Two words: smash hit.We die-hard Narnia fans might not have a cool name (though "Narnighters" is an option), but when it comes to fierce passion for The Books, we're there. We want faithful adaptions just as much as the next reader and frankly, the Prince Caspian trailer should be burned. It gave fans like me zero hope for a good movie. I mean, seriously, when Ben says "I am Prince Caspian" in that my-name-is-Inigo-Montoya voice, how can you not smash your forehead into the keyboard?
But it was all a set up. Because the movie is such the best.
Yes, the plot was shuffled like cars on a rush hour board, and yes, there is an out-of-nowhere assault on Miraz's castle, and yes, there is a slight romance between Caspian and Susan. However, in my opinion, Prince Caspian, as a film, is better than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Heresy? Go see the movie.
The pacing is much better. The beach locations are amazing. The comic relief is not so corny. The entire Telemarine flavor is delicious. It is a grounded world, it is true to the essence of the novel, and what's more, Adamson kept lines. DLF, oh bother, must I sit on your head? Very satisfying.
If you're interested, visit this site for documented proof of the De Vries Family Narnia Obsession.
11 comments:
Man, I keep hearing such mixed reviews on this. Some love it others hate it others are 'meh' about it. I don't know what to do....!
Oooh, reviews of Lock & Key and Trouble, I hope??
Oh, I just went and read/looked at all of 'Project Narnia'. SO much fun. Makes me long to make a movie of a book...
Trust the force, Luke.
Reviews, reviews ... I just opened a package containing six of my wish list titles. So yes, reviews.
I thought you would like the PN blog. Word of advice: pick a short book.
Nicole, the reports I'm hearing is that while the film is graphically better than its successor, the franchise appears to be drifting further from Lewis' spirit. See Jeff Overstreet's How Prince Caspian Botched the Meaning of the Book for a thorough discussion.
P.S. I see I'm off your Jammy Blogs blogroll. Did I say something I shouldn't have?
I finally saw PC yesterday, I adored it! If you try to compare it to the book, you may be disappointed, though as a movie itself it was wonderful! and yes, if you are going to make a movie, pick a short book that doesn't have a lot of things you would have to improvise; like a lion...
NICOLE? What is THAT, Mike?!? I'm supposed to link to a guy who calls me Nicole? :)
Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. I really enjoyed hearing Overstreet last month at the Festival. As for the franchise's direction, I think it will shift with the new team at the helm. Amazing Grace people, vs. Shrek people, you know?
Yup. I agree. Saw it yesterday with my church's youth group. Very fun. And oh, how awful it was when all those Narnian soldiers were stuck behind the gate at Miraz's castle! And oh how wonderful when Reepacheep gets his tail back... and when Lucy stands there on that bridge taking out her small knife with a twinkle in her eye...
I cried of course. Caspian is a hottie. And the spiritual lessons were many. Interesting how the White Witch appears right in front of the image of Aslan, blocking view of him.
Ah, Jack would never believe it!
Okay, Mike, this is what I said over at Jeffrey's:
"The reviews you quoted Friday are well and good, but I would guess that few of them were written by anyone under thirty. I’m 21, and saw the film with siblings aged 17, 12 and 9. That doesn’t give our voice higher authority, but it is relevant.
I would say we’re Lewis “purists.” In fact, my six siblings, four cousins and I filmed a word-for-word, 110-minute version of LWW over the course of two years, without any adult assistance. I’m the oldest: I was 18. “Edmund” and “Lucy” were 6. In order to complete something like that you must be a) purists or b) insane. I prefer purists.
So we all grew up loving Lewis’ stories, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the cartoon and BBC productions. We smiled at the good in them, and shrugged at the bad. We were kids. That’s what kids do. We hoped better versions would come along, but at the same time, we knew they wouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of Narnia, no matter what “strangers” were involved, no matter what those strangers promised and failed to deliver. Your concerns are valid, but now and then the analytic adult mind can take things too far.
The kids I saw the movie with enjoyed it very much. There were moments of disappointment, and moments of pleasant surprise. Some things made them smile, and others made them shrug. However, they walked out of the theater with a skip in their step, not talking about certain stepsons being Judases.
I think there’s room for more childlikeness in us all."
Nicole, errrr, Noel. It's interesting that you defer to "childlikeness" when critiquing the movie. Hey, I'm all for not being too stuffy (see; "grownup"). However, Clive did have a very "adult" theology. Bringing that to the silver screen, however, is a whole other issue. Call me "stuffy", but Prince Heartthrob and the CGI corps doesn't appear to require literary integrity or doctrinal purity. However, feel free to dismiss this for it was written by someone over thirty...
Noel, I agree with your assessment. The only thing I'll add is that I was sorry for what they did to Peter. I thought they made him look worse than they should have. Other than that the Montoya voice was a little irksome, and Prince Caspian seemed much too old to me.
But I agree with you, the movie was very good. We all loved it in my family.
Oh, and cool pics of the cast of the LWW.
Hey, Sally!
Yes, the uproar when Ben was cast was enormous ... I guess in the months the followed, we got used to the idea, and when the film finally hit, it didn't bother us as much as it might have. But we do wonder/worry what they'll do with Eustace...
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