Product: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Two Disc Edition + BD-Live) [Blu-ray] (2008)
Rating: 3.0
I was really looking forward to this...
I had thrills as the movie began. The directors so accurately brought my imagination to life. The ruins of Cair Paravel were exactly on target. Here we were, after two years, back in Narnia- but with excellent CGI. The acting by the children, especially Lucy, was great. Nearly every mythological creature was exquisitely crafted, and Trumpkin the Dwarf and Reepicheep the mouse steal the show.You may notice I haven't talked much about the story. It's probably because they didn't actually follow the plot ofLewis' book.That was unfortunate. The directors decided there needed to be more action, so they added a twenty minute attacking of a castle. This scene is nowhere in the book, but its addition accomplishes two things. It makes the movie much more focused on violence and warfare than the book was. And it reduces the amount of time available to spend on character development.Lewis' book had a great deal of character development. In fact, its perhaps the most character driven of the Narnia series. This is perhaps why the BBC decided to combine the book withThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In the book we get to hear about the difficult decision to decide who is sent as representative to the duel, and whether a bear that sucks his paw would look intimidating to the enemy. In the movie we get a brief image of a bear sucking his paw with no explanation. There wasn't time to explain, because they spent so much time attacking the castle.Lewis writes a story about the need for justice and assisting the outcast. Reviewers write about how the Pevensies are taught to resort to violence, because in the movie violence becomes much the central option. Principally, the attack on the castle was preemptive on the part of the Narnians- something not attempted in the movie. Indeed, the only one who mentions it in the book is Reepicheep, in a moment where we see how sometimes the mouse is too foolhardy.The movie feels like one action scene after another, with the end result a foregone conclusion. Gone are the allusions and allegory ofThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Not to suggest those were missing from the book. For Lewis crafts his book carefully to discuss in detail the meaning of faith, with long segments on how the Pevensies can learn to trust Aslan is there with them, even if they can't see him. There is the oft-repeated theme that the most trusting are the ones who can lead, asThe Soul of Prince Caspian: Exploring Spiritual Truth in the Land of Narniareveals. The movie only casts allusions to this. In the book, Trumpkin denies the existence of Aslan. In the movie, he suggests that Aslan is never around for them. This severely reduces the drama of the final scene when Aslan meets Trumpkin. It is as if the directors felt that that whole faith thing that Lewis was on about was just not appropriate for their movie, so they need to take it out. This is unfortunate, for it is quite clear in the book that Aslan is the primary character- whether he is seen or unseen. The directors also evidently didn't seem to like the idea of a bad witch as that was too un-PC, and changed her into a strange bird creature. In their attempt to create a Harry Potter look-alike, they have taken Lewis' novel and made it a pitiful imitation.I must say though, Prince Caspian is probably the weakest of the seven books in the series. It's hard to put it on the screen. But if you can get through this, you can easily do the rest of the movies. But the directors should have made a decision to stick to the spirit of Lewis, and make a movie that was character driven rather than a copy of Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe.The directors also did a good job in some changes, like adding humor, love interest, and putting women more in the thick of battle. It was a true pleasure to exit the theatre and hear a troop of young boys arguing about who got to be the brave Lucy. You don't often get girls as the role model for young boys.The end of it all is that you should see the movie, for the special effects. But before you do, read the book, which is superbly better, and far more philosophically coherent. And directors, please, please, please, don't disembowl the next Narnia films. Maintain respect for the wishes of the author you are making so much money off of.