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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

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Cartilage Head:
 Not sure. I've read about it, kind of iffy about some of the changes they are making.

Orbert:
I saw it; it was great.  It makes sense that they made this one next, as it's the only other one with all four Pevensie kids in it, and the one which feels most directly like a sequel.  For those who aren't familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia: they don't form a single continuous narrative.  There is a certain order to them which makes them make a bit more sense, but at least one of them is pretty much a stand-alone story, they don't all feature the same characters, and the only thing all really have in common is that they all take place in a land called Narnia.  Mostly.

Anyway, this one's a bit darker than the first.  The Bad Guys are Humans this time, not talking animals, so there's a more realistic feel to it, and these guys are pretty nasty, both to each other and to the Narnians.  It follows the book pretty well, although the few changes they did make were annoying, mostly because they were totally unnecessary and added nothing.  But I thought it was well-paced and well-directed.  The books are short, yes, but packing everything into a two-hour movie is still a task, and they did pack a lot in.  It moves right along, though, and takes a few turns, so I came out of it feeling quite entertained.

<rant>

I honestly don't understand why people are screaming about the "Christian themes" and all the underlying allegory.  They never hit you over the head with it.  It's always referred to as "the magic" or even "the deeper magic".  I'd think all the Christian-haters would like that even better, since they think it's a bunch of malarkey anyway.  Why not call it "magic"?  It's a fantasy.  It has talking animals, giants, centaurs, and people using magic, but people are upset about the allegory angle which is only there if you're looking for it in the first place?

</rant>

ummmkay:
Yeah they weren't written in chronological order. I think The Magician's Nephew might have been written last of all (although I could be wrong on that) and it's about the very beginning of Narnia. I'm already excited about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - it's my second favorite of the books.

As for the Christian thing - seriously people? Christians can appreciate the symbolism of it, and people who aren't Christians can just enjoy a really great story. Big deal? NOPE.

Okay now SPOILERZ:



I really enjoyed this movie! I actually teared up when they were retreating from the Telmarine castle or whatever and had to leave some people inside and they were climbing up the gate. The only thing that made me absolutely furiously angry was the ridiculous thing between Susan and Caspian. I guess they were trying to emphasize the fact that Susan was growing up (which is why she and Peter won't be returning to Narnia) but I just... I really hated it. As far as I can remember, there was absolutely nothing in the books to even hint at anything between them. IMO a better way to make the same point would have been to do something at the end with the boy who approached her at the beginning of the movie. Or maybe I'm just grasping at straws since I hated that so much.

Caspian's accent also irritated me, as well as the river man thing who destroyed the bridge at Beruna. I would have liked it better if it had been just a really big wave, or maybe if it had taken the form of Aslan's face, or something. That's not really a big deal though.

hrivero:
In my opinion, this one was one of the few book-movie adaptations that was win. I've read the books so many times, and for once I was pleased with what happened through translation into a film.

One key thing I felt was spot on was the maturity of the Pevensies. It's hard to remember from one film to the next that they physically and emotionally grew up in Narnia the first time around so just because they returned to their childish physical forms, it doesn't mean they forgot everything that happened. It was really awesome to see almost wisdom shining through Lucy's eyes when she spoke because she looks so young and small. I felt it was really awesome of the director to make sure that happened.

Also, I agree with the above poster about the Susan/Caspian thing. I was in the theater with a 'Double you tee eff?' look on my face as I watched that unfold.

It didn't make sense to me for a couple reasons. One: Wasn't in the book. Two: She's already BEEN married in Narnia. I guess she's a widow now cause her husband would be dead but still...it just weirded me out.

Also, in response to the Christian allegory topic: These books and films ARE indeed good demonstrations of faith vs proof. While it was blatant in Caspian (Peter praying for Aslan to give him proof vs Lucy's faith) it can be much more subtle.

I don't find a problem with that.

Surgoshan:
The LWW film toned down the allegory, certainly, but the books also certainly do have those themes in them and they're clear if you know more about Christian mythology/theology than the average 8-year-old.  Face it, in LWW you have one person being tortured and sacrificed for the sins of another, and then he comes back to life and breathes life back into those twisted and tormented by evil.  In A Horse and His Boy, the boy recreates the journey across the desert and Aslan draws water from the earth as Moses did.  Finally, in The Last Battle, you have an enactment in Narnia of, of all things, the last battle written of in Revelations.  The allegory was never incidental or accidental, but was written into all the books by a theologian who also happened to write some compelling stories.  Aslan is simply the christ in another realm and is the hand of divine providence.  Lewis's purpose may not have been to write allegories, but instead to write children's stories, but he was a devout and intelligent man and they didn't end up there by accident.

I recently reread the books and I'm not surprised I didn't notice these things when I was a kid, but they kind of buffet you about the head and neck if you know something about christian theology.  A character, unseeing in the dark, asks who's following and receives in reply a roar "It is I!", a gentle, caressing, "It is I." and a whispering, "It is I."  How many children will realize that's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?

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