The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia are back and gone is the innocence of the wild-eyed babes lost in the woods that we met in 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.' 'Prince Caspian' is a much more melancholy film than it's predecessor. Where the first film had the clear cut themes of good vs evil and absolute faith, 'Caspian' is filled with doubt, mistrust and a lack of faith. When looking at movies in a series it's hard not to compare the two, however in 'Narnia' it's nice to see that things are not the same, that would make it a little boring. That being said, despite the vast differences between the movies plot wise there are still similarities; the battle sequences are still massively impressive, the soundtrack still makes you want to stand up and cheer and those Pevensie kids are still just as charming! 

The greatest strength I found in 'Prince Caspian' is that once the Pevensie children arrive back in Narnia it feels like coming home for the audience as well. Director Andrew Adamson has done a wonderful job of bringing Narnia back to life, in a changed way, instantly the audience remembers and needs very little convincing that it is indeed Narnia that the kids have returned to. Even if there was convincing that needed to be done as soon as you hear Harry-Gregson Williams score with its familiar themes you are instantly reminded of the magic and wonder that await for us in Narnia. 

One of the two main differences between 'Caspian' and 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' is that where the former remained quite faithful to the source material the latter takes huge liberties with the book. I must admit that I will always be the first to defend a movie based on a book and the concessions that must be made to bring a novel to the big screen. Listen up all you "purists," (Harry Potter fans, I'm talking to you!!) the beauty of books is that you get to use you imagination to make the action, or lack thereof, to life in your head. But it's nearly impossible to bring every little detail of a book to the big screen. Think about it, 'Prince Caspian' the novel is 233 pages long and C.S. Lewis devotes three chapters of this 15 chapter book to a flashback about Caspian's life growing up in Narnia, his escape and mustering of the Narnian forces. Any audience, even the most patient, would find this tedious. Speaking of which, I have to applaud the movie for the fact that I didn't look at my watch once while watching, always a bad sign, that the movie's too long or too boring or a combination of both. 'Prince Caspian,' however launches us right into the action of Caspian fleeing certain death after the birth of his cousin to the usurper Miraz. That being said, Andrew Adamson, the director, and the producers took some interesting liberties, in my opinion, most notably in the uniting of the good and bad in Narnia to fight Miraz as well as resurrecting the character of the White Witch to tempt Caspian and Peter. We were lead to believe that the White Witch was destroyed after 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' and while it's hinted at bringing her back to help fight for Caspian in the novel she never actually appears as she does in the film. As with the evil forces, minotaurs and the other less than savoury characters aren't even mentioned in the book, nonetheless Adamson makes it clear that it is about all of Narnia uniting against the Telmarine forces. It takes a lot of guts to take any novel and bring it to the screen and doubly so with such a beloved classic as this, but because of the overall quality of the film the changes that needed to be made to make an engaging movie can be forgiven...or at least I think so.

The other major difference (that goes along with the liberties taken from the book) are the themes. In 'Prince Caspian' the themes are much darker and more mature, 'Prince  Caspian' is a film full of doubt. Actually for that matter the movie could have probably be called 'High King Peter' for, while the plot concerns itself with bringing Caspian to the throne stolen by his uncle, Miraz; the over-arching theme really centres on the Pevensies, and Peter specifically, and their return to Narnia. The most interesting thing concerning this is that in the book, the Pevensies are welcomed back to Narnia warmly and are eager and happy to put Caspian on the throne...not so much in the movie. After returning to England from their first trip to Narnia the four children are having a difficult time adjusting to life there, especially Peter. In England, Peter's been getting into fights and doubting whether or not Aslan will ever call for them to return, this doubt and recklessness are things he holds on to, even after the joy of returning to the place where he was the High King. The Narnian's blame the children for abandoning them and test their faith in Aslan as he has also allowed the tyranical Telmarines to take over Narnia. With this shame and doubt hanging over them and Peter in particular they set about demonstrating that they can still be relevant in the battle against Miraz. However, Aslan's lack of invovlement starts to press in on Peter and causes his to make the rash and dangerous decision to attack Miraz's castle directly. As things are falling to pieces and they are forced to retreat the look of complete and utter shame on his face shows Peter's knowledge that all of the Narnians that died, died because of his foolishness. However he quickly tries to shuffle the blame to Caspian for not following his plan. Here, when doubt and mistrust are at their highest the White Witch reappears on the scene trying persuade Caspian that her power can destroy Miraz and put him on the throne. Even Peter almost succumbs to her because of his lack of faith in Aslan. Luckily Edmund is no fool and sees right through her and when he shatters her image I cheered inside a little, he makes up for being such an idiot in the first film. The shame of almost falling to the power of the White Witch unites Caspian and Peter and the real plans to stop Miraz can finally begin. I have to say that I was extremely pleased that the one on one battle of Peter vs. Miraz was kept from the novel as it truly demonstrates that Peter is willing to put his life on the line so that things can be put right in Narnia. This heroic act of selflessness is a complete turn around from his earlier selfishness in trying to prove himself by attacking Miraz's castle and really resolves the doubt that both Caspian and the Narnians had in their 'old' kings and queens. 

