The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
by Eric Maus
"We've anxiously awaited your return, my liege."
After the huge hit that was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, everyone expected a lot from its sequel, Prince Caspian. Did it live up to our expectations? Not exactly.
Many a year has passed in Narnia, while only a few have transpired over in England. The Pevensies long to return to the magical world, and their wish is granted when they are whisked away from a train station. The Narnia they find themselves in is certainly not the one they remember ruling. Ruins are everywhere, and the magical beasts that were once living in abundance have vanished. In their place, foreign Telmarines populate the realm, under the rule of the Lord Protector, Miraz. When the rightful heir to the throne, Caspian the X, is nearly murdered, he flees for his life, and meets the Pevensies, and the scattered remains of the creatures of old, come out of hiding to once again fight for Narnia's freedom.
This movie, also directed by Andrew Adamson, is on equal terms with its predecessor in the technical area; we are once again given the beautiful world of Narnia in all its glory. The cinematography, soundtrack, etc., are all great. The acting was also great. The four Pevensies again are all very well represented, as is Aslan. Spanish actor Sergio Castellitto as Miraz was just awesome; he was absolutely the best for that role. Peter Dinklage plays the dwarf Trumpkin, and does a great job, as he is known to do. However, Ben Barnes, who plays Prince Caspian, absolutely cannot pull off a Spanish accent. He tries and fails miserably.
One good aspect of this movie was Reepicheep the mouse. Played by British Comedian Eddie Izzard, Reepicheep pretty much is one of the only staples that hold this film together. He's witty, brave, and undaunting. His prowess in battle is unmatched, as is his silver tongue (he's pretty much the only character with decent dialogue) But his greatest feature is his undying loyalty to Aslan. I think C.S. Lewis would have been proud of his portrayal.
Well, we all know that the book Prince Caspian isn't good material for a cinematic experience. BBC tried...and failed miserably. Disney tried here...and didn't do much better. To make up for lack of good movie story material, they tried to come up with subplots to keep the primary storyline flowing. First, they came up with a clichéd match for the superior position between Caspain and Peter. This doesn't go anywhere, since everyone already knows Caspian gets the throne, and Peter never comes back to Narnia. Second, they also came up with a lame 'crush/relationship' thing between Susan and Caspian. Didn't anyone tell these guys that Caspian gets a girl in the next book? Maybe it's part of a plan they've hatched to explain in the future why Susan doesn't come back to Narnia. The jilted lover syndrome. I don't know. The final issue lies with Aslan. Again, we're not given an accurate depiction, but this time it's even worse. Aslan is just a big cat that sits around and smiles at everyone. The only hint that he kinda sorta could be ferocious is that he roars a couple times. Looks like he's gotten the modern church's view of God slapped onto him.
Ok, the only way you can possibly enjoy this movie is to forget that it was ever based on a book. If you do that, grab some popcorn and you'll get a few laughs and enjoy the battle sequences. But if you can't, then don't even try. You'll just be disappointed.
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