Dvd
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The four children will soon meet a curious new character: Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding. With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep and a badger named Trufflehunter, the Narnians - led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian - embark on a journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz's tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.
Starring Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, Warwick Davis, Peter Dinklage, William Moseley, Sergio Castellitto
Directed by Andrew Adamson ('Shrek', 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe')
Written by Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (based on the book by C.S.Lewis)
Fantasy, Adventure, Adaptation | 2hr 25mins | Rated (M) | Contains violence | Origin: UK, USA | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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3
I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that the first Narnia instalment, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was more than a little underwhelming. Box office receipts, nonetheless, told a different story. A sequel was inevitable.
It’s a relief to say that, while not a massive improvement, Prince Caspian is a more enjoyable outing into Narnia. Everything feels a bit more urgent, and the spectacle is more spectacular. The computer effects are better, and the talky bits don’t stretch the patience quite as much.
Director Andrew Adamson claims that the leanest of all the stories proved difficult in the translation to the screen. The result is an increase in action. There is a night-time storming of a castle complete with spectacular birds-eye shots, a battle on a plain as the ground collapses below, a deadly swordfight, battling trees, and a bridge being swept away by a mighty river god.
What this impressive action masks, unfortunately, is some wooden human performances. The youngest Pevensie child, Lucy, manages to scrape though with some charm. But the other three are sanitised Dudley-Do-Rights.
There is also an unusual tone here. It strikes somewhere between appealing to an older audience (surprisingly, the film begins with a woman screaming in childbirth) and a younger audience who can’t handle the sight of blood (there isn’t any). Susan doesn’t hesitate to dispatch enemies with a bow and arrow, but suffers no lasting mental anguish that one might expect for a 16-year-old school kid.
But despite these criticisms and, given that this is an adventure aimed at children, Prince Caspian succeeds as a modestly entertaining wet weather distraction. It’s slickly produced and attractive – if a little passionless and antiseptic – but improves on its predecessor enough to create anticipation for the next instalment, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
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The people's reviews
7 reviews
Press Reviews
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Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
I really wanted to like this movie, but found myself checking my watch, noting how clumsily the centaurs run and how many "funny" moments have been added to keep things light. Nevertheless, Prince Caspian is a good-looking, entertaining family film, with a sprinkling of Christian allegory for those who seek it.
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FilmThreat.com [USA]
2
1/2 I can't condemn it outright, but damned if I can remember anything (aside from Izzard's performance) that would make me recommend it.
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NZ Herald [Francesca Rudkin]
4
By the nature of its story, Prince Caspian is a much more action-oriented film than its predecessor, and as long as you're not too young, the action is exciting without being overwhelming. Fans of Adamson's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe will be happy with this sequel, and now the action is well under way, Adamson leaves us wanting more.
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San Fransisco Chronicle
Exactly one minute longer than its predecessor, but it's a dragged-out exercise, with no epic scale and no spirit worth talking about.
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Stuff.co.nz [Chris Schulz]
4
There are brilliantly dastardly bad guys. There are thrilling sword fights. There are brutal battles. Heck, the last third of the film is dedicated to a war on the scale of Lord of the Rings' Battle of Helm's Deep.
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TV3 [Kate Rodger]
Some of the dialogue, particularly between the children, let the film down a little for me.
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Variety [USA]
Closer to a straight-ahead medieval battle picture than the fantastical, other-worldly journey depicted in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," this new entry is a bit darker, more conventional and more crisply made than its 2005 predecessor.
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