Rated: PG
Runtime: 2 hrs 20 mins
Cast:
- Ben Barnes
- Georgie Henley
- Skandar Keynes
- William Moseley
- Anna Popplewell
- Sergio Castellitto
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Review - "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
Reviewer: Charise Payne
Rating:
Disney has another summer blockbuster on its hands. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is an exhilarating ride that kids and adults alike will run to. The world of C.S. Lewis's characters is thrilling, inviting, and better than the first film (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).
The film begins with the birth of a baby boy. The baby's father, Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), has secured his own lineage with the birth of this baby, allowing him to kill the current heir to the throne, his nephew Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Miraz fails at the attempt, and Caspian escapes into the woods. The forest is rumored to be haunted and full of witchcraft, so Caspian uses it to escape his would-be killers. But what Caspian doesn't expect to find is that the stories his professor had told him are true, and he finds himself confronted with Narnians whom he believed were extinct.
Back in England, a year has passed since the Pevensie children Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), the former kings and queens of Narnia, went through the wardrobe and back to their former lives. The children are living in London, where they attend school and live their old boring lives. They yearn to go back to Narnia to be with their friends the Beavers, Mr. Tumnus, and Aslan. But they lack the faith to believe it will happen. Only Lucy believes they will return to Narnia, and she just knows she will see Aslan again.
As they wait at the tube station, they suddenly feel magic all around them. Something is happening to them, and they don't know what. Back in Narnia, a frantic Caspian blows the horn he was given by his professor. He doesn't know that the horn is Susan's horn — her magic horn, and it summons the Pevensie children back to Narnia. They are elated. They are back in Narnia, and it is as beautiful as they remembered. But something is wrong, something doesn't quite fit; Narnia is different. Their confusion soon ends when they discover their old home demolished from war. Inside a hidden, shrine-like room, they find their old belongings and weapons.
With their weapons in hand, they set off to find their people and discover what happen to Narnia. As they travel, they happen upon a Red Dwarf named Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage), who is about to be murdered by a Telmarine soldier. They save him. With his help, they discover that it has been 1300 years since they last lived in Narnia, and that their kingdom has been destroyed. The last of the Narnians live in hiding, away from the eyes of the evil Telmarines (who conquered Narnia and took it for their home).
Trumpkin agrees to take the Pevensie children to meet with the other Narnians in hopes that, together, they can win back their kingdom. But when they get there, they are in for a shock. A new prince is leading the Narnians: Prince Caspian. They all decide to form an alliance in an attempt to restore Caspian to his throne so that he might once again welcome Narnians as equals in Telmarine.
The Narnians, the Pevensie children, and Caspian must learn to work together and trust each other if they are going to overcome the evil Miraz. But it seems that old habits die hard; Peter and Susan doubt Lucy again — didn't they learn their lesson last time? Lucy doesn't lie. She tells her siblings she has seen Aslan, the lion who hasn't been seen in Narnia for 1000 years, but they don't believe her. Why would Aslan reveal himself to Lucy and not to them?
At the same time, Caspian and Peter are having a power struggle. Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne of Telmarine and therefore Narnia, but Peter is the High King, and he is not about to let his kingdom be run by a man who is the son of the king that destroyed it. They both want to lead the battles and win back Narnia, but they don't trust each other.
Prince Caspian is a story of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. It is a story of faith and trust, and how if you don't believe in a power greater then your own, you will never succeed. Prince Caspian is full of religious symbolism, just like the first, but without it being so blatantly put in your face. The special effects are amazing, and I found myself forgetting that the talking mouse, Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard), isn't real, and that Aslan isn't an all-knowing lion who can bring the dead back to life. The effects were so good that they never took me out of the story.
The acting is great as well. I loved Castellitto as the evil Miraz, and Dinklage as the cantankerous yet lovable Trumpkin. Also Barnes, Disney's new "it" boy, does a fine job as the dignified Prince Caspian. Izzard brings in plenty of laughs as the noble, Zorro-like Reepicheep. And Henley once again brings innocence and light into the film as Lucy.
My only issue with the film is within the fight scenes. It seems like every fantasy film since Lord of the Rings has to have a trebuchet for the battles. I know they are a great mid-evil way of knocking walls down, but I would have loved to see something different, especially when their own men are in the line of fire. Next time give me something a little bit more imaginative. And when will any of the dang archers run out of arrows? They always seem to have an endless supply. Just once, I would like to see an archer reach back to get an arrow and find he has run out. It would be much more realistic — I'm just saying.
Prince Caspian is a wonderful family film that all will enjoy. If you like battle scenes, tons of action, family unity, and a little romance — this film's for you.
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