Ok, so I didn't even remember going to the movie theater, but apparently I have. This evening I went again. It wasn't without reservations on whether the movie would hold to the book, be little kid-ish, or get too scary in the fight scenes. By the time the pre-movie was over, and they had quoted C.S. Lewis, and Kristyn Getty had been talking in her wonderful Irish accent, I was hooked! Let's just say it wasn't verbatim to the book, but the message was powerful. It wasn't childish - it was simple enough a child could understand it, while holding layers I knew I couldn't fully appreciate. It... well, it wasn't overly graphic, but when Apollyon's minions get so close to the screen you can see their teeth... I'm squinting. I made myself watch most of it though (We paid for it, after all! And there really isn't any reason to fear a demon, now is there? Not that they aren't powerful. But the Lord is always with us, and He is all-powerful.) Has anyone else seen this movie yet? (I'm still in the zone after seeing the movie, but I didn't want to lose the emotion and thoughts. So this is what you get. )

This evening I was reminded of three things that I do not want to forget:

1. Inspiration often arises from great hardship. John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress while imprisoned for his faith. His body was confined, but "his imagination soared"! Trouble does not necessarily squelch creativity. It may be what you need to unleash an earthshaking message.

2. You cannot expect things to become easier, but you can expect for the Lord to give you strength every step of the way. In any skill the work gets harder as you go on. You need increased hardship to continue to improve. In the same way it gets easier, as things that once phased you no longer do. God may give you seasons of respite and pleasure, but that is His gift to you. Take it gratefully, but know that He may be preparing you for a storm. You do not deserve a rest for having been faithful in the past. The closer you get to the celestial city, the harder the enemy will try to destroy you. Never lose hope.

3. The Pilgrim's Progress is a treasure, and one that I have officially put on my to re-read list. My respect has officially been renewed for John Bunyan, and the work he went through - which has been encouraging people to walk the straight path for just over 340 years.

And so has my confidence that if God has something for you to write, whether it fits with what you feel is "marketable" or not doesn't really matter. You just may be the next John Bunyan.

It was sold out when we went to see it, so I'm going to buy it once it hits video, and watch it on the projector screen to recreate the experience.

I hadn't read Pilgrim's Progress until right before the film came out (I'm still working through the second part). It reminded me so much that the reasons I love stories is the same reason I have been able to develop good friendships. I'm desperate to see Jesus in them. This story feels like a friend who can look at you and understand exactly what your life is like, and feels exactly what you are facing. That's a rare friend and, for me, a rare book.

I especially felt a strong bond with Faithful. He is what I want to be as the King's child.

I'll write more when I see the film, since that's really what this thread is meant to be. I'm curious to see if I can pick out which characters Ben Price voiced. From the clips I've seen, the visualization of the metaphors looks great.

Through the free movie event over the weekend, I've now had the chance to view the film three times.

Excellent. There were certain areas where I could see simplicity to the animation, but they did such and excellent job with the design of the characters and executing the facial expressions that the simplifications didn't really matter.

The setting designs were well put together for the mood portrayed in the book, and every point of creative license advanced the plot well, like having Legality as a character show up rather than have Christian fear climbing the mountain further lest it fall on him. The layout of the scenes felt very consistent with the crests and troughs of the book. The Interpreter is supposed to be role of Christ in the book, so I do wish he hadn't been made female, but I think having so many of the King's more angelic servants be female made the manliness of Christ stand out the more when we did finally meet Him.

I do wish more screen time could have been given to the time Christian had with Faithful, that more of the times Christian didn't fail could have been shown, and the times that Hopeful and Faithful did defer to Christian's experience when conversing with certain ne'er-do-wells, but understandably, they had time constraints and had to keep to the most prominent adventures.
The bits of comedy were well placed to relieve tension without being distracting, and I was surprised to note points were they very tastefully avoided things becoming crude where every other film would indulge. It is so pervasive that I didn't notice how common it was until it wasn't there.

Of course, a film made almost four hundred years after the book was published cannot be all that the book was, and this book is a favorite of mine, so I will much prefer the print. Still, I think it is a wonderful introduction to the book, and a very encouraging two hours if one is ever in need of a pick-me-up or a challenge to press on.

I very much hope they will be making a film of Part Two.

I'm so glad you got to see it!



Yes, the changes definitely still felt consistent with the book. The movie brought out certain elements more strongly than the book (Like the efforts to keep Christian out of the gate), and had to reduce others.

I hadn't remembered that the Interpreter represented Christ. *Needs to reread the original*

Faithful is definitely one of my favorite characters!

That last part about noticing what wasn't there... It really tells on our culture. Sometimes I really feel we are living in Vanity Fair.

It was more specifically mentioned in Part Two. I think several of the characters have the same representation, but that was one specifically referenced in Part Two.



Oh man, reading his discourse with Talkative and in court are perhaps the most encouraging moments of fiction I have ever read. It really warms my aspirations.



And honestly, that is one of the biggest takeaways I have from watching the film. Just being able to personify my temptations that way helps so much to fight them. The draw of imagined beauty that I know will lead me astray is clearer when I think of how it must be bought and paid for, not just enjoyed freely. A moment's pleasure may seem harmless until you remember what Cruelty and Hategood do to the faithful ones.