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June 18 2008
Spoilers if you haven't read the book... Other spoilers are hidden, you have to highlight to see them.
So I saw Prince Caspian today. I was a little wary about it from the previews I'd seen - Caspian looked far too old. Cute, and easy on the eyes, which I think was part of the reason. Out of the seven Narnia books, Prince Caspian is one of my least favorites, because to me, not much really happened in it - particularly not that many epic battle sequences. Caspian spends most of the time in the book just meeting people.
Okay, so there's one, near the end. There were... um... more in the movie. And epic battles can get a little too long sometimes.
I had read a review somewhere else about how the movie was pretty good... not much like the book... but still good.
The mice were fantastic. Reepicheep is one of my favorite characters of all time, and he remained the warrior mouse that I know and love. The entrance of the mice is great - a rustling in the grass and then they pop up. I don't think this is spoiling because it was on the previews. Caspian is pinned to the ground under Reepicheep and he declares "You're a mouse??" and Reepicheep sighs. He has good reason to sigh - it's a reoccurring joke.
There was great CGI with the animals, particularly the flying ones. They added a nice touch to the movie by focusing a bit more on the flying creatures - gryphons during the epic battle scenes, and I'm always impressed by good flying. There were lots of centaurs too. Yay centaurs.
| It was quite spiffy because the gryphons would help do ariel attacks by flying in various people. In one scene, they carry archers who pelt the opposing troops. |
I think that the performances of all of the kids were improved from the first movie - probably because they were older. Another plus to this movie was that Susan got a lot more character development in - and she was involved a lot more. In the books, I always sort of felt like Susan was there to just make it into a nice even two boys, two girls.
Peter was a bit more angsty than I remember. He didn't seem to adjust well to being a normal kid again after being High King Peter. They had quite a few jokes actually, about how time passed and the kids got younger.
I couldn't help but think of Lord of the Rings at the end though, in special effects and in plot. The two often remind me of each other (both books and movies)
I was also very glad that they kept the last line of the book as the last line of the movie - and they played around with that idea throughout the movie. Foreign technology can be a wonderful comic moment.
Now enter lots of spoilers, so there will need to be lots of highlighting here.
So, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there's a scene where the kids escape across a frozen river that melts into a giant plummeting waterfall of death. That never happens in the book, but it's in the movie to add drama and adventure.
There's a waterfall scene in Prince Caspian too... two major ones actually.
| Peter and co lead a raid on Miraz's castle, but it gets a bit botched by Caspian being out for Miraz's blood. It doesn't end terribly well for the Narnians, that's for sure. But there is a moment for the mice to shine - they tie up a cat. |
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Another major additional scene which I thought was better, is when the hag and the werewolf start to summon the White Witch. This does happen in the book, but in the movie, they actually do summon her.
She trapped, frozen in a wall of ice. She tells Caspian that all she needs is a drop of blood from a son of adam and she will be free - and she pledges to serve him. Caspian is just a little freaked out. The gang rush in to rescue him, and battle scene follows. In the book, no one knows who kills who, but not so in the movie. But it does cement Lucy and Trumpkin's friendship. Anyway, then the Witch turns to Peter and offers him the same deal. After all, all of Peter's plans up til now have failed, and he doesn't feel much like High King Peter the Magnificent. Edmund is the one that saves the day, by shattering the ice. I totally saw that one coming, but I was very glad for him. He really did over come his past. And stuff. Yeah. Carry on. |
So what happens with older Caspian?
Well, there were two major additions that came from Caspian being more of an adult that were nonexistent in the book.
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Susan has discovered boys, and Caspian thinks that she is quite pretty. The story does not spend a major amount of time on the romance between the two. It's just there, the way they look at each other. It does add to tension because Susan takes Caspian's side over Peter's on one occasion.
I thought that it was a little unneeded, but it didn't detract too much. It did prompt an amusing scene when Caspian tries to return her horn and she says he should keep it, in he needs to call her again. When he is out of ear shot, Lucy gives her older sister a lot of grief about that really corny line. |
| The other plot addition with older Caspian I did like. There was a lot of tension between Peter and Caspian about who is actually in charge. By the time Peter and co arrive, Caspian has been having the Narnian's treat him as king, but Peter is High King. Peter is, in theory, used to commanding more people, but that was hundreds of years ago, and everything that Peter tries just fails. |
So random other things that I liked.
The flash light.
| There was a lot of fun had with Edmund's flashlight. For starters, when they're about to explore the treasure room at Cair Paravel, Peter is making a torch and asks Edmund if he has any matches. Edmund says no, but he has a flash light. |
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Later on, Edmund uses the flash light to signal the Narnian troops for various things, and it's funny... and then he drops it... and then the light doesn't work and needs to be hit a few times. It's amusing because I'm very familiar with that behavior pattern of flash lights.
And of course, at the very end when they're back in the real world and Edmund sighs "I left my new torch in Narnia" |
Final Battle
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First off, when Edmund delivers the challenge to Miraz it's pretty much out of the book, with them cleverly tricking Miraz into accepting, by telling Miraz not to accept.
But the great line at this part is from Edmund, who corrects Miraz when Miraz calls him "Prince Edmund" "It's King Edmund actually. Just King. Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing." |
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So Peter defeats Miraz a bit more dramatically than in the book, and things go the usual way, Miraz is killed by one of his followers, and they shout that Narnia has committed treachery.
Caspian rushes inside of Aslan's How and gives the order to charge. They rush through the cave and it seems to be taking a long time to reach the door. Then it's revealed that the diggers of the group have been busy - Caspian's group is weakening the ground underneath the troops of the Telmarine's, and they crash down into the ground. The Narnian's don't win though, until the Trees join the fight. All I gotta say is, Tree's learn quickly. It only takes one of them being hit by the catapults for them to realize that they need to take out these large wooden objects that throw large stones. |
The Ford Of Beruna
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When the soldiers are all rushing to the bridge with the Narnians in pursuit, Lucy is standing on the other side. Just standing there, smiling.
And the soldiers all stop. Then she draws her dagger, and... no one moves. She's one terrifying little girl, let me tell you. |
Aslan's Return
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Okie, it was a short scene, but I think that it was rather funny and sweet. Lucy walks up with Aslan after the battle scene. Edmund, Caspian, Susan and Peter all kneel down before him, and Aslan says "Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia" and Peter, Edmund and Susan get up.
Caspian does not. I went "Aww..." Aslan's response is "All of you" I dunno, I guess that sometimes the "I'm not worthy/ready" is over done, but I believed Caspian when he said that. |
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