'The Narnia you remember is no more'
May. 16th, 2008 04:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amatyultareMidnight movies are always fun...although work today is going to be sort of painful. Perhaps I'll call in...I need to pack anyway for graduation this weekend.
So I caved and went to a midnight release of Prince Caspian. I was excited to see it, even though the grumblings in the 'purist' fandom (see![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
narniasues, for example) was that it looked very much altered.
I tried to put my thoughts together all the way of the drive back (the showing was in a town about an hour and a half away--ah, central Maine) but it's late/early and I'm not totally coherent, so here are some semi-random thoughts about the movie. I'm trying to avoid movie spoilers, but there WILL be plot spoilers for those who haven't read the books.
Things I Liked:
Lucy I wondered 'aloud' in an LJ comment a few days ago what Adamson (the director of the Narnia movies) would do with Lucy, who plays a large role in the book Prince Caspian. And she was fabulous. Lucy may be the best part of the movie. Her character is complex yet innocent, inspiring yet human and imperfect. Some moments--wow. Specifically:
-her asking the others to believe in Aslan while curled up on the remains of the Stone Table
-the Bridge of Beruna (the whole movie is worth it, just for this one moment, in my opinion)
Aslan Not in the movie nearly as much as he is in the book, but still. And the CG in the scenes where he appears are very deftly handled.
Edmund He very much comes into his own, which is appropriate. He almost seems *too* self-possessed, but I think that's just the contrast of the other main characters (see below). He's got some great, sometimes snarky lines, and overall is a strong and likeable character. People who are used to thinking of him as just the depressed traitor from LWW are going to be in for a surprise.
The increased closeness between Lucy and Edmund It's subtle, but there, and it sets the stage for Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Peter's battle plans Peter must have been studying Sun Tzu's The Art of War in the year between LWW and PC.
Reepicheep I love him. And they left in my favorite scene, yay!
The costumer Possibly the only person in the design team who WASN'T taking his/her cue from Lord of the Rings. And wow, are these costumes gorgeous. I want every piece of clothing that Susan wears during the movie, for example.
The scenery
The depiction of Telmarine politicking Particularly the coronation scene.
Things I Wasn't So Crazy About:
Caspian I still do not agree with the age change. Ben Barnes does not look the same age as William Moseley; he looks about eight years older. Which he is (or six years, or something). That actually does work with the Caspian/Peter dynamic in the movie, but it is quite uncanonical and makes me sad. Also, not to harp on this, but this is not the last movie. Lucy and Caspian are supposed to become good friends during Voyage, but how that's supposed to happen when she's maybe 13 and he's 30, I really don't know.
Further, Caspian's character is a whole lot less likeable in the movie than the book, which I presume the director/writers think makes him more 'real'--except his behavior strikes me as actually less plausible than in the book.
Peter You know how Susan in PC (the book) is all whiny and somewhat obnoxious for most of it, and blames everyone but herself for problems, and basically is a selfish brat for most of the journey before she finally gets some sense knocked into her?
That's Peter in PC the movie.
When the first time you see Peter in the movie is him BRAWLING in a train station with a bunch of boys, because they were rude to him (!), you know that this isn't the High King you remember from the books....
Susan Susan-lovers may be happy. But I am used to PC being the 'beginning of the end' for Susan, the gentle foreshadowing that she doesn't really belong in Narnia. She's not a bad person, she just...doesn't quite fit. This whole theme goes completely out the window in favor of Susan becoming Legolas (in a chain mail dress and a corset, no less).
The only hint that remains is when she vaguely refers to not being totally thrilled to be back in Narnia. And she admits at the end that she IS glad...because she got to meet Caspian. Gag me. Which reminds me...
The Caspian/Susan romance Why was this even included? Besides the director's need for 'realism'? It really adds nothing to the plot except a whole lot of awkward. Oh, and several comments about the possession of Susan's horn (hunting horn) which I don't THINK were meant to sound suggestive, but...really, guys, was this necessary?
Helms Deep Lite Also known as Peter's Plan to Capture Miraz's Castle. I'm calling it Helms Deep Lite for a reason. Clearly we need to sneak into Adamson's house and steal his LotR DVDs posthaste.
Miraz Or rather, not Miraz himself but the fact that I was half-rooting for him. He's developed into an amazing character, which would be fine except that Caspian and Peter are both such annoying twerps for most of the movie that you sort of wish Miraz would defeat them.
My overall thoughts: It's a very enjoyable movie. And parts of it (specifically, Lucy's part of it) I felt stayed very true to the heart of the book. But I'm slightly depressed by the overall thrust of the story.
There's a whole lot of fighting, to which I take exception, and not only because it's not canon. The Chronicles, among other things, trace a gradually more complex understanding of morality and sin. In LWW, the story is very simply about good defeating evil, which is why a battlefield is a natural choice for where the story ends up. You have the two sides, and they fight.
In PC, the story is more complex. Narnians cannot always be assumed to be good; not everyone who is against your enemy is 'on your side'. And I don't think it's an accident that while there are several large battles during the time period spanned in PC, none of them really appear 'on-screen' for more than a moment or two in the books. I know that the beautiful insanity of the Romp would be difficult to film and present well, but surely they could have done something else besides fight scene after fight scene?
I sound negative...maybe it's just because it's really late/early. I really, honestly did enjoy the movie a LOT, and I think it's more than worth seeing. I just wish the director and screenwriters had thought a bit harder about how their mania for 'realism' could harmonize with, rather than drown out, the original themes of the book.
