The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

I'll see it this weekend. I can't wait.

I also liked it, but I thought it was too sad.

==SPOILER==

The scene where Peter and the others have to abandon the Narnians in the castle? That was HORRIBLE. I bawled. And then the end wasn't super happy either because of course Peter and Susan are leaving forever. WAH!!!!

Also, I understand on an allegorical level why Aslan couldn't come save their butts again, but in terms of the story and the movie it was not well explained. He just kept saying the same thing can't happen twice. Well, so? Don't DIE again, but come roar and stuff! By the end, I kept thinking, why didn't Aslan just show up a couple of days earlier??? Now I am angry with him.

Soccer Mom said:

I'll see it this weekend. I can't wait.

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But ... you're waiting until the weekend, Soccer Mod!

Wait, they've made the next one?

Sweeeet!

Duncan J Macdonald said:

But ... you're waiting until the weekend, Soccer Mod!

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Don't do that. You'll make her explode.

Loved it. Thought it was well done. *Spoiler* The trees joining the fight.
Gave me a bit of a lump.

They start shooting "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" this fall, I think.

You're right, Christine. I've heard shooting starts in October. Yay!

Yes, but the two oldest children are leaving the series. They won't be doing any more. I'm not sure why, though. Whether they were "fired" or left of their own accord. Anyone know?

JoNightshade said:

Also, I understand on an allegorical level why Aslan couldn't come save their butts again, but in terms of the story and the movie it was not well explained. He just kept saying the same thing can't happen twice. Well, so? Don't DIE again, but come roar and stuff! By the end, I kept thinking, why didn't Aslan just show up a couple of days earlier??? Now I am angry with him.

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Aslan DID show up and save their butts again. That's my only complaint about these stories. The Deus ex Machina endings just kind of show me that no matter how bad the situation Lewis had to play what I always called the Storyteller God Card. Put your characters in a corner where the odds are ridiculously against them? No worries, because Lewis wants them to win, so he'll make it so that they do, regardless of how fantastical or illogical the device he uses to do it. He's the Storyteller, after all. It's his world to make or break.

That said, I fully enjoyed the stories and the movies. It's good entertainment, and I thought the movies were well done. But, as I said to my mother as we walked out of the movie theater..."Good movies, good books, but probably wouldn't get published today because of the contrived endings."

It just seems to me that the characters don't really earn their victories. In fact, they don't seem to win, or even be winning until Aslan, or some other entity, steps in and wins the day for them.

Oh, and the oldest two aren't in any more of the books that I recall. I don't think it was a slight against the actors...there just isn't more storyline for them.

Child Susan and Peter are gone from the stories -- adult Peter appears in 'Last Battle' and controversially Susan makes her last cameo (as an adult) in 'Horse and His Boy'.

Yes, but the two oldest children are leaving the series. They won't be doing any more. I'm not sure why, though. Whether they were "fired" or left of their own accord. Anyone know?

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I have yet to see a movie this month that I dont like . This one was more thoughtful though.

About Susan and Peter: According to Aslan, the older two have learned all they can from Narnia and don't return, but if the next film follows the book, a new "Son of Adam" will be introduced.

If they are filming The Voyage of the Dawn Treader this fall, will we have to wait 3yrs for it to reach theaters?

Ah. That clears it up. Thanks all. I read them aloud to my son some years ago but failed to recall that bit about the older children leaving the story.

Yay! Dawn Treader! I love anything with ships.

About the Deus Ex Machina endings... I don't mind those because I love Aslan so much, but I don't understand why, if he could just show up at the end, he couldn't have shown up back when all the little animals were being slaughtered? If I were the Narnians, I'd be sooo mad at him.

:out::

Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Question of the ages, so not too much different than the books/movies, right?

Also, the books wouldn't be very good.

Christine N. said:

Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Question of the ages, so not too much different than the books/movies, right?

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Well then, maybe they could have had Aslan explain it better. Here's what I would have had him say:

"I made you guys kings and queens of Narnia, and you accepted the responsibility, which means you hold responsibility for the realm. What kind of soveriegns would you be if I always rescued you and told you what to do? You needed to learn to rule on your own. Sometimes wisdom comes at a heavy price."

I just felt "Nothing happens the same way twice" was really wimpy. And not an explanation. At all.

::Still pouting::

Well, Lucy wanted to wait for Aslan to come save the day, while the others wanted to rely on their own strength. The bible suggests God's powers are tied somehow until we cry out to him, and put faith in him (although he sometimes seems to show grace to those who don't). So given that the film is a Christian allegory, Aslan waiting until the Narnians sought him out seems appropriate.

Thought the duel of champions was EXCELLENT. One of the best choreographed sword and shield fights I've ever seen. Movie was worth that sequence alone.

I thought the actor who played Caspian was weakest. I was a bit surprised to see the 'Spanish" spin on the Telmarines.

Eddie Izzard was underused.

CG work was an entire generation above the first film - which is to be expected. Marvelous costuming for the most part.

Still left me.... underwhelmed in terms of quality of message delivered though. Been twenty plus years since I read the series too.

I personally didn't think very highly of the film. Sorry. Thematically, Lewis' work was entirely gutted, and what they created in its place was not brilliant. OK, with some good moments, but still pretty mediocre.

Ben Barnes is obviously set to be the new Orlando Bloom (will they change the questionnaires at AW?) and visually the movie was a real treat, but...

I'll spare you my rant. If anybody is feeling sufficiently masochistic, you can find it here.

Judg, I think you named everything that was wrong with it for me. I still enjoyed it a lot, but I had a feeling they were leaving out a lot of Lewis' original content (it's been a looong time since I've read the books, and I didn't want to do it again before I saw the movies - otherwise I become a terrible nitpicker).

Actually knowing the retreat from the castle was not in the original makes me feel much better. That scene was really horrible for me and made me bawl, as an adult. If I'd seen that as a kid I would have totally flipped out.

It is always a very dangerous thing to see a movie based on a book you love. I have loved these books for decades. It wouldn't have been so bad if the producers hadn't gone on so much about how they were preserving Lewis' vision. If they had said, "We got some cool ideas from his books, and made up a story based on it," it would have been less frustrating.

It also would have been less frustrating if they'd done a better job at making up their new story. But at least it had a few redeeming qualities. I came out of the theatre thinking, "Well, that wasn't too terrible" but the more I thought about it, the more it fell apart. I prefer stories that grow on me the more I think about them.

Judg said:

It is always a very dangerous thing to see a movie based on a book you love.

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Especially if the book is as much about ideas as it is about adventure.

Dawn Treader was my favorite book of the series, and I think it will be even harder to do it justice. I'll still see it though.

I don't know. There are more adventures in Voyage and with today's special effects, it might end up being something quite special. But I never underestimate Hollywood's ability to mess up a good story. On the other hand, I've also read books based on movies and they uniformly stank. They read all stilted.