movie review by efrain gomez
May 16, 2008
3 out of 4 stars
The summer blockbuster wave continues with an epic and entertaining action-drama of warring mythical creatures and humans in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” — the second film in The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, based on the hugely popular and classic books by C.S. Lewis.
If you’ve not seen the first Chronicles film, here’s a brief rundown of what’s going on: In a grand moral tale of sacrifice and good versus evil, the first movie installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (2005), introduces us to the Pevensie siblings and the land of Narnia, where animals and humans live and converse in harmony. With the help of the great lion, Aslan, they free Narnia from the clutches of the White Witch who had oppressed the land with a perpetual state of winter.
By doing this, the siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, fulfill ancient prophecy, becoming the rightful kings and queens of Narnia. They rule the kingdom for many years before they are sent back to the ‘real world’ set in London during World War II.
“Prince Caspian” picks the story up a year later in the ho-hum of real life and school, where Peter’s picking fights, Edmund backs him up, Susan, the responsible motherly sister, tries to make peace, while Lucy, the youngest, holds on to the hope that one day they’ll return to Narnia. And of course, one morning while waiting for the train to school, they are suddenly transported back.
When they arrive in Narnia, they discover that 1,300 years have passed since they left, and the land is overrun by the human country of Telmar.
“Prince Caspian” starts off running, literally, as it’s title character escapes the plotting of his uncle, General Miraz, who seeks control of the Telmarine kingdom through his newborn son and the murder of Prince Caspian.
While on the run, Caspian unwittingly summons the Pevensie kids, the Narnian kings and queens of old. Together, with the help of the almost-extinct Narnians, they must battle the evil Miraz and restore harmony between Narnia and Telmar.
One of the central themes of Caspian is pride, power, and the downfall they can bring. Prince Caspian and Peter as High King bicker and cannot share power, and grow impatient waiting for a sign or help from the missing Aslan. Peter is also unwilling to listen to counsel. As a result, the Narnians don’t do well in the ultimate battle for survival, the crux of it all resting on a one-on-one duel between Peter and Miraz. After a few instances of defeat and retreat, Peter challenges Miraz to a duel to win the battle and stop the bloodshed among both sides. While neither side seems to do well, Lucy, who still has the pure faith of a child, simply believes in the goodness of the wise and benevolent lion, Aslan, and that he can intervene.
Director Andrew Adamson paces the film steadily with drama and anticipation leading up to the great stand-off between the two warring kingdoms. The movie is a bit slower-paced than an average family movie, but the moral depth, action, and great characters keep it moving and alive. Of course, much of the credit for this is due to C.S. Lewis’ source material, but props go out to the filmmakers as well.
Like a tamer version of “The Lord of the Rings” movies, the story and characters are rich and involving yet uncomplicated. The visuals of the film are wonderful, blending the live action with fanciful creatures like minotaurs, centaurs, talking badgers, and sword-wielding mice (check out Eddie Izzard-voiced Reepicheep).
I enjoyed “Prince Caspian”; it is a film for all ages. It’s PG-rating is appropriate in that there may be material in the film that will go above the heads of younger children, and some scenes may be a bit intense. This movie has both a great story and entertainment value, with depth that raises good discussion topics for both young and old. Pride, faith, humility, war, peace, corruption of power, and the consequences of our actions.
Perhaps “Caspian” isn’t as enthralling as “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, but keep in mind that the latter is the most popular and beloved book of the series, so naturally, the first film may be the most cherished. The two movies are different, and “Caspian” takes place 1,300 years later, so maybe it’s unfair to compare the two. In any case, I think both fans and newbies will enjoy “Prince Caspian”. Even my friend with whom I attended the screening loved it and found it interesting even though he’d not seen the first film. So go see “Caspian” and make sure you rent or buy “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (preferably before), and get lost in the magical land of Narnia.
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I’ve started contributing reviews to HollywoodJesus.com, check out this review on their site.
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