So I caved and went to a midnight release of Prince Caspian. I was excited to see it, even though the grumblings in the 'purist' fandom (see
narniasues, for example) was that it looked very much altered.I tried to put my thoughts together all the way of the drive back (the showing was in a town about an hour and a half away--ah, central Maine) but it's late/early and I'm not totally coherent, so here are some semi-random thoughts about the movie. I'm trying to avoid movie spoilers, but there WILL be plot spoilers for those who haven't read the books.
Things I Liked:
Lucy I wondered 'aloud' in an LJ comment a few days ago what Adamson (the director of the Narnia movies) would do with Lucy, who plays a large role in the book Prince Caspian. And she was fabulous. Lucy may be the best part of the movie. Her character is complex yet innocent, inspiring yet human and imperfect. Some moments--wow. Specifically:
-her asking the others to believe in Aslan while curled up on the remains of the Stone Table
-the Bridge of Beruna (the whole movie is worth it, just for this one moment, in my opinion)
Aslan Not in the movie nearly as much as he is in the book, but still. And the CG in the scenes where he appears are very deftly handled.
Edmund He very much comes into his own, which is appropriate. He almost seems *too* self-possessed, but I think that's just the contrast of the other main characters (see below). He's got some great, sometimes snarky lines, and overall is a strong and likeable character. People who are used to thinking of him as just the depressed traitor from LWW are going to be in for a surprise.
The increased closeness between Lucy and Edmund It's subtle, but there, and it sets the stage for Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Peter's battle plans Peter must have been studying Sun Tzu's The Art of War in the year between LWW and PC.
Reepicheep I love him. And they left in my favorite scene, yay!
The costumer Possibly the only person in the design team who WASN'T taking his/her cue from Lord of the Rings. And wow, are these costumes gorgeous. I want every piece of clothing that Susan wears during the movie, for example.
The scenery
The depiction of Telmarine politicking Particularly the coronation scene.
Things I Wasn't So Crazy About:
Caspian I still do not agree with the age change. Ben Barnes does not look the same age as William Moseley; he looks about eight years older. Which he is (or six years, or something). That actually does work with the Caspian/Peter dynamic in the movie, but it is quite uncanonical and makes me sad. Also, not to harp on this, but this is not the last movie. Lucy and Caspian are supposed to become good friends during Voyage, but how that's supposed to happen when she's maybe 13 and he's 30, I really don't know.
Further, Caspian's character is a whole lot less likeable in the movie than the book, which I presume the director/writers think makes him more 'real'--except his behavior strikes me as actually less plausible than in the book.
Peter You know how Susan in PC (the book) is all whiny and somewhat obnoxious for most of it, and blames everyone but herself for problems, and basically is a selfish brat for most of the journey before she finally gets some sense knocked into her?
That's Peter in PC the movie.
When the first time you see Peter in the movie is him BRAWLING in a train station with a bunch of boys, because they were rude to him (!), you know that this isn't the High King you remember from the books....
Susan Susan-lovers may be happy. But I am used to PC being the 'beginning of the end' for Susan, the gentle foreshadowing that she doesn't really belong in Narnia. She's not a bad person, she just...doesn't quite fit. This whole theme goes completely out the window in favor of Susan becoming Legolas (in a chain mail dress and a corset, no less).
The only hint that remains is when she vaguely refers to not being totally thrilled to be back in Narnia. And she admits at the end that she IS glad...because she got to meet Caspian. Gag me. Which reminds me...
The Caspian/Susan romance Why was this even included? Besides the director's need for 'realism'? It really adds nothing to the plot except a whole lot of awkward. Oh, and several comments about the possession of Susan's horn (hunting horn) which I don't THINK were meant to sound suggestive, but...really, guys, was this necessary?
Helms Deep Lite Also known as Peter's Plan to Capture Miraz's Castle. I'm calling it Helms Deep Lite for a reason. Clearly we need to sneak into Adamson's house and steal his LotR DVDs posthaste.
Miraz Or rather, not Miraz himself but the fact that I was half-rooting for him. He's developed into an amazing character, which would be fine except that Caspian and Peter are both such annoying twerps for most of the movie that you sort of wish Miraz would defeat them.
My overall thoughts: It's a very enjoyable movie. And parts of it (specifically, Lucy's part of it) I felt stayed very true to the heart of the book. But I'm slightly depressed by the overall thrust of the story.
There's a whole lot of fighting, to which I take exception, and not only because it's not canon. The Chronicles, among other things, trace a gradually more complex understanding of morality and sin. In LWW, the story is very simply about good defeating evil, which is why a battlefield is a natural choice for where the story ends up. You have the two sides, and they fight.
In PC, the story is more complex. Narnians cannot always be assumed to be good; not everyone who is against your enemy is 'on your side'. And I don't think it's an accident that while there are several large battles during the time period spanned in PC, none of them really appear 'on-screen' for more than a moment or two in the books. I know that the beautiful insanity of the Romp would be difficult to film and present well, but surely they could have done something else besides fight scene after fight scene?
I sound negative...maybe it's just because it's really late/early. I really, honestly did enjoy the movie a LOT, and I think it's more than worth seeing. I just wish the director and screenwriters had thought a bit harder about how their mania for 'realism' could harmonize with, rather than drown out, the original themes of the book.