John's Movie Musings

Alright! I caught my first big summer movie with Prince Caspian. Even though I read the book three years ago, I remember very little about the story. That might actually be a good thing since my knowledge of The Lion, the Witch , and the Wardrobe detracted from my movie experience. I thought they handled the first one well, but the few changes they made annoyed me. With Prince Caspian, I went in with a fresh(er) set of eyes.

So how is it? Great. Like the Harry Potter films, the sequel is deeper, more "grown up" and thus, a better film. It also helps that the kids are a bit older and less annoying than before. I'm not sure if I should thank C.S. Lewis or the director, but the dwarf character saved many of the annoying scenes with his deadpan delivery.

Another great casting choice is Reepicheep. Eddie Izzard voices the mouse and he couldn't be more perfect. Granted, I did want him to ask a soldier if he had a flag. Reep has a larger role in Voyage of the Dawn Treader (my favorite of the Narnia series), so I can't wait to see it in 2010.

By now everyone knows that Lewis wrote the Narnia series as Christian allegory. It was blatantly obvious in LWW, but here, I thought it was toned down a bit. Other than the overall theme of waiting on God, the only direct allegory I caught was Lucy's woodland meeting with Aslan. I remember getting a lot more out of that scene in the book.

Even though it's PG, the parents in our entourage felt it was too violent for kids. I'm a horrible gauge for that, so take it for what you will.

If you like the Narnia series, you'll love this one. It's a better, deeper story and well worth your time.


Grade: A