Thursday, May 27, 2010

College and Prince Caspian

Faithngracegirl asked,

-What do you think about girls going to college?

Well, I'm a girl, and I'm in college. : )
As for my "official" stance on it as a general thing, I am just fine with any girl's decision not to go to college. In fact, I almost decided not to go to college. Staying at home is great and you can still learn at home. However, if you feel like you should go to college, or if you just love learning and really want to go to college (like me), by all means, go for it!

-What do you think about the movie Prince Caspian (if you've watched it, that is!)?
 
Unfortunately I did see that movie. There were a few parts I liked, but there were many things wrong with it.
I'll start with the negative.
 
Prince Caspian. They just made a really bad decision when they cast him.
First of all, he was far, far too old to play the part. In the book, Caspian is a young boy, a little younger than Edmund. That's the reason Peter fights for him at the end, because they are afraid the king won't take such a young boy seriously. With him being so old, that part of the plot makes no sense at all. Also, if he is a young man in his twenties, why is Mraz still getting away with ruling for him? He is old enough to rule his own country .
Secondly, what's up with that weird, fake sounding Spanish accent? That accent drove me crazy throughout the whole movie.

Peter. I was so disappointed in Peter. In the book he is a hero. He is mature, because he lived a full life in Narnia, and he is wise and strong. When he gets back into Narnia, and pulls out his sword, he can feel the kingliness and wisdom coming back to him. When he goes to help Caspian, the first thing he says to him is that he is not there to try to take Caspian's place, but to help him get back his rightful authority.
In the movie, Peter is a jerk. He is self-centered, he makes stupid decisions and doesn't listen to other people, and he does try to undermine Prince Caspian's authority. In the movie, his attitude towards Caspian is more like, I'm here now, and I'm wonderful, so get out of the way while I clean up the mess you stupidly made. He endangers, and loses, the lives of his followers, because he is too stubborn and self-righteous to admit that he made a mistake in storming the castle.
I really don't like Peter in Prince Caspian, and I loved him in the first movie.

The plot. They made some really strange decisions with the plot in this movie.
Susan and Prince Caspian in love? Eew. Like I said, in the book, he is a little boy. Why add this side plot when it can't go anywhere? Susan is not in the next movie, and Prince Caspian is supposed to fall in love with Ramandu's daughter in the next one. Now movie watchers will feel weird about that because they have invested their feelings into a Susan and Caspian relationship.
Storming the castle. It just wasn't needed. There is a big battle scene at the end, too. The whole castle sequence was not in the book, because in the book, Peter would have never done anything so stupid. It is a really scary scene, too, especially the end. We skipped the end of the battle when my younger siblings watched it. It took us a long time to even decide to let them watch it, because the movie in general was much darker than the first one.

I think I have ranted enough, don't you? Now I will share the only thing I liked about the movie.

Edmund. : )
I love Edmund. I liked him in the first movie, too, even when he was on the wrong side. He wasn't really evil, he just gave in to temptation. He was a sinner. We are all sinners and 'fall short of the glory of God', so anyone should be able to relate to his character. And redeemed Edmund is the best character in all of Narnia, even the movies.
In this movie, he is right there by Peter's side, helping him and fighting for him. He is the one who gets rid of the White Witch, when Peter was going to give in to her. Edmund has been there, and he knows what the White Witch can do to you. He was not going to go there again. When the others don't believe that Lucy has seen Aslan on the cliff, Edmund sticks up for her. Once again, it's because he has truly learned his lesson and repented of what he did. The first time he didn't believe Lucy (about there being a wood in the wardrobe), she turned out to be right, and things didn't turn out so well for him.
I felt like Edmund was pushed into the background of this movie. Peter and Caspian take center stage, but every part Edmund has is selfless and heroic. If you watch the movie again, pay attention to Edmund. Instead of focusing on Peter, watch him and the little things that he does in the background. Edmund is the only true hero in this movie.

~Jane~

9 comments:

Grace said...

I totally agree!!! Unfortunately, I own the movie!! The only parts I really liked were when the Pevensies first arrived in Narnia and the very end song, The Call by Regina Spektor. They totally had WAY too much battle scenes; pratically half the movie was a battle scene (and I really do not like fights)
I am glad that I did not watch it in the movie theatres.
I hope they do a good job on the next movie!!!
Sisters in Christ,
Grace
P.S. On the plus side, I did like the costumes:)

Amber Noella said...

I agree. I have all the books, but haven't brought myself to read em yet. Is it worth it?! I want to I guess. Maybe soon.

I didn't really like the movie either.

~Amber

Celine said...

you will be glad to know that Caspian will not have an accent in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader: http://www.narniaweb.com/2010/05/caspian-loses-his-accent-for-vdt/
Personally, I liked Caspian...but he should have been a few years younger, and I strongly disliked the romance. ug. I don't understand why they always have to through a romance into every movie. *sigh* Ah, well. They ("they" being the people working on the plot) said they had made some mistakes with Prince Caspian and basically are going to stick to the book. (well, that's what they said summarized :) Which is great, because VDT is my favorite book of the seven.
Anywho, thanks for posting. :)

Mackenzie Evans Marts said...

Your review of what went wrong with Prince Caspian is the best one I've read. You really wrote the flaws out nicely. :)

Much better than my review: "He was so pretty.. then he had to open his mouth and start talking." Movie was ruined as soon as that accent came out. ;)

I actually did like it though when I first saw it because I thought it was a lot better done than the first. Guess I was setting myself up for disappointment, since I really wanted the Narnia movies to be amazing, because the story has affected my life so much.

And on college. I agree. It all depends if you want to go and learn. I also think what's important is that you can pay for it and not go into major debt because of it. For me right now, even though I'd love to learn, I can't justify spending that much money, especially when my soon to be husband has a military job, and the money might be better spent elsewhere. (though if I wanted to, he'd find a way to pay for me. He's awesome. :) ) So hopefully I'll find some nice scholarships or something.

Sangu Mandanna said...

I like the movies, but I always find it weird that Susan and Peter have such great chemistry (bit odd given we're meant to think of them as brother and sister).

-Bess- said...

I haven't seen the movie, but I totally agree on the college thing! Girls have just as much right to go to college as guys do. I graduated last spring from college & am so glad I did it! For the job I wanted you have to have a certain college degree.
Love & Blessings,
-Bess-
P.S.: Sorry I haven't commented in a while, I've been busy, busy, busy with stuff.

Faith said...

I really was inlove with Edmund in that movie. He was so nice :)

Good review!

-Faith

Ivania said...

HA!

I agree with every single thing you said!

I ADORED Peter in the first movie, but I hated him in this one.

Susan and Caspian? Bleeeh.

Caspian was just....oog.

Oh yeah. While this may not be too important, CASPIAN WAS BLONDE

It said so in both books!

Moe said...

Good answers Jane! Yes, the movie was kind of a disappointment. I do enjoy watching it though... except the last scene with Caspian and Susan (:P:P:P).

I think that college shouldn't be outlawed for young ladies either. I think that is between that young lady and the Lord.