Imagine finding a magical kingdom in another world… only to return over a thousand years later, and find it in ruins.
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That’s the whole idea of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” a superb sequel to “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.” While it has a climax that goes on WAY too long, this movie shows us the darker side of C.S. Lewis’ fantastical world — with a heavy dose of Shakespearean villains, political intrigue, and some spectacularly epic battles.
It’s been 1,300 years in Narnia, and the human Telmarines have invaded and driven the native Narnians underground. Aslan hasn’t been seen in centuries.
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And when King Miraz’s (Sergio Castellitto) wife gives birth to a baby boy, his nephew — the rightful heir — becomes an obstacle. Young Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) flees from his treacherous uncle, and is discovered by a band of Narnians. Along the way, he accidentally ends up summoning the ancient Kings and Queens of Narnia — also known as the Pevensie children, who were waiting at a train station when they were unexpectedly sucked trough a tunnel.
Though initially delighted to have returned to Narnia, the Pevensies are horrified when they find that their once-idyllic land has been nearly destroyed. Caspian has been organizing a ramshackle army of native Narnians, but Peter (William Moseley) finds that fighting an organized, armed force is very different from battling the White Witch. And after a disastrous attack, the Narnians are facing almost certain destruction — but Lucy (Georgie Henley) is convinced that Aslan can somehow save them, and restore the kingdom to Prince Caspian….
“Prince Caspian” is definitely a darker story than its predecessor — good guys die, coups fail, evil machinations succeed, the castles are grimy, some of the good guys turn bad for real, and a bleak, hopeless feeling suffuses much of the movie’s second half. Even our heroes have to deal with their doubts and anger, especially since Aslan is conspicuously absent for 95% of the entire film.
And if the first film was a colorful fantasy adventure, then this one is a military story with all the necessary action trappings — spectacular aerial drops, castle-wide massacres, and a spectacular finale involving a massive pit, tree roots, a river, and catapults. But Adamson also packs in as much violence as a PG-rated movie can contain — while there’s only a few drops of actual gore, there’s plenty of beheadings, shootings and stabbings.
But Narnia itself has lost none of its charm, and Adamson lingers lovingly on the sunlit forests and quiet rivers for as long as he can. And though the story is grim, he sprinkles it with plenty of humor (the bound-and-gagged cat) and fairly snappy dialogue. One of the most spectacular scenes involves a very familiar character speaking from inside a sheet of shimmering ice, as Caspian is dragged into a necromancer’s ritual. It’s really rather creepy.
Problems with the movie? Well, the climactic battle drags on for a LONG time, and every time you think it’ll end, it revs back up. And those masked soldiers are a wee bit too reminiscent of “300’s” Persians.
The four Pevensie actors all do solid jobs, although William Moseley is the standout — Peter is struggling with doubt and a bit of alpha rivalry, especially since he’s used to being Narnia’s top dog. Barnes starts off a little stiffly — come on, where’s the fear when you see your bed turned into a pincushion? — but soon grows into the difficult role of a Hamlet-like prince who is struggling to become both a Narnian friend and a Telmarine king.
But there’s a pretty brilliant supporting cast as well: Castellitto is simply outstanding as the ruthless, icy-cold Miraz, as are Damián Alcázar and Pierfrancesco Favino as his scheming advisors. Warwick Davis does a low-key, malevolent turn as Nikabrik, while Peter Dinklage is the likably brusque, cynical Trumpkin. And Eddie Izzard is top-notch as the mousy swashbuckler Reepicheep — this could have a silly, comic-relief character, but he does end up being both adorable and formidable.
There are going to be two versions of the “Prince Caspian” release in either blu ray or regular versions. The more embellish DVD version basically has the film, plus an extra bonus disc with the stuff you’d expect in such a movie: bloopers, deleted scenes, and a series of featurettes about the making of the movie — previsualization, fight choreography, sets, special effects, and the guys who play the dwarves Trumpkin and Nikabrik. As for the third disk, it’s going to be a downloadable digital version of the movie.
“Prince Caspian” drops the children’s fantasy feeling, in favor of a darker, more militaristic story — especially with all that father-murder stuff. But despite its darker overtones, it never forgets the light side.
In the very slim chance that Disney reads these reviews, I’d like to pile on to other criticisms in the hope that the Dawn Treader doesn’t make the same mistakes. As a huge C.S. Lewis and Narnia fan, I was so disappointed in Caspian. Same reasons as many other reviewers: too many unnecessary liberties taken; little dialogue, so very little way to connect with and enjoy the characters; too grim; etc. At the end of the movie, I felt like I didn’t get to spend any time with the characters b/c most of the movie was some sort of battle.
Sure, there were a few good things. Reepicheep was great; so was the DLF. The scenery and landscapes were beautiful. Some of the battles (or parts of battles) were enjoyable and had a sense of honor and bravery. But that’s about it. Caspian was okay, a little boring. The posturing between Peter and Caspian was silly, as was the flicker of romance between Caspian and Susan. Not enough of Aslan. Not enough of Lucy. No lessons. Nothing anywhere near the charm of Mr. Tumnus.
You know how at the end of some movies (good ones) you have that feeling like you want more of a good thing? You wish the movie would go on and on? (That’s why I ripped through all the Narnia books in the first place.) Well, after watching Caspian, I had a feeling of wanting more of what I knew existed in the book but didn’t come through in the movie…it was a yearning for what could have been instead of what was delivered. It was a huge disappointment and a real shame. And I truly hope the Dawn Treader can deliver what the first movie did, and what the books all do….a real connection to the characters and a reason to start thinking about what it means to believe in something and to stand up for your beliefs. I don’t think that notion is incompatible with making a block-buster of a movie.
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