Focus of the Narnia Movies

[Ithilwen]

Though there are many elements in every story, every movie has its main focus. Sometimes the focus is on the action (such as Transformers). Sometimes it's on the romance (The Notebook). Other times it's on the characters or the plot or the atmosphere.

In your opinion, what was the focus of LWW? Of PC? Of VDT? Was it on the characters? The battles? Something else? How do you think this focus affected each of the films overall? What should the focus have been on?


~Riella

[narnianerd]

I feel that in PC and in LWW, the focus was actually on the characters, even more so in PC. The battles in PC really put the emphasis on the character development (Peter vs Caspian) as apposed to most movies where the character development takes a back seat to the action.

[7chronicles]

Sometimes the focus is on the action (such as Transformers).

Sorry just had to say how much I LOVE Transformers!!!!!

Ok back to the topic!

LWW = Character:
I think LWW like the book is more character driven. The plot is strong as well. But I think the characters are always the main focus and the thing that drives the story forward.

PC = Character: I think PC again like LWW is about the characters and balances well with the plot.
I agree with what narnianerd said:

The battles in PC really put the emphasis on the character development (Peter vs Caspian) as apposed to most movies where the character development takes a back seat to the action.

The battles themselves were character driven. Or showed some sort of character development.

VDT = Plot:
I think VDT was so focused on the plot of having to defeat the green mist that the character development took a backseat.
Because the movie was so short and rushed, the only time they had was given to the green mist!

[Ithilwen]

Sorry just had to say how much I LOVE Transformers!!!!!

...



I'm totally joking.

On a more serious note, here's my take on the focus:

First of all, I think the focus was much different in each movie.

In LWW, I thought the focus was pretty balanced. The characters seemed to get enough attention, the plot was well attended to, and the battle was long but not too long. A very good job, says I.

In PC, I thought it went downhill a bit. I would have liked more emphasis on the characters. As it is, I think the focus was more on the battles than anything else.

As for VDT - all plot, nothing else. No good character development. All very rushed, lets get the swords, be careful of the mist, etc. It was a plot-based movie. And what's more, even the plot was bad.


~Riella

[7chronicles]

LOL! I know, I know! I'm in the minority, maybe the only person on here who LOVES Transformers!
But Come on it was based on an 80's cartoon!
For crying out loud cut me some slack LOL.
Besides I could watch Optimus Prime all day long! I Love him!

Sorry (remembers that the Past Movies Thread is in the Spare Oom) Back on Topic!

As for VDT - all plot, nothing else. No good character development. All very rushed, lets get the swords, be careful of the mist, etc. It was a plot-based movie. And what's more, even the plot was bad.

LOL you said it best!

I do think though that the battles showed character development in PC, like when Peter kept telling Caspian and Susan that he could still do the plan during the castle raid. Maybe its just me.

[Ithilwen]

But Come on it was based on an 80's cartoon!

Being based on an 80s cartoon does give it extra points in my book...

I do think though that the battles showed character development in PC, like when Peter kept telling Caspian and Susan that he could still do the plan during the castle raid. Maybe its just me.

And the castle raid did give it quite an emotional element, what with the intense tragic nature of it.

But it just seemed like there were so many battles. And one of the things I loved most about PC (the book) was the characters. All the sweet animals Caspian finds in the forest. All the moments with Trumpkin that the Pevensies had. A lot of those scenes were cut down. And what was left in was changed drastically.


~Riella

[Narnian_Badger]

LWW- Characters, although in reference to the wars--something which I find very interesting, as it sets the stage for the more battle/plot focused movies following. But LWW had a nice balance of character vs. plot.

PC- Mm... character, maybe? Again, though, the focus was heavily influenced by the battles, and that skewed the characters far away from what they were like in the book. I really think the focus on the battles happened back in LWW, and was simply more pronounced in PC.

VDT- I'm honestly not sure if VDT had a focus, actually, and I think that's why it floundered. Plot based films can work--I'd say that Inception is largely popular for its convoluted plot, for example--but VDT couldn't decide if it was about plot (green mist) or character (temptation). Because of that, both halves were... well, half-baked, and VDT failed.

