the undragoning of Eustace was mostly lost in my opinion.
Worse still, it was obfuscated. Was he dragonned due to his greed, or was it the green mist that seduced him? At least in the book it was clear - Guilty! No Excuses.
Was he undraggonned by the returning of the seventh sword? Oh, just greaaat! Redeemed by an act of heroism, not an act of grace.
Did he even have any real repentance in the movie? Make himself useful (like in the book?) Learn to ENJOY being of service to others? Learn to appreciate RECEIVING acts of kindness and compassion? Just tears of self-pity, not real regret.
Yes, they left out the Pool, Aslan, the whole de-lizardification. But it wouldn't have made any difference, the thing's been gutted.
Fate often saves a doomed Eustace, if his courage can be faked.
![Silly 8-}](./images/smilies/35.gif)
Maybe they plan to send him to Valhalla instead of Aslan's country.
Yes, the reanimation of the dead matter, the alchemisation of eustace from the obnoxious little snot (they got that part right) into a real human - it is a difficult transformative process; the mortification of the garbage, the re-adsorption of the living fire. The forging, hammering, and then the final purification and cracking off the dross sticking to the ingot before the final pass through the crucible.
Nah! We'll just stab him in the heart and he can fly the sword back to the island of the sleepers, the audience needs a good fight scene.
So disappointing.
only when it was removed by Aslan could he feel and behave and act differently
No, I think the transformation began much earlier, (in the book). In the anomalous state as a dragon he had a singular opportunity to be useful, to repent. Once restored to humanity, he had a further opportunity:
To be humbled, to be just Eustace, no pretensions. The building must be torn down to its foundations and the errors removed before it can be rebuilt properly. That was closer to your meaning I think.