Movie Thread, Grab some popcorn and discuss Narnia movies! |
 Jan 30 2009, 10:00 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Exclusive distributor of The Dungbomb Protection Kit  Posts: 2,642 Joined: 10:52pm March 5, 2007    |
Disney has produced two Narnia films so far The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Following Prince Caspian's less than stellar box office numbers, the series was dropped by Disney and picked up by Fox. The next movie The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is in production, with the budget and script being finalized. Resuming their roles will be Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian; Georgie Henley as Lucy; Skandar Keynes as Edmund; and William Poulter has been cast as Eustace.
What do you think of the two Narnia movies so far? Do you think Fox can improve on Disney? Are there other productions of the Narnia series that are worth looking into? Personally, I loved Lion, Witch, Wardrobe, but I thought Prince Caspian fell far short of the mark. At one point I had absolutely no idea what was going on because the script had gotten so far from the book (I had horrible flashbacks of Goblet of Fire...wait, that's a whole 'nuther thread  ). I was glad to hear that production would continue, though. Hopefully they can get the magic of the first movie back, Dawn Treader is my favorite of the books, and I will be anxious to see what they do with it.I'm not familiar with William Poulter, but he sure looks the part of bratty Eustace! |
 |
 
 
|
|
Jan 31 2009, 08:39 PM
Post
#2
|
|
|
Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 1 Joined: 4:20pm January 30, 2009 |
I agree. Prince Caspian was a dissappointment, though it had some nice things. I should dig up my old review of it.
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 31 2009, 10:08 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 10 Joined: 3:33pm January 30, 2009 |
Personally I hated the Prince Caspian movie. I remember looking at my boyfriend and saying "Did the writer only read spark notes?"
It felt like the heart of the Prince Caspian movie was ripped out in order to make it more of an action film. Hopefully they won't have to do that w/ Dawn Treader because the plot line already allows it to be larger than life. |
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 2009, 12:12 AM
Post
#4
|
|
Getting Fitted for New Dress Robes Posts: 44 Joined: 7:40pm December 6, 2008 Location: With Severus, because all he needs is love.  |
I liked both movies, and actually preferred Prince Caspian. I don't know why. The script wasn't that great, and it often strayed far from the book, but as a movie, I enjoyed it.
I look forward to Dawn Treader
-------------------- Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real? |
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 2009, 12:16 AM
Post
#5
|
|
Flesh-Eating-Slug Catcher Posts: 176 Joined: 10:01pm January 4, 2009 Location: Lying in St. Mungo's with tentacles and three extra heads. |
I thought Prince Caspian didn't really explain why anything was happening. Like, why can't Lucy and Peter come back to Narnia? *sigh*
-------------------- Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. - Frank Lloyd Wright
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 2009, 12:18 AM
Post
#6
|
|
Being Eaten by the Pea Soup Posts: 24 Joined: 4:29pm January 30, 2009 Location: The South |
prince caspian wasn't the best movie ever, but i did enjoy it. i already knew they were going to change it a lot from the book, and they made a conscious decision to do so, because the book, as written, does not make a very good film, even if it makes an excellent book. though they changed and added scenes, i felt like one of the main themes in the book was still there- that we get focused on wanting to prove ourselves and forget to look for and let aslan lead us. i didn't like, however, the display of why peter does the duel in the end- he did it on aslan's orders in the book, and to 'prove' himself to aslan in the movie. this is not what lewis was trying to get at, i don't think. also, the whole journey to 'seeing aslan' was cut out- lucy, then edmund, then peter and susan finally seeing him again. this was dissapointing. but they still did get lucy's line that maybe you didn't see him because you weren't looking.
i am hopeful that dawn treader will be good. now that disney isn't involved, i'm hoping fox will let walden go back to the books and the original magic and wonder, and make it more of a family movie again- it's such a great classic adventure story, and should be advertised for elementary school kids, not teenagers (though any teenager who has their priorities straight will want to see it) instead of dressing it up to try to compete with big action films. that's not what it's about. i'm also thrilled they're going back to the december release, again, making it more family oriented, as it should be. even though it was stressful before fox came on, i think disney dropping it is probably a blessing in disguise. i just hope it does well so they will make the rest of the movies, because i'm dying to see them. plus, i hate seeing something go uncompleted. i like finishing things. as for susan and peter not coming back to narnia- it's not really explained in the books either. we just know that they are too old, and that it's time for them to live in their own world now. an interesting thing to note, i think. we learn so much taking trips into fantasy worlds like narnia, middle earth, and the wizarding world, but it does no good unless we return to our world and apply what we have learned there. This post has been edited by Rinny: Feb 1 2009, 12:21 AM -------------------- ~ Rinny
Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time. |
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 2009, 04:03 AM
Post
#7
|
|
Mister Bea Arthur Posts: 325 Joined: 11:46pm January 17, 2006 Location: California |
For me, Prince Caspian only had to be functional as a movie. And it was certainly that at least. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I still enjoyed it.
