66 // concerning the city in the cupboard and other mysteries
I meant to do this right after I saw Prince Caspian but I kept either forgetting or getting too lazy. I'm sure anyone on my friends list interested in seeing it has seen it by now. I don't normally feel compelled to write about the movies I see unless they are outrageously weird (Perfume) or are really important to me in some way (Lord of the Rings). I don't necessarily know that this fits in either category. It's probably closer to the latter because there's a soft spot in my heart for the Narnia books, more specifically the middle four (chronilogically), including Caspian. But anyway, I have to confess I was really disappointed. Not necessarily in the way the movie was shot and the special effects, but in what they did with the characters and with the story. I'll cut it just in case there are spoilers or in case you just don't want to spend the extra seconds scrolling down to skip it. ;) Haha, I know how annoying that is, so I'll be considerate.
If this had just been a movie with no book, following, or legacy attached to it, it would have generally been an okay movie. Plenty of action, great special effects, a little romance...there you go, you've got a movie. The fact that it was based on a powerful and much-loved book changes everything for me. I'll start with what annoyed me most and work my way down to what I liked.
What annoyed me most in the entire movie was Lucy's conversation with Peter at the Stone Table, after the miserable failure of a battle (THAT WAS NOT IN THE BOOK, but we'll get there, I digress) at Miraz's castle. He can't understand why only Lucy was able to see Aslan toward the beginning of the movie, and none of the rest of them had been able to. She replies that maybe "we just have to prove ourselves to him." This statement harpooned the message of the move completely and it made me really angry. If Aslan is the character symbolic of Christ in the books, than Lucy's statement is essentially saying that God will not help us unless we can prove to Him we can help ourselves. This goes completely against the point of the book and the point of Christ's ministry! Prince Caspian was partly about trust, about having faith that He is there even when you cannot see Him and cannot understand where He is leading you. Further, Aslan was not absent in the book as long as he was in the movie. Aslan appeared to the children during their journey to the base camp of the Narnians. The part where he appeared to Lucy first and the others could not see him was true and important. But it was only the next day after Lucy saw him at night in her dream that he appeared to all four children and guided them, chastising them for their lack of faith. That was the whole point.
Additionally, since when is Peter a whiny, self-centered ass? He did not pick a fight in the train station, he did not whine about how he should be respected as a king, and he certainly did not have a giant plot-spanning power struggle with Caspian. In the book, he acted like the king he was. Any disputes of power between he and Caspian were much more minimal, and did not result in a completely unnecessary battle and completely unnecessary loss of hundreds of lives. Now, I understand the desire from the studio to play up the drama and make the movie more exciting. But it makes me angry that they have to do it by ruining Peter's character and killing off a bunch of other characters. The battle was unnecessary from the beginning and Peter immediately recognized that in the book, which is why it does not happen. It pisses me off that such a noble character in the book has to suddenly become an annoying and stupid teenager.
And while we're on the subject of Caspian... overall, I really liked him. They kept a lot of his character in tact, and he was very, very well-played by Ben Barnes. I was honestly kind of surprised that he wasn't actually Spanish, he put on a good accent. The only thing that bothered me was the scene with the hag and the werewolf. Now, that happens MUUUUCCCHHH earlier in the book, and is actually the scene in which the Pevensie children arrive and meet Caspian. In the book, Caspian does not give in to the temptation of darker magic, but rejects it, and destroys the offending creatures. The White Witch makes no appearance other than a vague reference of similarity with the hag. Now, like I said, this annoyed me to a lesser extent, because with the way the story was going, I could understand why they would throw that in there. Tie things together, show he's human, show the weight of ruling and decision-making, but that whole thing would have been completely unnecessary had they not done that stupid-ass castle raid. :P
I have to rant a bit about the random romance between Susan and Caspian. A) Not in the book. B) Just not believable, really. I get the longing looks and the interest but the sum total of the chemistry between those two did not warrant the kiss at the end. They barely spoke to each other throughout the movie. I get that actions speak louder than words but...I don't know, it struck me as really...oddly played. And he's much hotter than she is...haha
Well, the ranting aside, I did enjoy the graphics immensely. Especially the River God! What a fantastic face. And the animals were impressive as always. They clothed and played the Telmarines very well, and I loved all the set designs and costumes.
Can I just say that every scene between Aslan and Lucy just melts me? She is one of my absolute favorite things about the Narnia series - her innocence and faithfulness, which I envy so deeply, and her relationship with Aslan. The fact that she just immediately sat at his feet with joy in her face... Oh, and his face! I'm so happy that they have made his face and eyes so soulful and wise and powerful. I love it. And I love the way she looks when she is looking up at him.
I have to say I really did like the duel between Peter and Miraz. Very tense, very cool, especially Caspian's actions at the end. That was enjoyable to watch.