A few little extra things, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Peter Dinklage and Warwick Davis. These two actors once again demonstrate that you can be a great actor even if your size doesn't allow you the same oppourtunities as regular sized actors. Both of these gentlemen put forth wonderful performances in this movie. 

Also, I know New Zealand is becoming a more and more popular place to film however, being the huge geek that I am I couldn't help but notice how much Narnia looks exactly like Middle Earth. Perhaps it's not something to boast about, but I've watched the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy many, many a time. (I know, I'm a huge geek, I'm alright with it) As such, I'm fairly familiar with the sweeping landscapes in those films and there were a couple of times where I had to chuckle to myself as I could almost imagine one of the characters from LOTR popping out of the trees and into Narnia. I'm sure I'm not the only to notice the similarities between the landscapes of the two franchises and if Walden Media and Disney plan on continuing on with the Narnia they may want to try to make Narnia a little more Narnian and a little less Middle Earth-ish...or I could turn down the nerdiness, one or the other.

Overall I really liked 'Prince Caspian'. The battle scenes were fantastic and the CGI was exceptionally well done, there's only one thing that really stopped me from loving this movie: unnecessary love story. As I have mentioned before (in the 'Iron Man' review) I despise a love story that serves no purpose, and the one between Susan and Prince Caspian annoyed me to no end. It didn't advance the plot, it was just there. That was the only thing that brought the movie down for me, overall a really enjoyable movie and I have to say that I'm looking forward to 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.' And if you don't know what I'm talking about maybe you should hit up your local bookstore. Until next time, keep it reel!

Iron Man

I don't like Tony Stark. I thought I'd get that out of the way before I get too far into this review. I read Marvel comics and I think he's kind of a jerk, especially recently and anyone else who may have read 'Civil War' can probably feel where I'm coming from. However, that being said, I loved 'Iron Man.' Now I think it has to be said that with the wealth of comic book movies that have come out in recent years that they aren't always winners. However, every once and a while everything seems to come together, director, actors, story, to make a great movie, such is the case with 'Iron Man.'

Jon Favreau was chosen to helm 'Iron Man' and after watching the movie I can see why. Now, "Who is that?" You might be asking yourself, well he's no Spielberg or Scorsese but he's certainly no stranger to Hollywood. Favreau had been acting for a while and then segued into directing in 2001 by directing and starring in the indie flick 'Made.' He has since then moved into more mainstream fare with 'Elf' and my favourite, yet much underrated, kids sci-fi movie, 'Zathura.' (if you haven't seen it, get on that...in fact a review may be found here for it sometime in the future.) Favreau seems to have a true gift when it comes to making an audience care for a character and this can be seen in his previous films as well. His talents are put to good use in 'Iron Man' as Tony Stark isn't an overly likable character. He's a billionaire wunderkind, who's charming to boot, the kind of guy you just love to hate. However like any good origin movie 'Iron Man' takes the audience deeper into the man behind the red and gold suit. What Favreau is really able to highlight is, not only Stark's journey from boozy billionaire to super hero, but the relationships with those around him and how they influence his transformation.

