Prince Caspian:The good, the bad, the bit of theology that drive people mad

Ahoy peoples of the internet, it is Summer, gas prices are ridiculously high, a recession is on the horizon as they say and it is soggy and hot as ever in the beautiful state of Florida, which means that for a while, this will be the movie blog...

Saw a late night screening of Prince Caspian yesterday, and boy I'm glad I didn't wait for the DVD release. Don't worry the following has no spoilers of the major kind. This is a big movie, and as it usually happens with installments the second tends to let loose a lot of plot that at the moment swamps the mind and makes little sense, so I will not get all deep for fear of drowning. Instead I'll just go over what the child, the adult and the weekend theologian in me got out of it, straight and sweet.

I'm sorry but the seven year old in me wants to go first and who am I to deny the one that holds the popcorn?

• Sweeeeeeeeeet Narnia, the gryphons and centaurs are back and this time they get more screen time... yikes, they even get lines!!! I want a gryphon, I want one, I want one!!!!




• Is that Puss in Boots? no! It's a sword master mouse! The people who created Shrek bring you, once again a bit of comic relief via small, furry and cute.




• To be honest- and remember I am seven years old, I was kind of freaked by the White Witch and her minions this time around. It made me remember The Never Ending Story...




• Did I mention there is sort of a sweet but slow bear that will say things when you least expect them? Retarded bears.... Yiiiipppppeeeeeeeee!!!!

The adult in me chuckled at a couple of things

• Narnia will never be as effective as Lord of The Rings, no matter how much they match in allegory and content. I must admit I do miss the violence, although this installment is darker, much more than I expected, the consequence does not translate to the screen as well as in the book. There is something about the absence of blood on a big battle sequence that gains PG ratings at the expense of suspense of disbelief. My bloodlust aside, the movie does target a certain audience and it still does a wonderful job teaching kids about perseverance, courage and plain faith, so I'll shut my mouth and believe that a teenager could survive a mano a mano with a mean, conniving and plain brute with nothing more than a scratch.




• What is it with Caspain, he is behaving like Harry Potter... damn, the movie has his name on it and he is doing squat. Allow me to explain: to all of you nerds, who very much like myself use you kids and nieces to follow the adventures of Mr. Potter, it is inevitable for us as adults to notice that at all given points, especially in the beginning, Harry ends up as the hero and no one notices Hermione and Ron sweating it off in the back ground. Same with Caspian, he doesn't do much and what he does is not too promising, but somehow, there is a certain lion with a certain design who works in a certain incomprehensible way we'll need to wait to find out.




• I know this third entry makes it more than a couple of details, but I'll just have to say it because it made me laugh out loud... what is it with the bad guys on this movie? It seems they crossed into Narnia from Spain some time in the 16th Century, some of them behave like Antonio Banderas- you know, I'm too sexy for this armor- the king is a pain as he was conceived as a bad imitation of King Leonidas stuffed on paella...

Now the very brief theology. Suck it in people. It is there whether you want it or not. Narnia is after all a film adaptation of a book that comes straight off a guy who used to be an atheist, converted and held no responsibility towards Queen, Country or Political Correctness. One thing that I loved about this movie is how easily it places a bit of puzzling and annoying manifestation of the Godhood for all to enjoy: God is God and He will be whether or not you believe in Him or not. For those of you who think me crazy, the best expression of infinite being and God's sense of humor is in Exodus when Moses asks his name and he plain responds "I am who I am"- priceless.

He owes nothing to none, especially explanations. He did His bit you know, he came and died and rose again and that is enough or are all of us really pretending that He will do it twice?

There is not a lot of Aslan in this movie and it has nothing to do with the King Lion at all, the reason why Aslan does not physically interfere is because in their confusion, pride or blinding hurt, Narnians believed he had abandon them. They didnt catch on the design of things, that once the sacrifice was made it was their turn to prove their worth before he who gave his life for them. They forgot that there is a responsibility involved in their deliverance. It slipped them that God is Love and will answer when His children call- and sometimes He will deliver like the US ARMY- you know, it is guaranteed no man will be left behind, but in order to bring it, you'll need to leave a little bit of blood, sweat and tears in the process.

The quote:

"Things don't happen the same way twice"- Aslan