I really like the fact that you can see a tangible difference in Edmund's character in this movie. His first experience with Narnia changed him completely in the books, and that is incredibly obvious in this movie. He is gentler, he is open, and he is clever and strong. I really love his character and I was glad to see what they'd done with him in this movie. I also like watching the relationships between the siblings, and the genuine affection they seem to have for one another, especially Peter and Lucy. He's so protective of her, and maybe it's just my relationship with my brother but I found it so poignant because it was so genuine.
All right, I think I've said my piece. I'd love to hear any reactions you had.
If this had just been a movie with no book, following, or legacy attached to it, it would have generally been an okay movie. Plenty of action, great special effects, a little romance...there you go, you've got a movie. The fact that it was based on a powerful and much-loved book changes everything for me. I'll start with what annoyed me most and work my way down to what I liked.
What annoyed me most in the entire movie was Lucy's conversation with Peter at the Stone Table, after the miserable failure of a battle (THAT WAS NOT IN THE BOOK, but we'll get there, I digress) at Miraz's castle. He can't understand why only Lucy was able to see Aslan toward the beginning of the movie, and none of the rest of them had been able to. She replies that maybe "we just have to prove ourselves to him." This statement harpooned the message of the move completely and it made me really angry. If Aslan is the character symbolic of Christ in the books, than Lucy's statement is essentially saying that God will not help us unless we can prove to Him we can help ourselves. This goes completely against the point of the book and the point of Christ's ministry! Prince Caspian was partly about trust, about having faith that He is there even when you cannot see Him and cannot understand where He is leading you. Further, Aslan was not absent in the book as long as he was in the movie. Aslan appeared to the children during their journey to the base camp of the Narnians. The part where he appeared to Lucy first and the others could not see him was true and important. But it was only the next day after Lucy saw him at night in her dream that he appeared to all four children and guided them, chastising them for their lack of faith. That was the whole point.
Additionally, since when is Peter a whiny, self-centered ass? He did not pick a fight in the train station, he did not whine about how he should be respected as a king, and he certainly did not have a giant plot-spanning power struggle with Caspian. In the book, he acted like the king he was. Any disputes of power between he and Caspian were much more minimal, and did not result in a completely unnecessary battle and completely unnecessary loss of hundreds of lives. Now, I understand the desire from the studio to play up the drama and make the movie more exciting. But it makes me angry that they have to do it by ruining Peter's character and killing off a bunch of other characters. The battle was unnecessary from the beginning and Peter immediately recognized that in the book, which is why it does not happen. It pisses me off that such a noble character in the book has to suddenly become an annoying and stupid teenager.
And while we're on the subject of Caspian... overall, I really liked him. They kept a lot of his character in tact, and he was very, very well-played by Ben Barnes. I was honestly kind of surprised that he wasn't actually Spanish, he put on a good accent. The only thing that bothered me was the scene with the hag and the werewolf. Now, that happens MUUUUCCCHHH earlier in the book, and is actually the scene in which the Pevensie children arrive and meet Caspian. In the book, Caspian does not give in to the temptation of darker magic, but rejects it, and destroys the offending creatures. The White Witch makes no appearance other than a vague reference of similarity with the hag. Now, like I said, this annoyed me to a lesser extent, because with the way the story was going, I could understand why they would throw that in there. Tie things together, show he's human, show the weight of ruling and decision-making, but that whole thing would have been completely unnecessary had they not done that stupid-ass castle raid. :P
I have to rant a bit about the random romance between Susan and Caspian. A) Not in the book. B) Just not believable, really. I get the longing looks and the interest but the sum total of the chemistry between those two did not warrant the kiss at the end. They barely spoke to each other throughout the movie. I get that actions speak louder than words but...I don't know, it struck me as really...oddly played. And he's much hotter than she is...haha
Well, the ranting aside, I did enjoy the graphics immensely. Especially the River God! What a fantastic face. And the animals were impressive as always. They clothed and played the Telmarines very well, and I loved all the set designs and costumes.
Can I just say that every scene between Aslan and Lucy just melts me? She is one of my absolute favorite things about the Narnia series - her innocence and faithfulness, which I envy so deeply, and her relationship with Aslan. The fact that she just immediately sat at his feet with joy in her face... Oh, and his face! I'm so happy that they have made his face and eyes so soulful and wise and powerful. I love it. And I love the way she looks when she is looking up at him.
I have to say I really did like the duel between Peter and Miraz. Very tense, very cool, especially Caspian's actions at the end. That was enjoyable to watch.
I really like the fact that you can see a tangible difference in Edmund's character in this movie. His first experience with Narnia changed him completely in the books, and that is incredibly obvious in this movie. He is gentler, he is open, and he is clever and strong. I really love his character and I was glad to see what they'd done with him in this movie. I also like watching the relationships between the siblings, and the genuine affection they seem to have for one another, especially Peter and Lucy. He's so protective of her, and maybe it's just my relationship with my brother but I found it so poignant because it was so genuine.
All right, I think I've said my piece. I'd love to hear any reactions you had.