You know its easy to criticize movie Peter when watching the film but...

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MissReep, it is exactly the oposite with me. Susaspian did not bother me as much as Peter because with at least Susan it is not a complete change in her character. On the other hand, even if it is idealism to think that Peter in real life would have stayed true to his king-hood and not turned to a sniveling brat when he got home; Lewis says that he did. THe movie Peter is the most out of cinc with his book counterpart. It makes me upset.

We know Susan was apt to engage the feelings of men, even if she did not reciprocate them. Susaspian is not completely out of her character. In fact, it may have been the most in character moments for Susan in the movie. ANd that is very sad.
 
<Turkish Delight> said:
*Cheers for Lucy*
Yes, my thoughts exactly, my friend! :) In the movie, it seems like Peter longs to be High King, but knows that it is not attainable due to the will of Aslan. It makes sense that he may develop a little resentment toward the man who is taking his place. So many people really hate Peter's character or even the whole movie because of this change and I think it's quite sad. :(
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It is sad!!! His character is a very interesting character! Everybody dispises his character because of the way he acted. Tell me something, those of you who hate his character (and even those who like his character) how would you react if you were in his shoes? It is sad that lots of people let HIS mistakes ruin the movie for them, because, he does change, and no one seems to notice that. They notice what he did that they did not like, but they don't notice what he did that they should like.
Everybody likes responsibility in some form or another, and I think that that is part of what bothered Peter as well, that he lost a lot of that responsibility when he left Narnia. He was high king, and then he is a boy, and he lost all of the responsibility and authority that he had as high king. He learned an important lesson from his mistakes, and really changed by the end of the film. I almost hope that they developed that a little in the Dawn Treader, because he and Susan are in the VDT... Maybe people will like him better if they see that he has REALLY changed.
 
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How I would have reacted is not the point; Peter was a upper-middle class British male of the 1940's and was better taught then to throw temper tantrums even before he went to Narnia. While he lived for decades in Narnia as High King, he learned to be diplomatic. He aged in understanding as well as years. When he left Narnia, he was a cultured knight, a person who prized chivalry, he was a skilled leader, a fearless warrior, a Magnificent king, and he was grown-up long out of his teenage years even if he looked like a 12-13 year old. Lewis's text implies that he did lose any of these skills though he might have become out of practice with the sword. Sure Peter might have longed for going back to Narnia; he might have even, like Eustace in Silver Chair, looked for ways to get there and asked to go back. But he would have still behaved like his kingly training taught him and been a man not a whiny kid who longed to be a man again. Yes, he had his moments but so do men. But Peter knew how to admit he was wrong in the book and did long before they saw Aslan. I did not see a man inside a kid's body in MoviePeter as Lewis wrote that it should've been; I saw how a kid would react to being given a day of being a grown-up and then forced back into childhood. Peter was not the noble king that he was throughout the books in the PC movie, he was Rabadash, he was Ed during the first part of LWW, he was not nice to listen too, I wanted to shake him, smack him and tell him to snap out of it.


And as to how I would have reacted, no, I would not have been a sniveling brat about it. I can site many times when I have been replaced by someone and yes I complained about it in privacy, but I did not treat them poorly because of it; it was not their fault they replaced me. I have stepped into the role of advisor to the person/people who replaced me quickly but let the person do their job. Sometimes I have found that these people have done the job better than I did. And it is not like I am older adult either; I am 23 and I know how to react to trials with grace (a grace that did High King Peter well as he earned his (non-Aslan given) title King Peter the Magnificent).


If you want an example of even how a modern man would have reacted, watch the new Seventeen Again where he balked about things that would have been unheard of when he was younger and convinced other to do the same. Now picture how your grandparents or even great grand parents for some of you would have reacted to becoming 17 again. All those, when I was your age stories should give you an idea of how a normal 1940's teen would have acted. How about King Arthur? Would Richard the Lionhearted behave that way if he showed up as a child in England today? Think of any kings that are held on a pedestal for their bravery and chivalry; anyone given the title King _____ the Great, would they have behaved like Peter did in the movie. These examples sound ridiculous but these are the type of Kings that Peter was but the idealized stories of them not the actual historic figures. If you think that they would have you are insane.
 
