Thoughts on Prince Caspian

• I miss him.
• The girls miss him.
• I get to read in the evening without the television being on.
• I’ve discovered that though I’m allegedly a grown-up, I’m still afraid of the dark. A little. It makes noises louder – especially when reading Gothic novels late at night. (I’m glad we have a dog.)
• I went to see Prince Caspian this afternoon. Alone. My husband’s parents took us out to lunch, then offered to take the girls out and give me a little time to myself. I caught the movie on its last day in town.

My friend Ruth has already written a great review of the movie here, and I agree with pretty much everything she says. What I want to do is just add a few of my responses as I watched:

• It’s been long enough since my most recent reread of the book that the liberties taken with the plot didn’t bother me. Usually if I see a movie version of a book, I kind of hope it will be a little different from the book, though true to its spirit. Otherwise why make the movie? This film chose themes to emphasize that hadn’t struck me as so central in my reading experience. Perhaps it’s a different animal altogether. I like that; now I want to reread.
• They did a terrific job with the theme of waiting for Aslan vs. choosing the ”way that seemeth right.” “We’ve waited for Aslan long enough,” says Peter at one point. Weariness with waiting feels true to life for my family right now as we try to discern how God is leading. The challenge isn’t so much to avoid running ahead as to keep the ear expectant. That sense of waiting is interminable in the movie… When is Aslan going to show up? At times I thought resentfully that he was letting them do all the hard stuff, then he’d make his appearance. I was glad he did some real Aslan-work when he finally showed up.
• During the opening sequence, I was surprised at my strong emotional response. It had to do with the influence of Lewis — how dramatic it’s been in so many lives, how far-reaching. Something about seeing the magic of the story coming to life so beautifully made me think again of how much I want my life to count for something, and to outlast me.
• Ditto with the drama of the children’s removal to Narnia. Ruth thought the train station scene was overdone, and I guess I wouldn’t argue with that. But it still moved me. Maybe I long to see glimpses of Paradise through the windows of my mundane days, so often full of uncertainty and monotony.
• Last but not least, I’ve read that Tolkien didn’t approve of Lewis’s use of mythological creatures like centaurs and the like. I think I might agree — at least on screen. The fantasy world of LOTR is somehow more complete and convincing than this one; seeing the creatures on the screen in these two Narnia movies always has the effect of interrupting the illusion for me, and I didn’t have that feeling watching the LOTR movies.

In all honesty I’m not that hard to please at the movies, but I did enjoy this. There are plenty of thoughtful critiques on both sides out there. If you saw the movie, let me know what you thought of it!