The Occasional Blog - A late review of Prince Caspian

The Occasional Blog

Jun. 4, 2008

A late review of Prince Caspian

Blogging has sort of become a chore for me. I remember the good old days when I would post every other day and jump onto every comment I received! Haha…I guess times and priorities have changed.

Well, I went to see Prince Caspian the day it came out—May 16 (was it really that long ago?) and I have to say that my expectations were VERY low. Ever since I found out that Walden was making it, I knew that it wouldn’t be made the way I would want it to be. Prince Caspian is a wonderful book, but the term being thrown around to describe it is “un-cinematic.” I have to agree. If there were a movie that followed the book word for word, it would be a horrible film. I anticipated many changes that I wasn’t going to like ever since the get-go.

Halfway through the movie, I was sitting in my seat being unable to contain my idiotic grin. I was sooooooo happy with how it was turning out! However, having watched and read every single spoiler that had come out, I knew that the worst was yet to come. I was right. From the point where the Pevensies met up with Caspian, I was squirming in my seat. I wasn’t so much disappointed with the plot changes, but with the changes to the characters.

Susan was awful. Yeah, you knew that was coming. Honestly, why did they have to wreck her character by making her some sort of warrior-princess, Legolas-shoot-off, male-attracting-hot-chick? I couldn’t even look at her without grimacing at the dark eye-make-up. I would have been okay with her doing some archery and getting involved in the battles a little bit, but why was she charging with Peter and Caspian in the night raid scene? It should have been Edmund there, or Glenstorm, or Reepicheep, or somebody, but NOT SUSAN!!

Peter wasn’t the high king. He was supposed to be a hero, but he was a moody, incompetent, argumentative jerk. That’s all I have to say about that.

Caspian didn’t seem like the main character. When all of the scenes were cut with him and Dr. Cornelius, showing his longing for the Old Narnia, he lost A LOT of his dynamic. He wasn’t badly portrayed, he just didn’t seem very distinctive.

The kiss was just cheesy. It cheapened the movie.

I do have to say that I was overall happy with it, though. Most of the changes that they made were warranted. I loved Trumpkin, Lucy, Edmund (though he should have gotten more screen time IMO), Miraz, Sopespian and Glozelle, Glenstorm, Reepicheep, and all of the lines and scenes that were taken from the book.

All in all, my low expectations made for a better movie experience. I think that the reason I was happy with it was because of all the little scenes that just captured the spirit of the book. I liked it for the same reasons that I liked it when I read it. I’d say that makes it a success.

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Jun. 4, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I have to say that I thought pretty much the same as you did. Susan drove me crazy! ;-)

~Elena