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I still think that it is sad that people notice what he did wrong in that movie, not what he did that was good.. He did some good things in that movie, he was still a smart king, just he lost all his authority and knows that he will not gain the full authority he had in the first one ever again no matter how much the Narnians may respect him. What it seems to me is that he is dealing with jealousy! But it also shows that he humbles himself in the end. THATS WHATS IMPORTANT. That he humbles himself, and changes for the better in the end, and he seems to be the one that handled not ever being able to return to Narnia the best out of him and Susan, partly because he was the only one who actually cared about Narnia and realized that Aslan had his reasons. He, in the end, shows real belief in Narnia and Aslan, and turns back to the TRUE High King Peter the Magnificent, the one that he was before. :) that is what is important..
 
People don't only notice what he did wrong; everyone could see what he did right, what they are noticing is the way the script betrayed the themes of the book and the ethos of the times; they put a modern American teenager in place of a 1940's teenager who had already lived a lifetime as a king. That's what is really sad. And for me, I don't really see Peter humbling himself all that much at the end ... nor would that make it all better; in my opinion. I agree with those who say Peter's attitude did not bother me if we think of this as an adventure movie, but if we try to make it into PC book, the attitude squelches all the things Lewis would have stood for. :(
 
All the he did to humble himself at the end was hand Caspian his sword and say, "I'm not needed here any more." It came off with a sense of irony. Of course he isn't needed; he hasn't been helping very much.
 
MissReepicheep said:
All the he did to humble himself at the end was hand Caspian his sword and say, "I'm not needed here any more." It came off with a sense of irony. Of course he isn't needed; he hasn't been helping very much.
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LOL, good point. Yah, even at the end he seemed hard and bitter to me rather than humble.
 
I never said it wasn't a good movie. But i don't like having to mentally prepare myself to watch a movie that should be a joy to watch. I don't like having to tell myself that it is just a movie. I don't like the thought that always pops into my mind as I finish watching: "I really hope people who have never read the books think this is what one of my favorite characters was really like (actually what all of my favorite characters were like)."


I don't watch the Prince Caspian movie that much because I don't have time to become stupider to watch it all the time. I have to try to forget the memorized book so that I can enjoy it and that is wrong on so many levels.
 
~Lava~ said:
I never said it wasn't a good movie. But i don't like having to mentally prepare myself to watch a movie that should be a joy to watch. I don't like having to tell myself that it is just a movie. I don't like the thought that always pops into my mind as I finish watching: "I really hope people who have never read the books think this is what one of my favorite characters was really like (actually what all of my favorite characters were like)."


I don't watch the Prince Caspian movie that much because I don't have time to become stupider to watch it all the time. I have to try to forget the memorized book so that I can enjoy it and that is wrong on so many levels.
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That's a good point. I cringe when others who haven't read the books watch the movie, because I don't want them to think that that is what my favorite characters are really like. And I have to put my expectations so low that it's disgraceful. I have to think, "This movie is a good movie as far as movies go. But it is NOT a good book adaptation. But despite that, I am going to enjoy this movie because it is one of the only decent movies that are coming out nowadays." :rolleyes:
 
inkspot said:
LOL, good point. Yah, even at the end he seemed hard and bitter to me rather than humble.
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He was not "Hard and Bitter" AT ALL!!!!!! He really changed. He accepts Caspian and handles hearing that he won't get back to Narnia very well. I don't know what else to say besides that he isnt hard and bitter at all and I dont know where you would get that idea.....
 
Handles not returning to Narnia well? He seemed all sullen and sort of pouting. He sort of apologized to Aslan, but his heart didn't change.
 
