Prince Caspian reivew and X-men the MANGA
Hey all~
How's it going? Not too many things with me--saw Prince Caspian yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed Prince Caspian the first half of the movie. Then...when our unspeakably gorgeous hero finally met up with the Pevensie kids (aka "Kings and Queens of Legend"), things didn't go as well as I'd hoped it would.
First, let me say, I disliked the first movie in the extreme. The acting was flat, the plot too contrived, the dialogue cheesy, and the over-the-top Christianity parallels too preachy in a Sunday school way, and not even a decent fight scene to redeem the whole thing. Just about the only interesting thing in the movie was Tilda Swinton as the White Witch (Snow Queen?) and some gorgeous cinematography...though the Witch's oedipal relationship with Edmund was a bit ehh. Even worse--that creepy faun's relationship with little Lucy! Gah!!
*ahem* But this is becoming too much of a Lion, Witch, Wardrobe review, so let's leave it at "I didn't like the first film."
That said, Prince Caspian had a LOT of convincing to do to win me back after that disastrous first movie; the eye candy (read: Caspian) is what drew me back in the first place, but that wouldn't have been enough to keep me. But I stayed, and *did* enjoy it... err, up until about three-quarters of the way through, that is. But I'll get to that in a moment.
One of the biggest problems, which had been apparent in the first film and still persisted, was the direction of the interpersonal relationships. As in, there was none. Any chemistry that was there was brought naturally by the actors. The best bit was the Pevensie kids-- having worked together before, they have fantastic chemistry amongst themselves and are convincing both as siblings and as fellow monarchs; you can really feel that they've spent about 30 years ruling Narnia together and have become a well-working, mutually-respecting team (yes, even Peter and Edmund, who had so many sibling rivalry issues last time around). In fact, I really love the way Edmund's character has developed! He's become very accepting and comfortable being "#2" and has instead turned his energies to becoming an awesomely cool and badass warrior--looks very seasoned as our "Dark Knight" of sorts! :D Unfortunately, he's not featured much in this film, but he makes himself look pretty cool wherever he is.
Oh! Lucy is also fantastic! She's not just there for extreme cute factor as in the first film--she's the voice of wisdom (argh, and Christian piety, I guess, since she's so attached to that ridiculous lion), and she carries herself with a dignity and self-assurance that really makes you believe she's a wise 30-year-old woman returned to a little girl's body. Her relationship with Peter is very cute! ^^
Speaking of relationships, that takes me to Caspian and his painfully contrived "relationship" with Susan. No doubt it was a smart move, as it's got the Mary Sues fanficking in full, pre-adolescent hormonal force. But MAN, did they have zero chemistry between them! 0__0;; It was almost painful to watch--embarrassing, even. When not specifically directed to be sending Susan significant looks, Caspian only looks at/interacts with Peter, his other scripted interpersonal relationship (this time in the form of a rivalry--Peter's become a bit of a prick, picking fistfights, etc, because ppl back home in London don't see him for the wonder he was as High King Peter the Magnificent of Narnia @_@).
But the problem again is that, when not specifically written in the script, the angry rival tension is not there between them--in fact, they seem to be extremely chummy and inevitably turn to one another to share "looks of wonder" whenever something magical or epic happens. Yes, slash fans, I know you think I'm biased, but there was more chemistry of SOME kind between Peter and Caspian chatting quietly as they trek through the woods with their caravan than there is between Caspian and Susan when they're alone and dolled up and directed to get all lovey-dovey.
Speaking of which--what a waste of a character that was for Susan! She's such a cool character on her own--the High Queen of Narnia, resident badass archer who kills monsters with Legolas-like poise and cool, but dressed like a leather armor version of Athena with her long, stately gown, cloak, and leather chest piece. I wish they'd respected her and let her lofty High Queen dignity rather than turn her into the tween romance lead character. @_@;;;
Peter was... just annoying, overall, and a very difficult character to sympathize with because of his inconsistency of personality. And Aslan... oh, dear god (lol)--Aslan ruined the film. Again. @___@;; Everything made rational sense up until he came pawing in, wiped out the enemy army (without offering them the chance to surrender, I noticed; it was an odd moment b/c the entire enemy army had frozen up in awe at the sight of him and (having already lost their leader), would likely have given up if the giant, talking lion had ordered them to do so--but he didn't, opting instead to smite them Old Testament style. >.<), made silly and rather unfair miracles happen (oh god, the mouse procession...I was dying from the cheesiness), and arbitrarily decided to make the kids go home again *just* as the day was saved. Seriously, how messed up is that?
