Thoughts on Prince Caspian
I loved the movie Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, but had mixed feelings about Prince Caspian. It is possible that I was simply more critical this time around since I knew when saw Prince Caspian I was going to be on the Marcon panel discussing this.
What I liked:
-The scenery was stunning. Like the first movie, it brought Narnia to life.
-Peter actually had trouble adjusting to being a teenage boy after having been High King for so many years. It was a realistic departure from the book.
-Edmund rocked.
-I like the way both movies have portrayed Susan. She has a lot more depth than in the books.
-Neither Trumpkin nor Nikabrik were stereotypical D&D dwarves. Nikabrik's motivation especially was believeable.
-Reepicheep could take Yoda any day of the week.
What I didn't like:
-The aging of Prince Caspian. It just didn't feel believeable to me.
-The Prince Caspian/Susan romance. I don't object to departures from books in theory, but the movie really didn't spend enough time devoloping this.
- The gutting of Lucy's dilemma. It was arguably the central theological message of the book. When only Lucy saw Aslan and tried to convince the others to follow her and they refused, she went with them, "weeping bitterly." Aslan later called her to task for not following him alone if necessary. It had never occured to her that she could do that. It's there in the movie, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Also, the movie cut the part about Susan actually seeing Aslan, but lying about it because she didn't want to do what Aslan wanted. I understand why, though, because that would tarnish Susan as the fantasy heroine of the movies.
All in all, though, a great movie.
What I liked:
-The scenery was stunning. Like the first movie, it brought Narnia to life.
-Peter actually had trouble adjusting to being a teenage boy after having been High King for so many years. It was a realistic departure from the book.
-Edmund rocked.
-I like the way both movies have portrayed Susan. She has a lot more depth than in the books.
-Neither Trumpkin nor Nikabrik were stereotypical D&D dwarves. Nikabrik's motivation especially was believeable.
-Reepicheep could take Yoda any day of the week.
What I didn't like:
-The aging of Prince Caspian. It just didn't feel believeable to me.
-The Prince Caspian/Susan romance. I don't object to departures from books in theory, but the movie really didn't spend enough time devoloping this.
- The gutting of Lucy's dilemma. It was arguably the central theological message of the book. When only Lucy saw Aslan and tried to convince the others to follow her and they refused, she went with them, "weeping bitterly." Aslan later called her to task for not following him alone if necessary. It had never occured to her that she could do that. It's there in the movie, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Also, the movie cut the part about Susan actually seeing Aslan, but lying about it because she didn't want to do what Aslan wanted. I understand why, though, because that would tarnish Susan as the fantasy heroine of the movies.
All in all, though, a great movie.