The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
I’ve been a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia series since I was about twelve years old when I got the books as a Christmas present. Considering the amount of time that I have been a fan of these books (which, I know, pales in comparison to others who read the books long before I was even an egg), I was really, really looking forward to these movies.
The first one, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, looked exactly as I imagined it would be, so I was really excited to see the next one made into a movie. Keeping in mind, of course, that I haven’t read the books in a few years, so my thoughts on this next installment of Narnia is based on the movie itself, not the translation of the movie from text to screen.
(And in case you were wondering, yes, there will be spoilers.)
The beginning of this film was really, really thrilling. It was one of those types that starts with action and pretty much doesn’t stop on the way through. We weren’t bombarded by exposition, but on the other hand, we weren’t relieved from tension for most of the movie.
Visually, this movie is as stunning as its predecessor, if not more stunning due to advancements in technology. The characters all looked older, of course, from the previous one, and I’d say more than a year older (given the first one was released in 2005, most definitely more than a year), but movies are all about the willing suspension of disbelief which means that I’ll accept that even though they’re three years older, in the movie the difference is only one year. All of the kids are improved for their increase in age, and little Georgie Henley is going to be quite an adorable girl when she finishes maturing.
In terms of plot, I would have really liked to have had a bit of a break from the tension that just seemed to get to me from the first second of the movie. I’m very sensitive to things like that, so I seemed to spend the whole movie shivering and short of breath.
What I do know of the plot changes from friends who remember that of the book better than I do is that it was changed a bit probably for dramatic purposes. I don’t mind that much because I truly did enjoy the movie and thought it was a very entertaining endeavor. However, for those who will be looking for more than entertainment, particularly those who will be looking for something following closely to the book, this will be a disappointment. Disney did not make an epic and story-wise fantastic movie, but they did make an entertaining movie, and that was immensely enjoyable for me (and for Johnathan, who willingly joined me in my girlish excitement for this new movie).
In terms of gripes, I have but a few. One was that there was contrived romance that simply did not belong in this volume of Narnia. Susan is getting to the age where boys are more interesting, but it seemed out of place and the longing looks that she exchanged with Caspian (as well as the over-dramatic kiss at the end) were unnecessary for both plot enhancement and entertainment purposes. I could easily have done without that.
The other major complaint was how much religious symbolism smacked us in the face throughout the whole movie. I know that’s more or less for the reason that it was prevalent in the novel, though I honestly don’t think it was quite as obvious in the book as it came through in the movie. I don’t mind religious allegory, but I would much rather not be smacked in the face by it every five minutes.
Given that the romance and religion injected into the movie are my biggest complaints, I would say that this is, overall, a good movie. From me… four stars.