What I found most fascinating about Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is that I ended up not hating him. Even from the beginning he's not completely unappealing, and I found him myself endeared by him especially when it came to his relationship with his right-hand gal Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). They banter easily back and forth that demonstrates a level of trust and care that maybe shouldn't be so evident in a employer-employee relationship, nonetheless it makes you start to see Tony through Pepper's eyes. She believes that he really is a good person and you start to feel that maybe she's right. The other thing that I found surprising was Stark's naivete. We see him toast to peace after demonstrating the destructive power of his Jericho missile, completely blase about it. However he is completely and utterly shocked to discover that the men that have kidnapped him are using his weapons. He believes strongly in his technology and that the weapons that he has created are being used to help protect not only the American people but also the people under military control in the Middle East. Seeing them in the hands of his captors brings this belief crashing down and starts his shift to becoming Iron Man. The other thing that pushes Stark onto his path is the doctor, Yinsen, who saves Tony's life and helps him build the first suit. It might be one of the most important relationships he forms, however brief it may have been. And when Yinsen sacrifices himself so Tony can escape, he tells him to not waste this second chance at life and you can see in Tony's eyes that he means not to. One last thing about Stark is that I can't help but be impressed by a guy who can build a tiny reactor in a cave, out of scraps, while towing around a car battery that's keeping shrapnel out his heart, pretty damn determined. A determination that serves him well in his escape and future life-saving missions.

While saying all this about the character of Tony Stark I would feel remiss leaving out the absolute perfect casting of Robert Downey Jr. for this part. Just like with the casting of Tobey Maguire in the 'Spider-Man' movies people may have been surprised, however yet again Marvel demonstrates the importance of casting the man, not the super hero. Downey Jr. plays Stark with a perfect amount of humour and arrogance. It truly is his performance that allows the audience to see in past the facade of billionaire playboy to the lonely man who just wants to do what's right. Thanks to Downey Jr. we can always see Tony, even when he's in his Iron Man suit.

The supporting cast was also fantastic in this film. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts with a perfect mix care and professionalism. "Where has she been?" I thought, as I watched the movies, she really hasn't done anything big since 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' back in 2004. This doesn't diminish the fact that she is still excellent in 'Iron Man.' (and that I want to steal every pair of shoes she wears...) As I mentioned before Pepper truly believes that Tony has it within himself to do good, "He's a complicated person" she explains. However, once she discovers his plans to go out and stop injustices in person she wants nothing to do with it, not because she doesn't believe in what he's doing but because she's afraid for his safety. She cares for Tony like family, which leads to the perfect reaction to a dance she shares with him. She's awkward and flustered, she loves him, but not sure if she's in love with him, and that's really the extent of it. No extraneous love story, which I like, if it's not necessary to the plot, leave the love story out!

Then you have Obidiah Stane. From the first time you see him, you know he's evil, I mean he looks like Lex Luthor with a beard, how much more evil can you get?! However, Jeff Bridges plays Stane so cool and smooth that you almost believe he isn't the bad guy, almost. However when it's revealed that he is the villain of the piece, all the way down to Tony's kidnapping, you don't feel surprised, only a little disappointed. Especially when he does the stereotypical villain thing to stay and gloat after he's incapacitated and essentially killed the good guy.

There are a few a little extra things that I feel I should mention, although not essential to the review, but essential to my enjoyment of it, just a couple little funny things. Tony's robots. If you've seen the film you know what I'm talking about. You have to love a man that has the ability to build a fully functioning interactive computer program, Jarvis, (voiced perfectly by Paul Bettany) but gives it an attitude. He also keeps his "dummy" robots despite their need to douse him with fire extinguishers. He threatens to send one to a community college, but he never would, because who would he have to gripe at then? Also, watch for the wave Tony gives to the helicopter that saves him in the desert. It's a little odd, the man has been trapped for three months and has just spent who knows how long wandering in the desert and that is the wave he gives his rescuers?

Last but not least is the inclusion of Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. The second he started to say the name the fangirl inside me had a little freak out. Marvel has introduced the omnipresent S.H.I.E.L.D. into this movie, which leads to all kinds of opportunities for any of the future films they release. And if you stay until after the credits be prepared to be as psyched as I am for the 'Avengers' movie that is slated to come out in 2011.

I suppose it might be superfluous to say, but clearly Marvel has swayed me. I like Tony Stark a lot more than I thought I would, he is the "complicated" guy that Pepper knows and I can't wait to see what Marvel has in store for us. This was their first self-financed and produced feature film ('The Hulk' coming out this summer being the second) and if 'Iron Man' is any indication of the quality of film that they will be releasing then the movie going public is in for a real treat.