I find it odd with these films as compared to Harry Potter. With Harry Potter the books are so long that they have to cut major parts out in order to create a film that only lasts two and a half hours. But for Narnia, they seem to feel compelled to add huge parts to create a movie of a similar length. -------------------- "Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat and I thought someone should - "
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 1 2009, 05:48 PM
Post
#8
|
|
|
Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 15 Joined: 4:22pm July 31, 2007 Location: texas |
i actually liked prince caspian..but it got released at the wrong time there were too many other movies for it to compete with..i love the feel that disney gave to the movies and hope that they don't take that away in a fox production
these were really great movies (the both of them) --------------------  -Disgruntled House-Elf at The Leaky Cauldron |
|
|
|
|
Feb 2 2009, 07:29 AM
Post
#9
|
|
|
Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 1 Joined: 2:06pm February 8, 2008 |
As an action movie, Prince Caspian was great. However, I was disappointed that it didn't stay with the plot lines of the book and mixed up the timing of things. And they added things that were never in the book to begin with -- Peter was never jealous of Prince Caspian; there was never a love interest between Susan and Caspian; and quite frankly, Caspian was a bit younger in the book. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was so much closer to the heart and soul of the book and I think that was it's success. Disney tried to go for some kind of Hollywood aspect with Prince Caspian and it's result wasn't what they had hoped. Lewis' books speak volumes on their own and I loved the mastery of the visual effects that brought it to life; but Disney screwed up the storyline and wound up getting far less fans than they could have had they stayed with Lewis' story and presentation. I saw LWW at least 5 times; I only saw Prince Caspian once in the theaters. I just didn't want to spend money again to watch the storyline get screwed up, no matter how great the effects. I hope Fox takes a lesson in this, but I don't know if they can produce the effects that characterized the last two movies. We'll just have to wait and see.
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 13 2009, 10:10 PM
Post
#10
|
|
Madame Pince's House Elf  Posts: 4,718 Joined: 5:46pm January 28, 2005 Location: In HP Book Club 5, awaiting Deathly Hallow's release. |
QUOTE(nddulac @ Feb 1 2009, 08:03 PM)  I find it odd with these films as compared to Harry Potter. With Harry Potter the books are so long that they have to cut major parts out in order to create a film that only lasts two and a half hours. But for Narnia, they seem to feel compelled to add huge parts to create a movie of a similar length. I think it was because the book isn't all that big to begin with, and needs to be treated carefully. The BBC version isn't even on its own DVD. It is usually included in a combined version with the BBC version of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Compared with the BBC version of Prince Caspian I rather liked the new version. It had more depth to it. The only bit that annoyed me about the Walden Prince Caspian film was the merging of the conniving Glozelle with the decent bloke at the end, who leads the Telmarines back to their point of origin. Glozelle was C.S.Lewis' idea, and half-decent General Grozelle is an invention of the filmmakers to enable the viewer to see Miraz in action. But General Grozelle does come into his own at the end of the movie. What I liked most about it, compared to the book, was that it at least explains what happened to Queen Prunaprismia and Miraz's unfortunate little boy. And it does so in a compassionate way. Otherwise I don't have a problem with the movie, or even the Infamous Kiss at the end of it which has got some people up in arms online. I also thought that the growing physical maturity of Peter and Susan, which the film tried to emphasize, was the original explanation for their not coming back to Narnia. This stricture doesn't apply to Caspian since he has to rule Narnia, and of course he has to organise a Queen for himself sometime. This is the problem with the BBC version as the boy was not only young, he was too young. According to the book, Caspian was supposed to be the same age as Peter, and this makes more sense if Caspian is supposed to be of marriageable age in three years' time in the next film. For Narnia is not really a suitable place for teenagers in their angst, unlike JKR's Wizarding World. In fact, reading the series, to see how it differs from the movie, I begin to see how strongly the Narnia series relates to the Harry Potter series. Poor Queen Prunaprismia has red hair in the book. In the beginning of VDT Prince Caspian actually rejects the Duke of Galma's daughter because she has freckles and a squint, and reading this I found myself echoing what Hermione would have said. What JKR has in fact pointed out when depicting the Weasleys. It is because of these sorts of attitudes to physical appearance that Lewis puts into his characters' depiction, that he also had the reputation for being a bit of a misogynist, especially when he has Susan banned from Narnia heaven. --------------------  Check out Book Number 5 POA edition. |
|
|
|
