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Interesting ideas on Skandar's character in VDT. I kinda agree. Edmund seemed to degenerate spiritually/morally in this film, rather than progress. Yet I loved what this reviewer on Teen Ink had to say about Ed and Lucy's progressing relationship in the VDT movie.
One character that changes the most throughout the film, as in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is Edmund.
But unlike in the first film when he changed from his selfish ways, in this film you see how all of Edmund's actions, both for the good and for the bad, revolve around his sister and finding a better life for the two of them. After years of being handed off to one family member or another, or sent to boarding school, or being left behind while Peter and Susan are off on their own, Edmund realizes that he and Lucy are also on their own. He realizes that, even though he has always loved Lucy as his sister, the one who made all the decisions and who was the one both sisters would go to with problems or for comfort when they were scared was Peter.
But now that Peter is no longer there during a time when Lucy undergoes the many changes between childhood and womanhood, Edmund must take on his new role of being her older brother. As the film goes on, Edmund realizes that Lucy is growing up, but she is still his little sister and he sees that he is the one that she goes to for comfort or encouragement. He is her constant.
I love this change. It's a transition which many must make, nonetheless Edmund. It takes him most of the film to become comfortable with this new position. But throughout, you see his transition and how his character changes from focusing on only what would be helpful for himself and he suddenly begins focusing on what would help him and his little sister have a better, more comfortable life, whether these actions had good or bad consequences. He realizes how much they really must rely on each other since Peter and Susan won't always be there for them and for the first time, they are on their own and only have to rely on each other.
I just watched LWW last night, and it had been while since I had seen it last. Boy, was it awesome! Skandar was Edmund! And in PC he was great, too, though he hardly had any lines at all. But in VDT, I was dissappointed with Edmund in general- not really with Skandar. He had some really cheesy lines. And his charactor was much different than in the other two films.
Take Deathwater for example: if you go back and read that scene in the book, it is Caspian who wants to be rich, and he tells all of the people present to not tell anyone about the pool of water. Edmund only gets upset when Caspian makes himself out as greater than Edmund. Edmund's problems are with personal power, not greed (that's more like Eustace). But, in the movie, they portray Edmund as being greedy and wanting to be rich, where really, he wants power, and doesn't want Caspian to tell him what to do. I like what someone said (I don't remember who) about how Edmund had gotten over the selfishness and the want for power in LWW. I agree with that.
So really, I don't think they did a good job with his charactor arch at all. He had a lot of silly, out of place lines (like "Squirt! I'm a king!" Totally copying Peter from PC). Skandar's stunts, of course, were great. I think we all expected that from him after PC. But the producers obviously didn't take the time to think about Edmund's charactor- they picked something easy that didn't really fit, but that you could verbally explain rather than show and then gave Skandar some slopy material.
I think Edmund was fine, but I would have liked to see more. And Skandar was good, but he could have done better.
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I liked Edmund in all of the movies. Yes I was a little bothered with his selfishness in VDT, as mentioned earlier, I thought he was through with that kind of attitude. But I liked him overall in VDT. And hohoho, let's not forget about his alter ego, Albert.A Scrubb!
^^ that's it! his selfish side in VotDT was his alter ego "Albert A Scrubb"
but, I honestly wasn't bothered by Edmund's bit of selfishness. I mean, it's only natural for humans to fall back into their old ways. I know I do all the time
even Eustace would fall back from time to time. but, as the book says, "The cure had begun"
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I wouldn't quite say that's true. Maybe his selfish behavior in VDT would've been more liked and believable to me if:
1. He hadn' been so mature in PC and in the VDT book. In PC, for most the time, he acted older than the pirdeful Peter, and in VDT book, he had his flaws, but they fit with his maturity. In the movie, it's like he stepped back, and acted like he was more immature.
2. He hadn't already got over the WW in PC. It wasn't Peter or Caspian who destroyed the witch and weren't tempted by her, it was Edmund. It was a great way for him to say, "I'm done with you, WW, and I'll never fall for you ever again." He was saying that he'd never go back to his old ways, and the WW no longer had a hold. But what happened in VDT? She gave him a hard time, when he should've never been tempted or scared of her.
