Chris Kavan's Movie Review of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

A Darker Narnia Makes for a Richer Film
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/19/08

A worthy follow up, even a tad better, than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian takes a darker, more serious tone and wonder gives way to war.

The improvement over the first is due in part to the maturation of the actors. The four siblings all seem to be better on screen this time around. No one is going to win an academy award here, but the improvement is much appreciated. Georgie Henley continues to be the brightest spot, still showing there is some magic left in Narnia.

Newcomer Ben Barnes is adequate as the titular Prince Caspian. He’s a bit stiff at times, but overall works well in the film. The best performances are reserved for Peter Dinklage, playing a surly dwarf who grudgingly opens up and the animated Reepicheep voiced by Eddie Izzard. Oft compared to Puss in Boots from Shrek, the mouse with an attitude (and sharp blade) is the best source for humor in a dark film.

The film falls upon the tried and true villain of “evil men who crave power”. Sergio Castellitto as Miraz and his band of unmerry Telmarines are militaristic-minded and hell bent on wiping out the Narnians. They’re pretty generic villains as far as I’m concerned.

It’s true that Caspian seems to borrow a lot from other films. Shades of LOTR, Harry Potter and previously-mentioned Shreck can be seen. Yet since C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien were contemporaries and J.K. Rowling borrowed ideas from them for her books, this is just coming around full circle.

The battles, while frequent, are pretty bloodless despite heavy casualties. It does feel pretty grim for a PG film, even with talking animals to lighten the mood. The darker tone might have some parents griping, but I thought it made for a much more gripping story.

Those who enjoyed the first Narnia film will probably also like this one. I would even suggest those who didn’t like the first so much give this one a shot. It’s not quite epic level, but as far as fantasy series go, this one is still entertaining.