Movie Review - Prince Caspian

This past weekend, my wife, younger son, and I went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia film based upon the C.S. Lewis book, “Prince Caspian” (directed by Andrew Adamson and released by Walt Disney Pictures). It has been nearly (maybe more than) 25 years since I read the 7-book series by C.S. Lewis. I was in Jr. High at the time and honestly remember very little about the books. Prior to the release of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” (“The Lion”), I specifically took time to re-read the book to refresh myself on the story line. I was pleased at how well the movie followed the book. This time, though I intentionally did not read the book before going to see the movie. I remembered almost nothing about the book, and I wanted to simply enjoy the film as the producers intended. To my shock, it took less than 10 minutes into the film before my brain was flooded with memories from the book. I couldn’t remember every detail about the book, but all the main plot points were there. It is funny how that works.

Of course, the plot to “Prince Caspian” is fairly simple – save Narnia. After the 4 Kings and Queens of Narnia left abruptly at the end of “The Lion,” Narnia was taken over by the evil Telmarines. Only one year passes in London before the children return to Narnia, but hundreds of years have passed in Narnia. During that time, Narnians have been all but eliminated by the Telmarines and are even thought to be extinct, but a small band of Narnians still thrive secretly in the deepest part of the woods.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are transported from a railway station to Narnia when Prince Caspian X – who is running from his uncle, King Miraz, because he is trying to assassinate Caspian and solidify his control over the kingdom - blows Susan’s magical horn. When Prince Caspian learns of the surviving Narnians, he decides to lead them into battle to regain his throne and promises to return Narnia back to its rightful inhabitants. Enter now the Kings and Queens of old. After a very brief encounter between Peter and Caspian, all the “good guys” join forces against the evil King Miraz. Unfortunately, mistakes are made, lots of animals die, the Narnians are besieged, and only Asland can save the day – well not directly, but I don’t want to spoil everything! It is a great story that is extremely well produced with spectacular special effects. Since I haven't gone back yet and re-read “Prince Caspian,” I really can’t say how closely it follows the story. I’m sure the book is much more in depth and contained additional allegory, but honestly I really didn’t mind, because I enjoyed the movie regardless. It was overall a better produced, better filmed, and better acted sequel – and I loved the first movie so much that I bought it when it was released on DVD (technically we bought it for our kids, but we all know better, right). I'm pretty sure Prince Caspian will also be on my DVD shelf before long. Maybe now I will go back and read the book again…

As with “The Lion,” religious and philosophical themes abound in this theatrical adaptation of the great philosopher’s fictional masterpiece. It should be no surprise that Christian allegories abound throughout the film. Here are a few of the major ones:

• Many of the Narnian animals have become dumb brutes – even dangerous wild beasts, because they have been treated as such by the Telmarines – raising questions about the way in which Christians treat each other and the world in general.
• Many of the creatures – and even King Peter himself - have difficulty maintaining faith in Asland because he has been absent so long and has done nothing to ease the pain and suffering of the Narnians, raising questions about our own faith in God given the wicked state in which the world exists today.
• The failures experienced by the Narnian army came as a direct result of their self-dependence, rather than their dependence upon Alsand.
• The manner in which Asland works to ultimately save Narnia is completely unexpected by all parties, and in reality most of the characters in the movie never see the work he performs, reminding us that God always works in his own time, in his own way, and that we do not always recognize or understand his actions. This theme was emphasized in a dream sequence in which Lucy, who is really the only one who truly remained unswervingly faithful to Asland, is told by the great lion that “things never happen the same way twice.”
• During that same encounter, Lucy comments at how Asland has grown, but Asland responds that he grows as she grows, reminding us how our knowledge and understanding of who God is grows as we grow spiritually.
• At the end of the movie, when Asland is giving the kingdom of Narnia to Prince Caspian, Prince Caspian declares his inadequacy to fill the role, but Asland sees this humility as proof of his qualification to serve. This reminds us that we truly can do nothing on our own and that we are also inadequate in our own strength, but that God is looking for our availability and he will enable us as he wills.

To me, though, the greatest religious and philosophical theme was the one that was perhaps the most simple. It occurred near the beginning of the movie when Lucy claims to have seen Asland across a great ravine. She believes that Asland wants them to cross there, but no one else saw him and no one believes she really saw him. After a long detour that ultimately brings them back to the exact same spot to cross the ravine, the others begin to question why they did not see Asland. Her response is so simple, and yet so full of truth – “you did not see him because you were not looking for him.” How often do we miss God simply because we were not looking for him?

Prince Caspian is a fabulous move. Yes it is full of action scenes, war scenes, and violence, but such was the nature of the book. It is still a great family film worth seeing – and probably worth owning.