It isn't just the cheap deus ex machina plothole that he provides with his ominpotent presence; what little sense the characters and story were making in this distinctly secular plot about throne usurpation and family betrayal just doesn't jive with the whole Christian thing. It almost feels tossed in on top, obligatorily, and all the characters seemed to lose their own power (duh, in the presence of god) and personalities along with it. It became like a medieval morality play or something--1-dimensional--at the end. >.< Stupid lion... he caused a really cool character (dwarf dude) to end up having the same sort of overblown and extremely awkward moment that Hagrid had at the end of the second Harry Potter movie. Yes, let's stand here and cheer like idiots for no reason for this grumpy, comic-reliefy character who didn't want the limelight and didn't do nearly as much as the main characters (who only get to stand stupidly aside rather than on centerstage for a well-deserved share of the cheering). Seriously, everything went downhill once that wretched lion showed his hairy face again. >.<
But...stupid/dissatisfying ending aside, the first half of the film is pretty intriguing, the cinematography's amazing, and Caspian is just the most UNBELIEVABLY GORGEOUS CREATURE to have graced the silver screen since Legolas--and he's a lead role, bless the casting director! Seriously, even when he says nothing at all (or even when he *does* say one of those cheesy lines with his fake Spanish--err, I mean, "Telmarine" accent), he absolutely steals the scene. And no, it's not just because he's hot beyond reckoning (though I'm sure that helps). But seriously, watch it to scope out this new, young guy who's just bursting with star quality, and tell me if he doesn't have you by that shot where he's riding alone across the dark, moonlit fields (with the guards in hot pursuit in the next panel--lol!). Also, mad props to the costume designer for dressing Caspian in gorgeous, billowy tunics that are belted in just the right way to show off his trim waist and well-proportioned hips and shoulders~ <3 <3 <3
All the new villains, charas, etc, were pretty enjoyable too--it's just the leonine baggage of the last film that trips Prince Caspian up. At least we can look forward to the next movie, already in production, which will have Caspian returning, along with Lucy and Edmund (yes!!!), and maybe he'll have sorted his relationships with them out by then so he won't need to rely on the incompetent director anymore. :)
Hmm....that was a long review and I didn't even cover half of the things I wanted to say. Oh well, go take a watch for yourself--and consciously stop and think about how much you're enjoying the film *before* Peter heads out to duel Miraz (cuz the downhill part starts after that, really), and that'll tell you how you really feel about the whole film. The ending will sour the taste no matter how good it was, so it's better not to take it into account when you decide whether the film overall had been good or bad. ^^;
In other news, I just had to share one thing--it seems DelRey is making its first foray into the realm of OEL (Original English Language) manga with a *cough*shoujo manga version of X-men (yes, scream, run, be afraid @_@;;; ) and a shounen manga style story about Wolverine... =_=; I applaud their support of OEL manga, but... ... ... Well, take a look at the character designs and tell me if you don't feel a bit apprehensive.
First off, the shoujo manga X-men: Misfits, starring a Mary Sue-ified manga-ified Kitty Pryde and her two bishie love interests, cold-and-detached!Iceman and gothic-badboy-type!Nightcrawler!
Kitty the ninja catgirl!
New romantic leading men Iceman and Nightcrawler!
Totoro--I mean, the BEAST!!
Can't you feel the bubbles and flowers wafting through the air already??
Next, we have the (somehow, less-impressive-than-I-was-hoping) Wolverine the Shounen Manga character designs:
Wolverine
Vincent (? My X-men knowledge is kinda limited...is Sabertooth?)
Tamara (????? New love interest? Whatever happened to Wolvy's infamous crush on Jean Gray?)
Well, I do have to admit, the Beast is very cute. ^^;;;;;;;;;
Fafner fans, hang in there--I'll try to do the GONE/ARRIVE translation some time during Memorial Day Weekend. ^^;;;
OH! And I'm going to the Nightwish concert (again) down in San Diego this Friday. ^^;; Hahah, well, it'll give me a chance to see how much Anette has improved after 9 months of touring, huh? Should be fun~ ^^
~Cy
How's it going? Not too many things with me--saw Prince Caspian yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed Prince Caspian the first half of the movie. Then...when our unspeakably gorgeous hero finally met up with the Pevensie kids (aka "Kings and Queens of Legend"), things didn't go as well as I'd hoped it would.
