Prince Caspian

I went to see a special preview screening of the movie Prince Caspian on Tuesday night, hosted by UCB in Stoke on Trent.

The film follows on from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but has a somewhat darker feel to the film.

It has been adapted well for the big screen -- those who are very familiar with the original novel by CS Lewis will be aware of a number of changes that have been made for the screenplay. In my view, these changes enhance rather than detract from the film. They certainly help with the narrative flow -- I remember as a six year old rather wading through the early chapters of the book.

It makes really good use of CGI, as you would expect. I could perhaps single out for particular mention the character of Reepicheep, a talking mouse. Reepicheep in the book is a rather endearing character, used for humour and for poignant moments showing some of the impact of the events in the story. I must confess that he is one of my favourite characters from the book, and I was delighted to see him realised so well. He comes across just as humorous and chivalrous as he does in the book.

Some political intrigue has been added to Miraz's court, the chief baddie. This certainly makes for a more interesting story, as we see the power struggle played throughout the film. In the book, much of Caspian's story is told in flashback. This would not work in the film, and the two stories of Caspian and The Pevensie children are interwoven until their stories come together, making for a much more gripping overall story.

A whole new battle is added to the story, which increases the excitement, and adds to some new tension between Caspian and Peter. Susan's role is boosted, and she is present for all the battles, unlike in the book, where the girls are carried away to safety. Susan also has a certain love interest with one of the other characters, which is handled well.

Overall, the film, running at 2 hours and twenty minutes, is a splendid experience, and certainly the time passed very quickly. Due to the darker nature of the plot and its running length, one might want to carefully consider whether it is an appropriate film for younger children (say under 8), to watch. Having said that, it is of course, a story where good triumphs over evil, and there are many moral and spiritual themes explored during the course of the film.

Speaking of these themes, church leaders, youth group leaders and school teachers would be delighted to know that the Damaris Trust have produced some excellent resources for worship, lessons and youth group sessions. These have been produced in conjunction with Disney, and include downloadable clips for illustrating certain points. They are available at their Narnia resources page.

This is a brilliantly produced film, and should provide plenty of opportunities to discuss some of the themes with people in our churches and schools, and hopefully with people who wouldn't normally come to church.