Even though most of the battle stuff seemed to disappear with the leaked script, I have a sneaking suspicion that the movie people were concerned with the lack of climax at the end of the book. Even we as NarniaWebbers were concerned about this...
Mermaids keep cropping up in various descriptions of the movie and in the book they just weren't that big of a deal. To make it in to the movie description tells me that that part has been expanded a good deal. And I suspect that a battle will be added at the end to make the movie more climactic.
I really don't like that idea, but as long as it doesn't involve the Lady of the Green Kirtle feeding souls to a sea monster (or whatever it was), I guess I can live. It IS at least based off of something that was in the book.

I really wish people didn't feel the need to have a battle always be the climax. I mean, in this one they come to the end of the world and find the the remainig lords.

Still, I guess it is a bit anti-climatic since after Ramandu's island they basically float in a sea of flowers for a little while....

I guess I wouldn't mind too much if they expanded the mer-people a little bit. Usually though, at the climactic battle at the end of a movie they come face to face with a villain they've been fighting against the entire movie. I don't know, if they make a bit batttle out of this, won't it feel sort of out of place, and like the only reason the sea people are in the movie is because they needed a battle? Most likely they'll have the sea people guarding the way to the end of the world, or something so they can't fulfil their mission unless they fight and get past them.

Just some ideas...

I am absolutely against the idea of having a battle with the Mer-people. Adding a battle to the end would take away from the simple yet beautiful ending C.S. Lewis wrote for VDT. Besides this, if they add a battle with mer-people then they'll also have to add an explanation for why they're battling with the mer-people which will mean a longer chunk of the movies run time, which will probably result in cutting material from the book. Please, no battles... just this once! Narnia has NEVER been about the battles or the action; a fact the movie crew either don't get or don't care about.

If their does end up being a battle at the end of the movie (which is looks like there will be) it will be very upsetting, but I might be willing to look past it if they do a perfect job with the rest of the movie.

I'll always be a,
NL101

I wasn't really worried when I heard the last part of Ben's statement. Because if one of the main characters thinks the movie is mostly about adventure and magic and not about the battles it is very good sign. I think if the movie does it well in portraying instead of big battles than it could be a very good adapted movie. I am not worried so much about if they will actually have battles I am more worried that RD will fight in them. But it is really to early for us to say much of anything. They could after all be shooting alternate scenes like they did in PC for the Training Archers scene.

I am not worried so much about if they will actually have battles I am more worried that RD will fight in them.

Who's RD? Did I miss something?

Who's RD? Did I miss something?

RD = Ramandu's Daughter

Oh... now it makes sense!

RD fighting in a battle! There could not be a more total destruction of her character!

Has anyone mentioned the Mutiny yet?

I would be kind of annoyed if they did develop that into a full blown "battle" (or mini battle at least, given the limited number of crew members) since the whole point of that scene is that they didn't strike a mutiny.

But it is near the end of the book, and it is one of the very few scenes which have even a hint of conflict (plus one of the few such scenes that occur on land) - I'm not sure if the producers would be able to resist turning it into a larger conflict. Especially with the addition of Narnian creatures to the Dawn Treader crew, i could very much imagine they might want to make it a Narnian vs Telmarine mutiny - old animosities between the two groups resurfacing as the strains of the voyage begin to cause tension in the crew.

Note that Ben said "pitched" not "epic". I think 'pitched' in this sense means 'intense' not huge. There are plenty of intense battles in VDT, so I'm fine with that, and like Gymfan, I'm tickled that he said the film will be more about magic and discovery.

Note that he also said "creatures" as a big part of the film. I wonder why? Perhaps this pertains to all the minotaurs and satyrs?

Note that [Ben Barnes] also said "creatures" as a big part of the film. I wonder why? Perhaps this pertains to all the minotaurs and satyrs?

Creatures meaning Reepicheep? Or the Sea Serpent, Dragon, Dufflepuds, ect? In the book, we only see human crew members, other than the Noble Mouse (who has, in case he hasn't told you, huge humility).

Hmm, what other creatures could they introduce? Maybe having more Narnians aboard the ship, which would explain that picture of Scrubb hitting a... something with his oar.

Either way, I can see how pitched probably means intense rather than large-scale. Thanks for pointing that out, Lucy P.

One thought I had was there will be battles, but not real battles, if that makes any sense(probably doesn't, oh well). When Lucy reads the magic book, she comes to the beauty spell, and she sees what will happen if she says the spell and becomes "beautiful beyond the lot of mortals." One of the things that happens is all the countries go to war over her beauty. I think the book says something to the effect of Narnia and Archenland and Calormen were all laid to waste because of the wars fought. Could this be the pitched battles that are referred to? Probably not, they won't think that finding the end of the world and Aslan's country is climax enough. Oh, well. I won't cry until I actually see what they've done.

When Lucy reads the magic book, she comes to the beauty spell, and she sees what will happen if she says the spell and becomes "beautiful beyond the lot of mortals." One of the things that happens is all the countries go to war over her beauty.

Good point! I never thought of that. That makes me feel a lot better about the "pitched battles" quote.

I don't know if anyone ha suggested this already but I have a really cool way they could do the pitched battles so that they aren't really a change from the book.

Lucy is looking through Corakin's book and she sees the spell beyond the lot of mortals. The scene switches pitched battles in Narnia and in England and they are all fighting. (They make the audience think Lucy said the spell and became beautiful beyond all mortals) Then after a while of that and showing up the beautiful Lucy a giant head of Aslan fills the screen and he roars. The scene switches back to Lucy and she quickly turns the page in Corakin's book.

I think a scene like that would be really cool.

Actually, I already thought of that Eustace. Great minds think alike!

You know, before PC came out, I'd have agreed with you two, Eustace and daughter of the king. But then they changed so much of that book that... I'm just scared they will do that again! A big battle somewhere on the journey is just the sort of thing that would "keep the action moving", as Andrew Adamson liked to say during the commentary. I hope you're right, though!