sopespian
Diane and I watched Prince Caspian earlier. I hadn’t seen it in the theater. Overall, I liked it, though I think it falls short of the book in some very key areas. The general plot changes I understand, since the book is fairly linear and weak in that department, being basically a story of how the Pevensies are called back to Narnia, meet up with Aslan and after a few mild adventures and dramatic twists, overwhelm the opposing army. So they had to add some more intrigue for the movie, and for the most part, it succeeds.
I’ll admit it: the book is my least favorite of the seven. I tend to see it as a series of vignettes communicating important Christian truths strung together over a thin coming-of-age and reconquest narrative. That said, some of the scenes and passages are very good and contribute considerably to the overall development of the characters, in addition to their spiritual component. And they’re what’s missing from the film. Those that have been left in, like the whole drama surrounding Lucy seeing Aslan at the gorge, as well as much of the dialogue during the denouement, have been gutted and stripped of any real poignancy. I’m no film director, either, but in my view they could have included so much more of Lewis’s rich interaction between the characters, cut out some of the violence, and the movie would have been much stronger. The action scenes are great and the overall plot structure is fine, but the characters and specificity of Lewis’s message really get shortchanged.
And one more thing: Eddie Izzard does not work as Reepicheep. Hugely miscast. This is a problem, as he has a major role in the next installment in the series. He’s supposed to steal the films the way he steals the books, and Izzard’s voice is just…not high enough and not British enough for the character. Moreover, his rhetorical flourishes are dumbed down for the modern audience and just fall flat. I’m very disappointed.