Prince Caspian [Blu-ray]

This was OK, but not my style of writing.

Where The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was more of a carbon copy of the book it was based on, Prince Caspian carries over most of the Christian themes central to the story, but makes it it's own and fresh for those that already know the book well and aren't necessarily looking for a verbatim regurgitation of what they've already read.Not surprisingly, we bookworms rarely seem to fully appreciate movies based on the books we know and love because the film fails to subscribe as precisely to the book as we would like; and if it does, it's chosen tone often still doesn't align with our own perceptions of what we read. As an avid reader and moviegoer, I know this feeling all to well, but I also feel that thinking that way only takes away from the enjoyment and personal growth that can come from a new, fresh translation.I'll use the classic story of a sleepy valley near Tarry Town NY to illustrate my point. As much as I loved Tim Burton's dark reimagining of Washington Irvings legendary tale, because of it, I now have a rule never to read books that are based on a movie, instead of the other way around. Reading "Sleepy Hollow" the book translation was essentially like reading the movie; the book neither embellished on the movies script, nor tried to translate the films visual design, which was a huge part of the appeal, if not more intriguing than the story itself. Neither have the many cartoons that attempt to translate Washington Irving's classic novella "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", merited a second look. They're fine for introducing new generations to the classic tale, but don't offer enough that is new to favor over re-reading the novella. But Burton's Sleepy Hollow and Irving's classic novella are as dissimilar as their respective mediums. And thus can be repeatedly enjoyed individually, even one right after the other, without getting bored by watching something you just read or reading something you just saw. Both, bring enough uniqueness to the table, that for a fan of either, it would still be worthwhile to check out the other.The same is true of Caspian. The beloved characters and age-old premise are still there, but in addition for fans of the story to being able to actually see this fantasy world brilliantly brought to life by the pinacle of cinematic technology and an uncompromising budget, we get a fresh story that's more than just nuances in personal perception, like the first film essentially was in ways it differed fome the book.The movie is still faithful to CS Lewis's Christain allegories. Though some side messages may have been compromised, if anything, the major ones have been magnified by changes that more appropriately compliment the cinematic medium. Thanks to this film, we can enjoy a fresh perspective and telling on CS Lewis's heavenly inspired story from both mediums. The movie honors both his work and God's message, dare I say even bettering it in the visual and sonic ways that only the best cinema can, but at least no less profound or worthwhile than what Lewis wrote over six decades ago in late 1949.I also enjoyed Disney's BD immensely. The picture and sound were as capably preserved as I had hoped they would be, even when projecting onto an unforgiving 100" screen.

A year has passed since the four Pevensies stumbled out of Narnia, and Susan believes they should get used to living permanently in their own world. After all, she, Edmund, and Lucy have been able to blend back into English society. Peter, unfortunately, is a different story. Accustomed to being High King, he strongly resents being treated as a child; and when the four are called back to Narnia by Susan's magic horn, Peter carries his resentment with him.But Narnia is not the same land the Pevensies left. Over a thousand years have passed since their departure, and technologically advanced (at least for medieval times) Telmarines rule the country. Thoroughly modernistic, they hate and fear even the stories of Old Narnia, although they are somewhat pacified by a mistaken belief that the Old Narnian creatures are extinct. It is in this world that the Telmarine prince Caspian has been forced to flee his scheming uncle Lord Miraz, who wants to kill Caspian for control of the Telmarine throne. Given Susan's horn by his half-dwarf tutor, Caspian blew it at a time of need and called the Pevensies back.Caspian has convinced the Old Narnians of his ability to lead when Peter and his siblings arrive. Due to a misunderstanding, their first meeting is actually a fight, and the relationship between Caspian and Peter improves little even after the confusion is cleared. Between the arrogance with which Peter leads, the anger at Miraz that Caspian fails to control, and the insecurities that both secretly harbor, the two allow their personal problems to interfere with their duties. An even greater problem is that only Lucy--and to a lesser degree, Edmund, who has learned to respect her--seeks Aslan's guidance. The vastly outnumbered Narnians have no chance at winning without Aslan, but pragmatism causes Peter, Caspian, and the Black Dwarf Nikabrik to look for other means of victory. Only a near disaster inside Aslan's How shows all concerned that without Aslan, the Narnian cause is hopeless. And nothing short of a miracle can avert defeat when the Narnians and Telmarines face off at last.While the directors made many changes from the original book, none but a minor Susan-Caspian romance would probably have displeased C. S. Lewis. The characterization is strong; many of the seeming changes are actually a tweaking of hints already in the book, mainly from a following-Aslan-in-the-dark sequence that didn't make it into the movie. Peter and Caspian are both learning about leadership; Susan struggles with doubts about Aslan; Lucy learns the necessity of following Aslan even when no one else will back her up. Edmund's mistakes have affected him more than anyone else; while none of the others ever mentions his betrayal, he cannot forget. Only once does he speak up during a council meeting, and then to defend Peter. The statement of Lewis at the end of LWW, that Edmund became a quieter person than the others, comes to mind. Also, an interesting twist in the betrayal of Miraz's underlords is thrown in. Glozelle starts out by attempting to obey Miraz's orders to kill Caspian. In the end, he shows mercy to Caspian and is spared. Fellow-conspirator Sopespian chooses to stand against Aslan and is doomed. Really, that is the movie's central theme: without Aslan, no one in Narnia stands a chance. They may hate him, ignore him, insist he does not exist. But only his intervention saves Narnia in the end.

Great story and good for kids over age 7 in my opinion. My 7 year old grandson is really into the series. Having said all of this, I never hesitate to update my reviews should new info seem useful. All of my reviews reflect my honest, personal experience with the reviewed item - your experience may be different. I am not influenced by any outside source. I receive/accept NO free products or discounts that are not available to all shoppers- ever. For some reason our shopper ranks are no longer visible - so, to give you a little more info about me, I am a top 50 reviewer (#30 the highest rank achieved). Those numbers used to fluctuate over time - up and down but I noticed that they stopped updating regularly - perhaps to phase them out. I've been doing reviews for over 25 years with Amazon - nearly 6,000 reviews posted, viewed over 50,000 times, and over 24,000 likes.