3. Peter hadn't gone through the same issue. Edmund obviously saw how ridiculous his older brother was being throughout PC movie, and would've tried not to fall into the same prideful attitude. In VDT book, only once did he show pride, and it was very short-lived. Now, it feels like the movie makers said, "I know! Let's have Edmund go through the same thing almost like Peter did!" It may not be completely the same, but it felt the same.
4. This character arch was well worked on. I didn't really get what changed when he all of a sudden changed his mind about being stuck with his relatives while the rest of his family was in America. Why did he get so sad for Eustace's "death" when he hadn't shown any underlying care for his rotten cousin before? Where did the comment of not liking to be the "second fiddle" come from? None of this make any real sense. It was never actually explained for me to understand.
5. The way it was portrayed worked correctly. In Goldwater, Ed's evil looks and "We'll be rich" replies just didn't have a realistic feel. Whether it was Skandar's fault of the script's fault, I'll never know, but I couldn't imagine this happening in a well done movie, even in a magic world.
6. The character plot had been in the book. Don't ask me when I became such a purist ( ), but if they had to add a character plot for him, I wanted it too work with the themes of the book. Once they threw out the best plot and replaced it with the dreadful GM and S7 plot, they gave Edmund a plot that really didn't fit in if put in the book. I could live with Peter's added in plot in PC because I eventually able to see Christian meanings in it, and it may have not been C. S. Lewis's choice, but it worked. But Ed's plot didn't was more humanistic, and besides the "don't be tempted" lesson, I didn't learn anything great from it.
Whew, that was long! Sorry if I insulted anyone, but these are my feelings for Ed's plot in VDT. But that does not mean you shouldn't like it yourself. Besides, it's not all bad.
Once they threw out the best plot and replaced it with the dreadful GM and S7 plot, they gave Edmund a plot that really didn't fit in if put in the book. I could live with Peter's added in plot in PC because I eventually able to see Christian meanings in it, and it may have not been C. S. Lewis's choice, but it worked. But Ed's plot didn't was more humanistic, and besides the "don't be tempted" lesson, I didn't learn anything great from it.
Yeah, I agree with you there, Shastafan. Peter's plot changed worked, Edmund's (and Lucy's for that matter) didn't. They shouldn't have even tried changing them.
Merry Christmas!
"I'm here to save Elizabeth!" ~ Will Turner
MOD NOTE: A couple people posted in here wishing Skandar a happy birthday, so I went ahead and moved them to the Happy Birthday Skandar thread instead. You can find your posts here.
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I like the face Edmund made when he told the Witch she was dead. He was really holding fast and you could tell.
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I absolutely LOVE the time in VDT when Drinian mentions Sea Serpents, and Edmund says "Sea Serpents?!". I never really noticed it in the movie, but I as a sig on here, and so I noticed this time through the movie. He makes the funniest/cutest face!! It's so sweet. He looks like a little, happy boy.
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I think that, while his character was different in the book, they did a good job on Edmund in VDT. I liked how you could tell at times that he was scared, but he still didn't let that get in the way. Also, in the book he acted a lot more like a little kid.
At Deathwater Island, I believe that he was mainly offended by the way Caspian told him what to do. If you think about it, he was also thinking of Lucy.
I think that Skandar Keynes was the perfect choice, by the way. He's just how I imagined Edmund.
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omp Everyone is just so right i kind of didn't like the bit in the new film when edmund like put that shell into the water and looked very very freaky and his eyes are really round when caspian finished talking. FREAKY!!!!
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Edmund's eyes in the Goldwater scene REALLY creeped me out too. But he was also thinking of Lucy. Still, where would they live, in England, if they didn't live with Eustace?
I am not really a fan of Skander as Edmund. He has always been the worst of the four. I just think he has issues speaking properly. I do think that there was improvement for him in VotDT, but the film was not good and his characterization was very disconnected, but i would agree that wasn't completely his fault.
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@decarus: you're not a fan of Skandar as Edmund?! He's the worst of the four?! Skandar was perfect as Ed in LWW and PC! He and Georgie were the best Pevensies!
Like you, I didn't like Skandar so much in VDT, but I blame the scriptwriters. They misunderstood Edmund's character arc. I'm just angry now.
There's been no news on Skandar in ages, except that the fall term at Cambridge has already started and he's rumored to have a new girlfriend.
Anyway, I started a Christmas project for Skandar. The deadline is December 1. Click here for details and send something in!