While I agree with critics and fellow IC blogger Paul that “Prince Caspian” was an entertaining film that is better production-wise that its cinematic predecessor, “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and that certainly not all of the spirituality of the Lewis novel was lost, something was definitely missing from this latest Narnian adaptation. And I am not just saying that because this morning finds numerous professional speculations on why “Caspian” box office numbers came in lower than expected this past weekend.

I think part of the mistake with this adaptation is that the key moments that were at the heart of the book, didn’t truly make it on screen. The great Aslan himself barely makes an appearance in this film, which is sort of like having a Harry Potter movie without Harry Potter. Reepicheep and Trumpkin— while providing entertaining moments in the movie—are the other two characters at the heart of the book who are given shallow treatment by director Andrew Adamson. Such storytelling choices ultimately render the themes of the novel regarding faith and doubt, sight and blindness rather mute. It also makes the move, while good, not great, and definitely not memorable.
So I am beginning to conclude that maybe the weaker box office numbers (though I realize the movie still came in first place) do indicate something. No one questioned “Lord of the Rings” fans desire for to have Peter Jackson’s trilogy stay truthful to the series. No has questioned Potter devotees about staying true to the heart of Rowling’s work, either. But for some reason, many critics and Hollywood industry types are excusing the watering down of the heart of Narnia. And maybe this a question that needs to be considered before the filming begins on the next Narnia movie, the adaptation of ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”