[Lion's Emblem]

LWW- as everyone has said, characters (obviously, mainly the Pevensies with how each develops and handles their daily struggles - the world of WWII and through their own individual journey in Narnia).

PC- partial plot and partial character. Obviously, we need the story of where Caspian falls into play and what has happened in Narnia (as the audience, we are along with the Pevensies, we have been gone and things have changed - "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember."). Then we need to learn who the Telmarines are and where they fit into the scheme of things - knowing that Caspian and the Pevensies are destined to team up (and just how that will turn out with two sets of Narnian royalty from two different eras and sets of ideals?). This is where it balances with character development. We know the Pevensies, we care about them, but now we also learn of Caspian's plight and care about his struggles.

VDT- I have to agree with Narnian_Badger, there was no focus at all. You couldn't care, at least I found I couldn't, about the plights of the character's because there wasn't much given to care about them (i.e. the prisoners at Narrowhaven - they're taken out to sea, some stupid mist does something to them, they disappear and then show up at the end where, somehow, Caspian is supposed to take them all back home. Yawn). We're supposed to care and know the Pevensies, but Edmund seems to be suffering from "Peter Syndrome" and they act too heroic or all powerful (for example, when Coriakin tells of the danger, Lucy pipes in so mighty "How do we stop it?"). That's what I like about C.S. Lewis' writing - all his children characters are children, we can relate to them. They have problems and struggles, but they can also have adventures and face the danger (even if they are afraid). In VDT, though, I felt I couldn't connect back to them in the same way. Like I said, they appeared too knowing and powerful. Yeah, Edmund had his stuggle with leadership and power with the gold and Lucy had her beauty and self-doubt moment, but the green mist made it more of a "devil made me do it" rather than (as in Lewis' work) they do have their faults, just like the rest of us, and how they are able to overcome it (this is what makes them real and beliveable, not this bit about "we can save the world on our own, so let's take charge with an iron fist" attitude). Also, the plot is just all over the place, so it's not story driven. If you don't have a good story and you can't connect with the emotions of characters, just what is the point? VDT had its good moments, don't get me wrong, but there was no focus.

[7chronicles]

LOL! Thanks

But it just seemed like there were so many battles. And one of the things I loved most about PC (the book) was the characters. All the sweet animals Caspian finds in the forest. All the moments with Trumpkin that the Pevensies had. A lot of those scenes were cut down. And what was left in was changed drastically.

Oh ok I see what you mean.
I agree that a lot of the nice character scenes, while maybe not necessary to get the story across to the audience, were the scenes that enriched the story itself.
And made you love each of the characters.

[twinimage]

LWW - It felt rather character driven. Even during the big battle, the characters each had something happen to them that furthered their story-arc. The big battle was also something that the dialogue liked to deviate towards.

PC - Character driven, but sadly I didn't like how they handled the characters. They amped up the amount of battles. So, it's still character driven, but focused a lot on the action as well. I felt like they marketed it as a big action movie.

VDT - Ugh, I'm not sure. This one was a mess. Someone mentioned the plot. I think I'd agree with that. They tried to give the characters something they had to deal with, but ultimately, the main focus was to get through the terribly written plot. Oddly enough, I feel this one tried to focus on "Christian themes" as well, or something like it. It's hard to describe. It's like they intended for the story to have little messages in it, rather than let the story convey the themes the author intended without appearing so blatant or forced.

[Lillian]

This is a really good topic! Good job, Ithilwen!

LWW- I feel like it was a good balance between plot, the characters, and the battle. The plot was attended to well, as were the characters. The battle scene was just perfect and the perfect amount of emphasis was put on it. It was all just... perfect.

PC- I feel like it was a good balance as well. Though not as good as LWW, I feel like they still did a good job attending to both the characters, the plot, and the battle. Also, there was the whole romance thing, but I really don't want to talk about that.

VDT- The plot was the only thing that was important in this movie. The characters were ignored and the battle was shabby and confusing. They tried to develop the characters and have arcs for each character, but they really did a bad job on it. I don't want to spend the whole time talking about how much I didn't like VDT, but I think they should have paid more attention the the other aspects of a movie other than just the plot.

