Review: Prince Caspian

May 22nd, 2008 · 5 Comments · Gryffindor Common Room

by Johnny

Can a movie improve upon a book which C.S. Lewis wrote that “[s]ales show that is longo intervallo [latin for "by a long interval"] the least popular of the Narnian books”? That certainly seems to be the aim of the director and producers of the film adaptation of Prince Caspian. From the lengthy battle scenes to an entirely new scene of the Narnians raiding Miraz’s castle, which is not in the book itself, it is clear they were trying to do so. But does it work? It works in making a Hollywood blockbuster, but not as a movie that is completely faithful to the book.

There are many omissions from the book in the film. I would have loved to see Bacchus, his Maenads, and Silenus on his donkey accompany Aslan and the two Penvensie girls in the merry celebratory romp in the chapter “The Lion Roars” and continued in “How All Were Very Busy.” I would have loved to see the Old Narnians dancing in the woods with the footprints still there in the morning. This would have given some perspective into the Old Narnians defying Miraz and his Telmarines by still holding to their way of life. It would have also lightened up the film in the midst of the urgency and the imminent war ahead. I would have loved to see Dr. Cornelius tell Prince Caspian, “All you have heard about Old Narnia is true…” at least in a flashback scene or whatever. The point of Prince Caspian is the not only the “restoration of the true religion after corruption” as C.S. Lewis summarized it, but also the overthrow of materialistic worldview and the skepticism that came with it ever since the Enlightenment. Aslan plays a big role in this, but he is glaringly absent for most of the film. He finally makes his appearance towards the end, in a climactic finish by rescuing Lucy and releasing the river god upon those Telmarines who refuse to fight. Makes for great cinema, but Aslan is around more in the book and the lessons learned by the four Pevensie children that are present in the book are absent from the movie.

One of the more powerful scenes in the movie takes place within the depths of what used to be Aslan’s How where Nikabrik along with a hag and a werewolf try to call upon the White Witch to help defeat Miraz. All is needed is the blood of a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve. The four Penvensie children arrive in time to stop Prince Caspian’s temptation, but not before Peter is tempted as well. Eventually a spear goes through the White Witch and we see Edmund wielding it in a scene reminiscient of when he destroys the White Witch’s magic spear in the first film. This scene, I feel, ties the two films together and shows how far Edmund has come from Turkish Delight.

Prince Caspian is a good and enjoyable summer blockbuster movie, but as a movie that is based on the book, leaves much out including the spiritual lessons that C.S. Lewis hid hoping to “steal past those watchful dragons”.

Tags: C.S. Lewis·Prince Caspian·Prince Caspian film

5 responses so far ↓

1 patrick // May 22, 2008 at 7:35 pm

haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet but definitely looking forward to it… i’ll have to look over the book one more time just to remind myself how the original story goes
2 RenaBlack // May 24, 2008 at 6:52 pm

I just saw the film on Thursday evening, but I think that the most impressive review I’ve heard is from a friend of mine who saw it on Sunday. Basically, it shook him up, kept hitting him with what he needed to hear…in other words, it worked as a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work in his heart. Period. It’s flawed, yes, but it’s helped at least one person in precisely the way Lewis would want it to help.

Plus, I cannot get enough of Lucy. Her scenes were the ones which hit me, personally. I’m glad of the film medium, because somehow the visual aspect almost always highlight some symbolism I’ve missed and change my heart much more quickly (same with Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire, actually).
3 Travis Prinzi // May 24, 2008 at 10:21 pm

RenaBlack, Lucy’s great, I agree. And there is something about actually seeing something that strikes a chord in the heart - that comes from a sacramental view of life. And there are definitely lessons to learn from the film - Peter’s arrogance and unwillingness to wait for Aslan, for one.

I’d suggest that what the Holy Spirit does and does not use has little, if anything, to do with its quality. The Spirit does what he likes with what he likes, good or bad. We don’t need to make something of a certain quality before the Holy Spirit can “use” it. So, my view on it stands: Lewis himself would have utterly hated the film. I’m sure he would have been glad that your friend was encouraged by it; but as a film, it’s a rather abysmal representation of the spirit of Prince Caspian as Lewis wrote it. (See the collection of reviews in this post for the reasons why.) I really, really disliked this film; and I’m not a book-to-film purist by any stretch.
4 Renee // May 25, 2008 at 7:25 pm

I certainly agree that the Spirit can work with whatever He wants to work with. And it doesn’t have to be a film that is marketed to Christian audiences wither (ala LWW or PC - I was actually worried about what Disney would do to it, especially knowing their marketing to churches). There are “Deep Magic” themes that run throughout many series and things in popular culture that allow us to steal past watchful dragons. Some that stand out for me - HP of course, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I have had many great conversations with people after watching Buffy about one spiritual issue or the other - Joss Whedon is definitely not a Christian, but themes run throughout). Definitely good fruit for discussion. I left the PC film frustrated with the way the story had been handled - it had a few fun moments, and good stuff with the Pevensies (they have certainly matured) but it really didn’t do the themes of the book justice.
5 Travis Prinzi // May 27, 2008 at 8:43 am

RenaBlack, Here’s a review of Prince Caspian by Ron Block (of Alison Krauss and Union Station) that I think you’ll appreciate. He has basically the same take on the film as you and your friend.