First, let me say, I disliked the first movie in the extreme. The acting was flat, the plot too contrived, the dialogue cheesy, and the over-the-top Christianity parallels too preachy in a Sunday school way, and not even a decent fight scene to redeem the whole thing. Just about the only interesting thing in the movie was Tilda Swinton as the White Witch (Snow Queen?) and some gorgeous cinematography...though the Witch's oedipal relationship with Edmund was a bit ehh. Even worse--that creepy faun's relationship with little Lucy! Gah!!
*ahem* But this is becoming too much of a Lion, Witch, Wardrobe review, so let's leave it at "I didn't like the first film."
That said, Prince Caspian had a LOT of convincing to do to win me back after that disastrous first movie; the eye candy (read: Caspian) is what drew me back in the first place, but that wouldn't have been enough to keep me. But I stayed, and *did* enjoy it... err, up until about three-quarters of the way through, that is. But I'll get to that in a moment.
One of the biggest problems, which had been apparent in the first film and still persisted, was the direction of the interpersonal relationships. As in, there was none. Any chemistry that was there was brought naturally by the actors. The best bit was the Pevensie kids-- having worked together before, they have fantastic chemistry amongst themselves and are convincing both as siblings and as fellow monarchs; you can really feel that they've spent about 30 years ruling Narnia together and have become a well-working, mutually-respecting team (yes, even Peter and Edmund, who had so many sibling rivalry issues last time around). In fact, I really love the way Edmund's character has developed! He's become very accepting and comfortable being "#2" and has instead turned his energies to becoming an awesomely cool and badass warrior--looks very seasoned as our "Dark Knight" of sorts! :D Unfortunately, he's not featured much in this film, but he makes himself look pretty cool wherever he is.
Oh! Lucy is also fantastic! She's not just there for extreme cute factor as in the first film--she's the voice of wisdom (argh, and Christian piety, I guess, since she's so attached to that ridiculous lion), and she carries herself with a dignity and self-assurance that really makes you believe she's a wise 30-year-old woman returned to a little girl's body. Her relationship with Peter is very cute! ^^
Speaking of relationships, that takes me to Caspian and his painfully contrived "relationship" with Susan. No doubt it was a smart move, as it's got the Mary Sues fanficking in full, pre-adolescent hormonal force. But MAN, did they have zero chemistry between them! 0__0;; It was almost painful to watch--embarrassing, even. When not specifically directed to be sending Susan significant looks, Caspian only looks at/interacts with Peter, his other scripted interpersonal relationship (this time in the form of a rivalry--Peter's become a bit of a prick, picking fistfights, etc, because ppl back home in London don't see him for the wonder he was as High King Peter the Magnificent of Narnia @_@).
But the problem again is that, when not specifically written in the script, the angry rival tension is not there between them--in fact, they seem to be extremely chummy and inevitably turn to one another to share "looks of wonder" whenever something magical or epic happens. Yes, slash fans, I know you think I'm biased, but there was more chemistry of SOME kind between Peter and Caspian chatting quietly as they trek through the woods with their caravan than there is between Caspian and Susan when they're alone and dolled up and directed to get all lovey-dovey.
Speaking of which--what a waste of a character that was for Susan! She's such a cool character on her own--the High Queen of Narnia, resident badass archer who kills monsters with Legolas-like poise and cool, but dressed like a leather armor version of Athena with her long, stately gown, cloak, and leather chest piece. I wish they'd respected her and let her lofty High Queen dignity rather than turn her into the tween romance lead character. @_@;;;
Peter was... just annoying, overall, and a very difficult character to sympathize with because of his inconsistency of personality. And Aslan... oh, dear god (lol)--Aslan ruined the film. Again. @___@;; Everything made rational sense up until he came pawing in, wiped out the enemy army (without offering them the chance to surrender, I noticed; it was an odd moment b/c the entire enemy army had frozen up in awe at the sight of him and (having already lost their leader), would likely have given up if the giant, talking lion had ordered them to do so--but he didn't, opting instead to smite them Old Testament style. >.<), made silly and rather unfair miracles happen (oh god, the mouse procession...I was dying from the cheesiness), and arbitrarily decided to make the kids go home again *just* as the day was saved. Seriously, how messed up is that?
