Whenever a movie is made of a favorite book I'm always torn. I'm so excited that I'll get to see my favorite story acted out but on the other hand what if it's terrible? It would ruin the experience! Many times the movie will divert from the original storyline and sometimes it's tolerable and sometimes it's terrible. I would say that just about every time the book is better than the movie. But, a side by side comparison will also show the movie is not so bad.
I decided to start to with a book from a well-known and much loved book series, Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. This book is the fourth in the series but actually picks up where the second book- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe- ends. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are on their way back to school when they are pulled by magic back into the magical land of Narnia. There, they are met by Trumpkin, a dwarf who has been sent to bring them to the person who summoned them. The summoner is Prince Caspian who seeks help trying to overthrow his uncle Miraz who is tyrannically ruling Narnia. The children must make their way to Caspian and help him save Narnia from a man who would eradicate all the magical beings. Along the way, they gain help from the mystical lion Aslan.
In the book, Prince Caspian and Peter work well together. Peter is a competent, though sometimes struggling, leader who tries to make the best decisions for his family. In both the book and movie everyone looks up to him, being the High King and oldest brother. In the movie, Caspian and Peter clash. By the England's time the children have only been away for a year, in Narnia time it's been more than a thousand. In the movie, Peter steps back into his position of authority, but Caspian has gotten used to being the leader. Their positions of authority clash and is not helped when Susan and Caspian develop feelings for each other (which did not happen in the book!).
Usually, it really bothers me when a scene is added to the movie that did not occur in the book. This happened with Prince Caspian, but it turned out well because it revealed the dynamics of the Narnians. In the movie, once Peter and his siblings have reached Caspian Peter decides to make an attack on Miraz's castle. Caspian disagrees and this becomes another tense argument between he and Peter. Another thing that is in the movie and not the book is that the bad guys all have accents and look Mediterranean. This doesn't bother me but, the first time watching the movie can be difficult when trying to decipher accents.
All in all, I really enjoyed the movie representation even though it didn't always follow the book.
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