[Narnian_Badger]

We're supposed to care and know the Pevensies, but Edmund seems to be suffering from "Peter Syndrome" and they act too heroic or all powerful (for example, when Coriakin tells of the danger, Lucy pipes in so mighty "How do we stop it?"). That's what I like about C.S. Lewis' writing - all his children characters are children, we can relate to them. They have problems and struggles, but they can also have adventures and face the danger (even if they are afraid).

Wow. There was always something a little off about Lucy in VDT that I couldn't quite place, and you just hit the nail on the head. It's not just that her dialogue was watered down to a more humanistic viewpoint, her entire personality was turned into a generic, heroic Type A character. Nothing affected her deeply--she was always convinced everything would be fine. Now, it'd be one thing if this was bravery, born from a sense that she rested in the paws of the Lion. Instead, it came off as bravado--they'd be fine, because it was literally impossible in her mind that they could fail. A complete switch from Lewis' faithful Lucy.

Great post.

[daughter of the King]

LWW is character driven. It focused almost solely on the Pevensies and how they interacted with each other and some of the Narnians (Tumnus, the Beavers, WW). I am glad that it was character driven but I do wish they hadn't focused quite so much on the Pevensies. That focus pulled the spotlight off of other characters such as Aslan and the Professor.

PC is 40% character and 60% action. While it is true that most of the action served as a way for character fulfillment, the focus of the production was more on the action. The majority of the deleted scenes were character driven: Prunaprismia interacting with Miraz, Susan and Caspian flirting, Lucy's disappointment with Peter, and Caspian and Peter having a positive conversation before the duel. These were cut to, in Adamson's words, "get to the action." The only deleted scene that I thought shouldn't have been in the movie was the extended search of Caspian's room right before the chase. The movie would have been much better if the character-driven deleted scenes had not been cut for the sake of action.

VDT had a focus?

[Lilygloves]

Obviously the focus of all the books are the characters and how Aslan develops them. In terms of movies...

LWW: Definitely character driven. You could really see Peter's struggle to be a leader, Susan fighting against the "logic", Edmund becoming a whole person again, and Lucy trying to help even though she's the youngest.

PC: A lot more focus on plot and action but still some character focus. They tried to add more action to make it darker and different from LWW.

VDT: There aren't character arcs- it's character speed bumps occasionally on the way. I would say the focus is on the plot, but the plot was done so sloppily with so many holes. As you watch the sea serpent battle, you can definitely tell the focus was all on action. They tried to add so many elements for conflict and action and it just didn't work.

[Narnian_Badger]

The majority of the deleted scenes were character driven: Prunaprismia interacting with Miraz, Susan and Caspian flirting, Lucy's disappointment with Peter, and Caspian and Peter having a positive conversation before the duel. These were cut to, in Adamson's words, "get to the action."

Yeah, I think cutting Prunaprismia's scenes in particular was a bad move on Adamson's part. Action is good, yes, but the audience will only enjoy it to a point; especially if they can't get behind the characters performing those actions. The deleted scenes made the queen a much more sympathetic character, instead of a one-off that shot Caspian, wailed, and then somehow was brave enough to be the first one to go back to Earth. 'Tis a pity those had to be cut. The Suspian, while one might not like it, at least gave the relationship a bit more screen time (and thus, more plausibility).

[Anfinwen]

I think LWW was really focused on the plot. The story kept moving, and as far as I can remember, there weren't really any long draw out annoying scenes. I think the characters developed naturally due to the tight story line.

PC, even though I haven't seen it, seems to be pretty battle focused with the character development changed to be more compatible and exciting.

In VDT I think they really tried to focus on character development but dropped the ball. Rather than letting the story develop the characters, they had to add cheesy, overly obvious, lines. It was like "We don't think our viewers are smart enough to recognize beautifully subtle, carefully crafted, moments of insight into the characters; so we have to make it really obvious. This movie is only going to be watched by little kids anyway." It is as though they limited themselves right out of the gate. (That wasn't an actual quote by the way, just an impression.)