Oh my goodness.

It's easy to say that seeing PC in theatres feels like yesterday, but then I remember how old I was at the time (14) and how much my circumstances have changed and how I have changed as a person and then it feels like forever ago.

I remember feeling like May 16th, 2008 would never arrive. I had never anticipated a film before. Sure, I caught wind of upcoming movies that I was excited for in the past, but the idea of getting movie news, discussing said news with fellow fans, and watching video blogs, listening to podcasts about it etc. was a totally new thing for me. I wanted the movie to come out so badly, but after it came out and I looked back, I realized that I probably enjoyed the anticipation more than the movie itself.

I saw PC four times in theatres and I have never seen another movie that many times before or since (the closest I've been is seeing Rogue One three times). The movie itself was both satisfying and disappointing. In those days I was as much a fan of the LWW movie as I was of the books (my love for the books have since far eclipsed the movie) and so I was more lenient on PC than I would be for VDT two and a half years later. Still there were parts that bugged me. The flashbacks with Caspian and Cornelius and the Romp with Bacchus, Silenus etc. are some of my favourite pieces of Narnian writing and, even back then, their absence left a gaping hole. Time has made things like the Caspian/Peter antagonism and Suspian worse than they felt at the time. There were lots of other stuff that I loved. The overall feel of the film, the sadness of the magic of Narnia being stamped out, Reepicheep brought to life, Lucy's dream, Aslan's How, Glasswater, and yes, the Night Raid. Not to mention the beautiful sets, costumes, armour, weapons, cinematography, and music.

PC really helped to define the years of 2007-08 and it's hard to think of my life at that time without some reference to it.

When all was said and done, I could say along with Peter, "We have had a time."

I remember first founding out they were make the movie when my sister found the Narnia.com production blog with Ben Barnes and called me in to watch it. For some reason I had assumed that there weren't going to be anymore Narnia films after LWW (I didn't know how the film industry worked back then.) So I was completely caught off grade and unbelievable excited, I don't know if I've ever been more excited about a movie then I was with Prince Caspian. I desperately wanted to see it opening weekend but my family was busy with something else so I had to wait until the following tuesday, which was agonizing for 12 year old me. But I finally got to see it, and I remember being on cloud nine throughout the entire movie until we got to "the kiss" I wouldn't discover Narniaweb for another year so I had absolutely no idea what was coming. I remember being completely dumbfounded and I'll never forget looking over at my brother and seeing the look of bewilderment his face, I imagine that I probably had the same look on my face as well.

Looking back at the movie now, I still think it's overall a pretty good movie. From a technical standpoint it's great. The production design, costumes, effects, and cinematography are all fantastic. They did a great job making Narnia feel like a real place. The acting is all pretty good, Sergio Castellitto as Miraz is great, I think the Pevensie actors all improved from LWW, and I like Ben Barnes as Captain(though his accent is still a little distracting.) And I absolutely love Harry Grayson-Williams' score.

As an adaptation I think they really captured the feel of the book. The sadness and nostalgia of the old day being gone and the longing for them to return and for Narnia to be set right. I appreciate how they managed to restructure the story for film without really changing the plot all that much. I think they could have done a better job with Caspian's longing for the old days. I don't think it comes across as strong in the film as it needed to, I wish they had included him as a boy being told storys of the Old Narnians in someway, even if it was only a bref prologue or something. In general the return of the old days needed just a little more of a payoff.

In retrospect I think my biggest problem is how Peter was handled. His arc of overcoming his over-confidence and hubris could have work, even though isn't really in the book. But the execution was just bad, he come off as an arrogant jerk to the point of being almost unlikable. I also feel like there should have been a scene between Peter and Aslan, similar to the one in the book were Peter apologized for leading them wrong.

Overall I'm happy with Prince Caspian. I think it's a pretty good movie and a mixed bag as a adaptation. Revisiting it's sort of a frustrating experience. Because it's has a lot going for it and I think they got a lot right, but it gets weighed down by missed opportunities and things like the CaspianSusan romance that have no reason being there.

I remember being so upset that the UK release date was going to be two months later than the US release.

It was really fun taking part in the watch party as I hadn't seen it for at least a year or more. I still enjoy the film, but I wonder if there's a bit of nostalgia in that. I don't know if I'd enjoy it so much if I saw it for the first time now.

There's so much that's good about Prince Caspian. It has beautiful cinematography, animation, design, costumes. I think the acting is, for the most part, great. Even if there are parts where I don't like the story so much, I think the actors sell it. It's a fun film - kind of snarky and sarcastic, but funny. And I enjoy the story.

The 'missing scenes' (especially following the shadowy Aslan in the dark) bothered me more this time. I think the filmmakers strayed a bit too far from the book. Funnily enough, though, the Caspian/Susan romance doesn't bother me as much as it bothers a lot of other people ... I feel like in the film they made, it makes sense. I would, one day, like to see an adaptation that sticks a bit closer to the book and characters. But I think the film still holds up after (gulp) a decade!