PRINCE CASPIAN

I've found that one can express excitement in writing in all caps! Let me tell you, I was excited to see Prince Caspian. Megano and I went yesterday to a matinee. (I'm finding that I'm too old for midnight showings. I have a hard enough time getting to sleep at night.) The movie was a lot of fun. There were moments when I had to cover my eyes (not too many, but there was violence) and moments were I was grateful for Megano's willingness to poke fun. (I mean, do you really think Susan was that aware of her...never mind.) So, all in all, I liked it. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars out of 4. The negative half is not because the changes to the story - that was expected. After all, any blockbuster movies has to be exciting from beginning to end, donchaknow. The negative half comes from the idea that if a main character hasn't had a line/screen time in x minutes, he she has to have a moment. It ruined the flow of the big exciting epic movie. But, nothing that I couldn't handle.

Okay, for those who want to go and watch this innocently, without comparisons to the book, stop reading now. Really, if you know the book, technically there shouldn't be any way to spoil the movie, but boy are you wrong!





Once again, SPOILER ALERT!





Stop reading if you don't want to know - you're not going to blame me!





Well, it opens with Caspian's aunt giving birth. His nurse and growing up, the stargazing and learning from his tutor are all left out (though the tutor is there.) Dr.Cornelius is shown running into Caspian's room, because Miraz has sent people to kill Caspian while he slept, but thankfully there is a secret way out through his wardrobe. He is taken to his horse, and Cornelius gives him something wrapped up, that he is only to use at his greatest need. It sounds all fixed, but it is quite exciting.

So Caspian runs off, and is chased through the forest by these men. He gets knocked off his horse, but there's a man on horse still following him. Two figures come out of a nearby tree, one (Nikabrik) comes after Caspian, the other, (Trumpkin) goes after the man on horse, and we later see him as a prisoner in Miraz' castle. Well, this is Caspian's direst moment, so the now unwrapped horn is blown.

We now cut to England were Lucy (who has grown up to be a very worried little girl) almost gets run over by a car, and Susan, weraing makeup, being hit on by a geeky boy, who she lies to about her name.

They descend to catch the train and see Peter in a fight, which Edmund joins at the last and helps out, with it eventually being broken up by the police officers. It seems that Susan really has gotten used to not going back to Narnia, and in some ways doesn't want to go back. Peter can't get over the fact that people treat him like a kid. Edmund and Lucy honestly seem the most well adjusted: neither denying Narnia, nor still living there.

Well, we mustn't forget the horn: the train station disappears, and the four children end up on the beach, where they discover that it's really Care Paravel and that time must have passed. This time is mostly the same, though they aren't confused about why there are ruins, and the apple trees are mostly ignored, though we do see Lucy eating an apple.

Back to Trumpkin - he's been taken captive and was beaten a bit by Miraz, and then he is sent to die in the river. They have neatly skipped over Caspian already being at the Howe, etc. Now having a boat, they travel, and we see Lucy almost being eaten by a bear, and they're off.

Lucy seeing Aslan, with Edmund defending her was okay. At the expense of excitement, the kids personalities are very flat, I must say.

The Bridge of Beruna is a new creation, built so that Miraz' armies can get across the Ford. Miraz first starts the war, because he accuses Trumpkin and co. of being kidnappers, but soon he declares himself king, which were his intentions all along.

Eventually, the children and Caspian's group meet, but Caspian and Peter fight, not knowing who each other are, and here we have tension between Caspian and Peter.

I've been okay with the story changes thus far, but here in the middle, I do not like was has happened. I've decided to call it the Faramir Conundrum (FC): people aren't naturally good, especially tough warriors, so we have to let the audience see them grow. Poor Faramir lost his goodness in LOTR, and now both Peter and Caspian have lost some of theirs. sigh.

Instead of staying at the Howe, they attack Miraz' castle. Story wise, it's necessary, because Dr. Cornelius is rescued, but really, he could have managed to find them out as he did.

sigh.

But, to keep you al from the gloom of the FC (I'll let you sort that one out yourselves), I forgot to introduce probably the most successful character: Prince Caspian, Nikabrik and Trufflehunter are off to meet with the rest of the old Narnians, and are found and chased by soldiers. Then, we see the soldiers being cut down, but all you see is movement in the undergrowth. Then, Caspian trips, and is confronted by no one other than Reepicheep! hoorah!

okay, So the attack on the castle fails. Caspian and Peter blame each other. We see the White Witch, courtesy of the hag and werewolf, but Edmund puts a stop to it. Hooray for Edmund!

Lucy and Susan are sent off to find Aslan. Caspian is worried, because not so secretly have he and Susan been making eyes at one another. eww....

They ride off on horseback, only to be followed, so Susan gets off and sends Lucy off alone while she holds her ground for a while, but, oh heart, Caspian followed, and saves her. Teenage girls are now swooning.

Lucy keeps on, being followed by one who got past, and he is scared off by Aslan. He wakes up the tress, and they head off.

Meanwhile, Peter has challenged Miraz to a duel, and he wins. Caspian has arrived back from rescuing Susan, and so Peter allows Caspian to deal the death blow, but of course he doesn't kill him, but allows him to live. The unhappy Lords of Miraz kill him with one of Queen Susan's arrows, treachery is called, and the fight is on.

I have to admit, this next sequence is quite entertaining.

Then the ents... I mean trees come and secure a win for the Narnians.

The army retreats to the bridge, but Lucy is there, then Aslan walks out and calls the river god which comes rushing down and washes away the Nazgul, I mean army. Sorry, no Bacchus.

The river god breaks the bridge, and victory is to the Narnians.

The ending is close enough, except for inordinate amounts of makeup and hairgel for Susan so that she and Caspian can share a kiss before she leaves. sigh.

They go through a tree (no door), and end up back in the train station.

I liked the movie. I enjoy seeing how others view the books I love, and how they adapt them to the big screen. I realize that the mediums are very different, so the end products are usually different. For example, I love BBC's Pride and Prejudice, but they make it too true to the book at times, overlooking the strengths and differences of film. An adaptation that I feel is more successful is Persuasion.

When I become frustrated with an adaptation is when they change the feel of a character. Peter would not have done that. Susan may have fallen for Caspian. The first, unacceptable, second change, fine, if you feel the need to add romance, go for it.

Perhaps I am in the minority, but that is why I love these 'epic' novels: the people. Sure, it's great that Frodo destroyed the ring of power, and Reepicheep sails to the end of the world, but Faramir learns to stand up for himself, Eowyn realizes what true love is, Sam funds Rosie, Edmund changes, Eustace stops being a scrub and Puzzle believes he is worth something.