Prince Caspian

Tuesday night, Mr. D and I were treated to a free screening of Prince Caspian. Niece Sue and her husband Scott had been given 6 tickets by their daughter Erin who couldn't use them. So, the Molines, the Steve Dahlens, and the Terry Dugans got to go. Thanks Molines (and Erin)!

We felt so special. We even got searched for cameras (Fortunately, mine was at the bottom of my purse under the box of Dots I had thrown in. I didn't get the memo about no cameras and wasn't planning on doing anything sinister, just didn't want to be denied a seat at the last minute so was glad she didn't see it when she searched my purse. Who'd have thought they would search for cameras, they didn't do that at the free screening of Evan Almighty we attended last June!) Then, we all got wanded. I suppose a screening of the new Indy movie would have involved a background check, but I digress, and no one has offered me tickets to one, although I promise that if you give me tickets to a free screening of Indy, I won't bring a camera. Now, back to Prince Caspian.

Here is what I wish to say to Hollywood screenplay people. Just my little tip. FIRST, READ THE BOOK. Then, keep the story the same. Don't change the story, but keep the title the same. I don't remember any griffins in the book, and the old nurse was nowhere to be found, and they didn't even eat one apple when they arrived at the ruins of Cair Paravel, but, to their credit, I did see some apples.

I will now get off that soapbox and tell you a few of my favorite things about it. First, Reepicheep. Gotta love Reepicheep. Especially the tail thing at the end. They were pretty faithful to his little story line.

Second, the hag and the werewolf at Aslan's How part. It was sort of a monster and a "wolf like" bear in a cape, but they got the gist of it and added a visual element that I liked to that part. I won't tell you, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.

Third, one of the most vivid visuals of the movie was at the end (again, in a scene not in the book, but close enough) when the bad guys were trying to retreat and go over the bridge at Beruna Ford. They begin to cross the bridge and Lucy (who had gone for help), suddenly appeared at the other end of the bridge. She seemed to be standing all by herself and she bravely pulled out her little dagger as she looked at the vast army about to cross. Then, we saw why she was so brave. Aslan was right behind her and Lucy plus Aslan is a majority. I liked it that she pulled out her puny little dagger in spite of the fact that Aslan was perfectly capable of handling the situation alone. She did her little, brave part.

Finally, I liked the cute little way it ended. Here's a hint: Phyllis. I also liked the first song that played at the end of the movie and over the credits called "The Call" sung by someone I've never heard of. Regina Spektor. Here is a link to a little taste of the Prince Caspian soundtrack. I read that the credits took 3 full songs to roll. I didn't hear the other two songs. We only stayed for the first song, but got home in time to hear Switchfoot sing "This is Home" on Jay Leno and that was nice, as well.

Runtime: 2 hours 24 minutes, but it didn't seem that long.

All in all, it was an enjoyable movie and evening.

Next week, I will review Indy 4. Bet you can't wait...I know I can't.