Prince Caspian Movie Review

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 16, 2008

The Narnia films seem to have a strange affect on me. I see them a first time, and I like them. However, I don’t consider them best-of-the-year material. However, with the first one, I wanted to watch it again. This alone is a good sign for a film. For someone like me, who sees pretty much every major release (both good and bad, mind you), it’s a rare occurrence for me to want to see something twice.

By the time I had watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a second and third time, I found a very special place in my heart for it. I feel that Prince Caspian is going to end up the same way. And I suppose that’s the best kind of movie… one that starts out good and gets better with subsequent viewings.

It took a lot longer than I would have expected for this second Narnia film to hit the screens, but on the whole it was definitely worth the wait. It’s been two and a half years for us, one year for the characters and 1,300 years in the magical world of Narnia.

The film opens in a typical medieval castle. A woman gives birth to a son, and the evil King Miraz claims the throne. Before he can kill the rightful heir, Prince Caspian, the young man is spirited away from the castle and calls for help with a magical horn.

Back in real world London, the Pevensie children are transported back to Narnia. There, they discover that centuries have past and humans have invaded the land. The magical creatures of Narnia have been either killed or banished into the woods. The Pevensies meet up with Prince Caspian and join forces with him to take back Narnia for the creatures of the forest and him as the heir to the throne.

The biggest buzz surrounding this film is that it’s much darker than its predecessor. There’s even been some rumblings about the PG rating being a little closer to PG-13 than you’d think. There is a level of merit to this, but after recently viewing the first film, I’ll say there’s not much in this new movie that is darker than before.

The biggest difference in intensity and peril is that where the magical creatures fought each other in the first film, this one pits them against an army of humans. I suppose that the Pevensie children fighting off (and ultimately slaying) human soldiers might cut a bit more close to the bone. Additionally, there are some instances of real peril for the kids, including Peter’s mortal combat with King Miraz and some cold-blooded deaths at very close hands.

Still, this film is relatively bloodless and manages to be an action film that kids can enjoy. Just know your kids before seeing it. While it might not be fully appropriate for a four year old, you can safely take a kid of eight or nine years old, if they can handle a long movie with more than its fair share of “clean” violence.

As a film viewer, I was sucked into Prince Caspian. There are certain nuances to the characters that are deeper and more significant in this film, stemming from the fact that the Pevensie children are in fact adults in their 20s that have reverted to children upon their homecoming in the last film. Where The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was Lucy’s movie, this one is Peter’s journey with strong support from Edmond.

In fact, Edmond is the most interesting, with a character arc similar to Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series. He starts out as a bit of a tool in the first film, but he has quickly grown to a deft ruler.

In regards to the cast, the newcomers are quite good and often steal the show from their human counterparts. Peter Dinklage (one of the best actors in Hollywood today) has a fine turn as a dwarf that is skeptical of the former kings and queens. But it’s Eddie Izzard as the swashbuckling, saber-wielding and smart-mouthed mouse Reepicheep who charms his way off screen.

In as much as these two films are the same (with the same director, crew and primary cast), they are also hard to compare. Prince Caspian is a bit more down-to-Earth, grounded with a standard medieval storyline. It’s also more character driven than quest-driven. And there’s more battles… way more battles than in the first film.

When it comes to the spectacle of the piece, it’s an epic family film. The scope seems so much wider yet is doesn’t necessarily give us the depth of the fantasy creatures that I was craving. Still, it’s a wonderful journey, and I’m very anxious to view it again.

THE UPSIDE: A sequel worthy of its predecessor.

THE DOWNSIDE: Might not be appropriate for the youngest of viewers.

ON THE SIDE: There are five more books in The Chronicles of Narnia. Word is they will be made into films by 2018..

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