It isn't just the cheap deus ex machina plothole that he provides with his ominpotent presence; what little sense the characters and story were making in this distinctly secular plot about throne usurpation and family betrayal just doesn't jive with the whole Christian thing. It almost feels tossed in on top, obligatorily, and all the characters seemed to lose their own power (duh, in the presence of god) and personalities along with it. It became like a medieval morality play or something--1-dimensional--at the end. >.< Stupid lion... he caused a really cool character (dwarf dude) to end up having the same sort of overblown and extremely awkward moment that Hagrid had at the end of the second Harry Potter movie. Yes, let's stand here and cheer like idiots for no reason for this grumpy, comic-reliefy character who didn't want the limelight and didn't do nearly as much as the main characters (who only get to stand stupidly aside rather than on centerstage for a well-deserved share of the cheering). Seriously, everything went downhill once that wretched lion showed his hairy face again. >.<
But...stupid/dissatisfying ending aside, the first half of the film is pretty intriguing, the cinematography's amazing, and Caspian is just the most UNBELIEVABLY GORGEOUS CREATURE to have graced the silver screen since Legolas--and he's a lead role, bless the casting director! Seriously, even when he says nothing at all (or even when he *does* say one of those cheesy lines with his fake Spanish--err, I mean, "Telmarine" accent), he absolutely steals the scene. And no, it's not just because he's hot beyond reckoning (though I'm sure that helps). But seriously, watch it to scope out this new, young guy who's just bursting with star quality, and tell me if he doesn't have you by that shot where he's riding alone across the dark, moonlit fields (with the guards in hot pursuit in the next panel--lol!). Also, mad props to the costume designer for dressing Caspian in gorgeous, billowy tunics that are belted in just the right way to show off his trim waist and well-proportioned hips and shoulders~ <3 <3 <3
All the new villains, charas, etc, were pretty enjoyable too--it's just the leonine baggage of the last film that trips Prince Caspian up. At least we can look forward to the next movie, already in production, which will have Caspian returning, along with Lucy and Edmund (yes!!!), and maybe he'll have sorted his relationships with them out by then so he won't need to rely on the incompetent director anymore. :)
Hmm....that was a long review and I didn't even cover half of the things I wanted to say. Oh well, go take a watch for yourself--and consciously stop and think about how much you're enjoying the film *before* Peter heads out to duel Miraz (cuz the downhill part starts after that, really), and that'll tell you how you really feel about the whole film. The ending will sour the taste no matter how good it was, so it's better not to take it into account when you decide whether the film overall had been good or bad. ^^;
In other news, I just had to share one thing--it seems DelRey is making its first foray into the realm of OEL (Original English Language) manga with a *cough*shoujo manga version of X-men (yes, scream, run, be afraid @_@;;; ) and a shounen manga style story about Wolverine... =_=; I applaud their support of OEL manga, but... ... ... Well, take a look at the character designs and tell me if you don't feel a bit apprehensive.
First off, the shoujo manga X-men: Misfits, starring a Mary Sue-ified manga-ified Kitty Pryde and her two bishie love interests, cold-and-detached!Iceman and gothic-badboy-type!Nightcrawler!
Kitty the ninja catgirl!
New romantic leading men Iceman and Nightcrawler!
Totoro--I mean, the BEAST!!
Can't you feel the bubbles and flowers wafting through the air already??
Next, we have the (somehow, less-impressive-than-I-was-hoping) Wolverine the Shounen Manga character designs:
Wolverine
Vincent (? My X-men knowledge is kinda limited...is Sabertooth?)
Tamara (????? New love interest? Whatever happened to Wolvy's infamous crush on Jean Gray?)
Well, I do have to admit, the Beast is very cute. ^^;;;;;;;;;
Fafner fans, hang in there--I'll try to do the GONE/ARRIVE translation some time during Memorial Day Weekend. ^^;;;
OH! And I'm going to the Nightwish concert (again) down in San Diego this Friday. ^^;; Hahah, well, it'll give me a chance to see how much Anette has improved after 9 months of touring, huh? Should be fun~ ^^
~Cy