plot twists, intrigue, or special effects to keep my attention. And a production of a children's story doesn't need brooding actors or obscure symbolism to make it a captivating tale.

I don't mean to say the movie doesn't have it's faults. The unusual soundtrack is, perhaps, not what I would choose. There are moments of special-effects genius (the centaurs, fauns, and the battle scene), juxtaposed with shocking lapses in quality (obvious blue-screen studio shots, such as when the children's faces are shown while on the natural rock bridge). All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this treat at the cinema. Sitting beside a group of a dozen 12- and 13-year olds, it brought a smile to hear them say things like "It's really Jesus" when Aslan is shorn and killed, or to hear the girls breathe a collective "Ooooohhh!" when the grown-up and dashing King Peter hops off his horse at the end of the film.

Don't look for this picture to show up in a big way at the Oscars. For the reasons I have mentioned, this is far too direct a movie, full of childlike wonder and eagerness, to move the venerable Academy. Perhaps a supporting actress nod for Tilda Swinton (Jadis) or a special effects nomination, but I don't expect much else. I do plan to purchase it for my kids, though, so that we may watch, and read, and share the wonder together.