I still don't understand where you got that idea because if you watch the special features and commentary and stuff u will see that they are trying to portray that Peter changes in the end and humbles himself.... U should watch them sometime if u haven't allready.
 
I got that idea from what I have seen right in front of me.

Yes, I've seen the commentary and I've watched all of the special features available on the DVD. But just because they say that was what they were TRYING to portray doesn't mean they succeeded.

He doesn't humble himself very much. He hardly even gave a decent apology. Just because he agrees to leave when Aslan tells him it's time doesn't mean that he has had a change of heart.
 
"Tell me something, those of you who hate his character (and even those who like his character) how would you react if you were in his shoes?"

QueenLucy, how did your namesake act when she also returned to Narnia under the exact same circumstances? Lucy went from renowned and much beloved queen of Narnia, one whom Princes sought and was known for her bravery (hence the Valiant moniker) to a preteen girl who couldn't even decide when she should go to bed.

It is a question that gets asked a lot for this topic: Why does Peter get the pass for behaving spoiled but the other three do not get the credit for acting like former royalty and settling back to just being kids again? What was so different about their experiences?

MrBob
 
MissReepicheep said:
He doesn't humble himself very much. He hardly even gave a decent apology. Just because he agrees to leave when Aslan tells him it's time doesn't mean that he has had a change of heart.
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I JUST watched that movie, he shows that he did NOT hate Caspian, he really accepts that it is time for him to leave permanently IN HIS HEART, he humbles himself in the end as well. He does NOT act like a jerk at all. If he didnt trust Aslan, he probably would not have volunteered him and his siblings to go, because obviously, he wanted to get back to Narnia to be king again, and leaving would mean leaving forever.
There were several people saying that he was doing everything for himself, but in the Castle Raid, he says "FOR NARNIA!!!!!!!" and I don't think it was because it was his battle cry or anything, because if he wasn't doing it for Narnia he would not have said that, knowing his character. I said earlier that when Susan asks who he is doing the Raid for, he gives her this look, like, yes, he is frustrated with her for asking that, but I also think that he was doing it to prove himself. After he stabs Miraz, when Miraz asks him "Whats the matter, boy, to cowardly to take a life?" and he responds "Its not mine to take." that shows that he realizes that if anyone should kill Miraz, it would be Caspian. What Miraz said to him, he could have taken as a personal insult, but, while he may have thought that for a moment, I think that idea quickly faded from his mind. And before the Duel, the dialogue just before that (see my signature) shows that he is doing the WHOLE THING for Narnia and that is all he cares about, maybe not through the whole movie, but certainly in that scene and after!!!!!!!!!
I really hope that they developed his character a little more in the VDT.....
 
I was talking to QLTV.

I will acknowledge that there are some parts in PC when Peter did not act like a sniveling brat, but those points (like the dialogue between Peter and Lucy after the WW scene or the "its not mine to take" scene) and he got better after the night raid failed. But he still did not become like the bookPeter. Alot of the places when he showed glimpses of bookPeter were when he had just won something or he had utterly failed and the utter failure happened alot more often then it had to. They did not have to show that moment of indecision with the WW, that just showed how little faith he had in Aslan. He was faithless until he had no choice but to have faith. He went to Aslan as a last resort. He did not trust Aslan, he did not trust Lucy, he did not trust his other siblings, he did not trust his support. The one part of the movie that Peter made me proud at was when he said "we'll go"
 
When I said he appeared hard and bitter, I was basing it on the way he gave the sword to Caspian saying he, Peter, wasn't needed anymore. That was self-pitying and wrong; of course he would be needed, he was high king, but he chose to act as if Caspian were replacing him and it was Caspian's fault. Also he brusquely told his siblings they'd be leaving and didn't make any kind of noble act out of their departure as he does in the book. To me his character was resigned, but not particularly humble or noble.
 
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