Prince Caspian and the Crystal Skull

Okay, so I kinda slacked off on the Iron Man post. Although, I didn't think there was much I could add that others haven't already said. Also, Mrs Titan and I have really been cruising through the Netflix list, and, as much fun as it is to review movies that are up to 20 years old, does anyone really care?

Anyway, last weekend we went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and Saturday we saw Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, so I thought I would talk a little about both of them.

Spoilers!!!!

Do not read on if you haven't seen Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Seriously, I'm gonna go nuts ruining everything, so if you haven't seen it, go away. Prince Caspian has been in print for 57 years, so if you don't know how it ends well then...what can I say, go read the book or see the movie. If you want it to be a surprise, stop reading.

Spoilers!!!



Indiana Jones
I have read a couple reviews of the movie and I hear one of two things. "It was good but not as good as the first three." Well duh! Did anyone think it would live up to or be better than the first three? I hope not. And "It was horrible and weird and not like Indiana Jones at all."

I, however, thought it was great. Not as great as the first three (well, except maybe Temple of Doom, I think I liked it better than Temple of Doom), but great nonetheless. The action was fun and exciting. A little unbelievable, but no more than your standard action flick these days. There was the right amount of humor, fun, believable bad guys (you know, the ones that are starting the next Cold War), and a cool plot.

There were two things I really liked about this film. First, was the history that Indy talked about with others in the film. Not anciet, archeological history, but his history. He discussed his past relationships (he almost married Marion?!), his father (Sean Connery) and Marcus Brody (the great Denholm Elliott, who died in 1992) have died, and his time in World War II. How cool would a movie be with Indy in WWII? These conversations really made the character feel real. He wasn't just missing for 19 years, he was living his life. He had numerous other adventures that we never got to see (but I wish we could). Suffice to say, I have already put the The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in my Netflix Queue.

The second thing that I really liked about the movie was the theme, which I assume was intentional. The 1950s were all about the future. The War was over and people were looking forward to the future. The world was excited by technology and the space race began in 1957, the same year that Crystal Skull takes place. So, what is the movie about? Aliens of course! Aliens that have been on earth for over 5,000 years in fact. The movie focused on something that would have been very exciting to those in the '50s. I think it was very unexpected in an Indiana Jones movie, but it worked and it was very entertaining.

I really loved the scene at the end of the film where, during the wedding Indy's hat is blown from the rack up against Shia LaBeuof (who was actually quite good). You know, just like the scene where Indy gets the hat in Last Crusade? Anyway, it looks like the hat has been passed on, we have a new Indy! Right until Harrison Ford walks up to take his hat back! It was great! Go Harrison! Anyway, it was a great movie, definitely one I would recommend!

Prince Caspian
I gotta say, Prince Caspian was a much better movie than I expected. It's not that I expected it to be bad, I just didn't think it would be as great as it was. The movie was a lot of fun, the Pevensie kids go back to Narnia to help Prince Caspian take Narnia back from the Telmarines for the Narnians.

The action scenes were tense and very well done. The animated mythical characters were looking good and were as real as these things can be. They were also a lot of fun. Trumpkin, Nikabrik, the centaurs, minotaurs, and fauns were all great, but Reepicheep the mouse steals the show. He is a great little fighter who is intensely loyal to Aslan and plays a pretty big role in some of the other books.

My favorite thing about the film was the Pevensie kids. As you recall (you do recall, right?) they lived an entire lifetime in Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. They were adults before they were swept back to the real world and were the same age as when they left. When they come back to Narnia, they are not just little kids, they act as adults and are brimming with confidence. I thought this was great. Of course they would act like that when they get back to the place the ruled for at least 15 years. I thought they all did a fantastic job, with extra kudos for Anna Popplewell as Susan and Skandar Keynes as Edmund. The middle kids didn't have a ton to do, but they were great.

I am truly looking forward to the rest of the films. Things change from now on. The Pevensie kids are no longer the center of all of the stories, and, in fact, Susan and Peter will not be back to Narnia. If Walden Media continues to make these films, I will continue going to them. They are a lot of fun and if they are all this well made, I think we will all be able to enjoy many more adventures in Narnia. If you haven't read all seven books, check them out, they are great and quick and easy to read. You won't regret it.