Let me just get this out of the way, so all of you can voice your frustrations at me and get it over with: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian isn’t as good as the other two major releases that have come out this summer, Iron Man and Speed Racer… and I really don’t expect it to be better than many of the other films coming out this summer. That said, however, I can readily admit that it is, as the marketing campaign has told everyone repeatedly the past couple weeks, better than the first Narnia film, and is a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Narnia still has a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s definitely a much more confident franchise which has made for a far better experience at the movies.
One of the most delightful surprises of Prince Caspian is Reepicheep the mouse. He’s one of my favorite characters out of all seven books, and his big screen debut perfectly brings him to life. His larger-than-life personality and bravery is captured brilliantly along with his courage in battle, and he steals every scene he’s in.
The other big surprise is Edmund. He was one of the really weak elements of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but here in Prince Caspian Skandar Keynes turns in a wonderful performance. In fact, the combination of solid characterizations for both Edmund and Reepicheep has me really looking forward to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader where these two characters really get a chance to shine. However, these aren’t the only two strong performances; the entire cast is much more solid and believable this time out. Even Liam Neeson has a better grasp of how to portray Aslan in his few brief scenes: a lot less Qui Gon Jin and more James Earl Jones as Mufassa.
It’s never easy to translate a beloved book to the big screen, and Prince Caspian presented the producers a very tough challenge as it’s one of the least cinematic of the Narnia books. But what Andrew Adamson and the rest of the crew have done with Prince Caspian is turn a good book into a good movie without strictly adhering to the book. All the key parts and themes and elements are here, just not necessarily in the same form as they were in the book. This is one of the key strengths of the film. Despite a stumbling start, after it builds some momentum, Prince Caspian is better paced and a more even film than its predecessor, and I think Adamson has done a remarkable job in bringing this story to film.
That’s not to say that Narnia still isn’t suffering from an identity crisis. The Narnia books were written as children’s stories; granted they’re set in a wonderfully epic and fantastical land, but they’re children’s stories nonetheless. Even today when I read them, I enjoy their breeziness and lightheartedness; The Lord of the Rings they aren’t. That’s the problem, however, because while that childlike sense of wonder and fun is found in the Narnia films, and much more so in Prince Caspian, at the same time you can still tell that these films want to be the next Rings-like epic. While not as pronounced as in the first film, Prince Caspian see-saws between the two and I just wish they’d pick one and run with it. Caspian is both darker and more delightful than Wardrobe, a problem that needs to be resolved if this series wants to continue to move forward.
Perhaps the weakest part of Prince Caspian is how much is left out in order to make room for all the extra war. The wonderful development of the relationship between Trumpkin and the Pevensie children is severely truncated, as is the key relationship between Caspian and his tutor. The element of faith that’s such a key part of the book is also pushed to the background in order to help move the story along, sacrificing some depth and drama for pacing (a necessary move in a film that’s already a wee bit too long).
While many may debate the faith elements or the lack thereof in this movie version, the main theme isn’t really about that but rather where we should turn to for help. There are times when we all get in over our head, and the question is where will we turn for help in those times. I’m sure many of us would like to have a magic horn to summon aid to our side, much like how Caspian uses Susan’s horn. But most of us (I’d say about 99.995% of us) don’t have that option. So again, the question is where will we turn for help. Peter also faces that question in the film, as does Caspian, and they turn to several sources for aid including themselves and even reaching out to the White Witch. Of course none of these options provide the help they really need. It’s not until they finally relent and truly seek help from Aslan that they receive the help needed.
The same is true with us. We can turn to all sorts of places for help, but they will all ultimately fall short. Psalm 122:1-2 (NKJV) tells us “I will lift my eyes to the hills; from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth.” When we need help, we have the option of turning to the one who created all that we behold. You may wonder why he would help us, but the answer to that is quite simple; he loves us. Yes, God loves you and cares about what happens in your life, which is why he is always there, ready to help you. In fact, Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on cross for our sins and then rose from the dead so that we’ll always have the option of turning to a holy God for help. Granted, he may not help us the way we might think is the best way to help us, but we can be assured that he knows exactly what we need in times of trouble. As a wise person once said, “Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes he calms us as he takes us through the storm.” When your Narnia is invaded and in trouble, where will you turn to for help? Always keep in mind that you can turn to the very one who created all you see. He loves you and wants to help you; isn’t that amazing and wonderful?
Despite a few weak patches, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a far superior film to its predecessor. It has much more convincing special effects, performances, pacing, and storytelling. This is an epic that is still an “epic-lite,” but much less obviously so. Should the Narnia series continue to improve this way with future installments, and should the key characters for Dawn Treader such as Caspian, Edmund and Reepicheep retain the solid foundation they laid in this film, then I can honestly say that Narnia may yet carve a niche for itself in the fantasy genre much like it’s epic big brother, The Lord of the Rings. However, Narnia continues to languish in the shadow of that franchise, and doesn’t look like it’s going to come out from beneath that shadow any time soon.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:59 am
“Liam Neeson has a better grasp of how to portray Aslan in his few brief scenes; a lot less Qui Gon Jin and more James Earl Jones as Mufassa.”
I wish I’d said that.
May 18th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Thanks, Mark. It took me awhile to phrase that just right. Seriously, I couldn’t even tell the first time Aslan spoke that it was still Liam Neeson; what an improvement!