Empire's The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian Movie Review

Plot
1,300 years have passed in Narnia and a race of men called the Telmarines now rule. Heir to their throne is Caspian (Barnes), who is battling usurper uncle, Miraz (Castellitto), and must enlist the aid of the Pevensie children to bring peace to the land.

If we had a million pounds, we’d offer it to the first children’s fantasy sequel to promise not to describe itself as “darker” than its predecessor. That’s not to say that this is necessarily an unwelcome characteristic, just that it traditionally means, “Our lead hit puberty and no longer sings soprano,” or, “We got bad reviews last time.” But sometimes, just sometimes, it’s justified - and this sequel to The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is quite a bit darker. The good news is that it’s also better.

It follows a film that boasted strong special effects, decent child performances and faithfulness to its source material, but somehow seemed a little empty, lacking the heart and soul that make the source novels such perennial favourites and that made, say, The Lord Of The Rings movies into such great examples of filmmaking. This one’s a little closer to what we wanted first time around, at least giving texture to Narnia and some indications that this is a land that can, and does, support an actual population - and, if it’s still more conjuring trick than deep magic, it’s a step in the right direction.

The opening of the last film - an air raid over World War II London - was one of the highpoints, and this one also throws us straight into the action. More than a thousand years after we last saw Narnia, a baby is born in a dark, heavily fortified castle - prompting its father, Lord Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), to order the murder of his nephew, the rightful ruler, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Escaping through a wardrobe (a different one), Caspian rides into the “haunted” woods, where he finds the supposedly extinct Narnian natives in all their shapes and sizes. Pursued by his fellow Telmarines, Caspian blows a mysterious horn - and summons the four Pevensies back to Narnia.

The quartet - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) - are only a year older, and they’re all dealing with the fall-out from their adventures in different ways: in Peter’s case, by starting fights; in Susan’s, by avoiding the attentions of nerds (not sure we got the connection there); in Edmund’s, by feeling unappreciated; and in Lucy’s, by blithely remaining faithful to the idea that she will one day return to Narnia. And so the stage is set. Caspian and the Pevensies have to find each other, forge an alliance with the magical creatures of Narnia, take down the bad guys and persuade the long vanished Aslan to make a return appearance in time for prize-giving medals and afternoon tea.

The difference this time is that the enemies aren’t just make-believe creatures but flesh-and-blood humans, and as such, they’re wilier and sneakier than any witch that ever lived. The book’s rather simple plot is fleshed out with the addition of much political skullduggery among the Telmarines - both from the sinister Miraz himself and from his councillors and general - which adds something for those over the age of 11. The infighting does detract a little from Miraz’s personal menace, but that’s compensated for by introducing dissent among the Narnians themselves. Dwarf Nikabrik (Warwick Davis) hints at a dark side missing from the happy-clappy first film, especially in one stand-out scene just after the mid-point which we won’t spoil.

Against these foes and their vast, masked armies, the new good guys are perfectly cast. Ben Barnes’ Caspian is appropriately heroic, but with edges of insecurity and occasionally bullishness - he butts heads with High King Peter, still trying to take charge - that make him more than a cookie-cutter swashbuckler. There’s a romantic subplot with Susan that’s a little ill-judged, but otherwise it’s a confident, charismatic debut that makes the prospect of Barnes taking an even bigger role in the next film, Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, quite welcome. The comedy weight, however - and this is a significantly funnier film than its predecessor – is carried by the grumpy, strangely adorable Trumpkin, beautifully played by the dependable Peter Dinklage, and Reepicheep the fighting mouse, voiced with pizzazz by Eddie Izzard. Still, it’s not all so well-judged. The principal flaw here is the urge to explain everything, to emphasise moments instead of letting them flow. At times, the camera lingers in a way that is clearly meant to Signify Something Important; at others, it just hangs around to admire the beauty of the New Zealand scenery and the excellent special effects. But this look-how-pretty showboating verges on effects porn, and it slows down both drama and tension inexcusably. There’s also a frequent sense that we’re being force-fed emotion: the chief centaur, for example (who is described in the production notes, in a surfeit of political correctness, as “African-Narnian”), has little to do but nod approvingly or gaze reproachfully, just to make sure we get it.

And the performances of the older kids remain ropey. Moseley’s Peter still gives little sense that he’s a natural leader of men, with a subplot detailing his insecurities and rivalry with Caspian detracting further from any impression that he’s worthy to be High King. Popplewell, meanwhile, pouts her way through scenes which require little from her but archery, and can’t seem to get any traction on a character that was always the least well thought-out of the lot. The younger pair are better: Keynes, who has the most interesting Pevensie to play - one always gets the sense that Edmund is easily the smartest of the quartet - gets to do nothing but make (admittedly funny) sarky remarks. Only Henley, happily, is every bit as charming as she was in the first film.

Around these central characters hang a host of brilliantly realised animals, monsters and magical creatures of all stripes (and spots), and this time the FX work is damn near flawless. The griffins are much better than Harry Potter’s, the minotaurs are wonderful, and the sight of fauns in combat take wire-fu to a new level. The lengthy but well-staged battle scenes are genuinely thrilling, both in a night-time assault and a sunlit mêlée. With their faster pace, bigger numbers and higher stakes they recall a multi-species Braveheart rather than the slightly disappointing effort at the end of the last film, and there’s a sense of real lives at stake. Of course, there’s nary a drop of blood spilled by anyone, despite the wholesale slaughter on both sides and the disturbing sight of these kids merrily swinging daggers and swords - an increasingly dishonest practice to get this level of violence into kiddie films. In the end, perhaps, the fights are a bit like the film itself: effectively realised, full of characters you love, but a little bloodless.

Your Reviews

Average user rating for The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian

RE: Much more refined than LWW
compared to the first film this is so much better. I agree it could have been darker but hey this time some of the chracters actually bled during the battles! I also feel that ben barnes was an excellent addition, but that may be because of his godlike good-looks and his amazing hair! I was glad that caspian was there to take some of the attention away from the pevensies because all excpet edmund are now really annoying me!now actually looking forward to dawn treader and more of ben barne... More


Posted by pirate_queen at 21:47, 01 July 2008 \| Report This Post



Much more refined than LWW
LWW was good fun, and a little magical, but didn't quite light the screen on fire, with some fake looking sets, an odd final battle that made me think "They're battling for Narnia, so why don't I feel like this is more than just a big fight in a large field?". We never got to see enough of Narnia for my liking. It was just a bit bland. (3/5) P.C. does somethings better, much better in fact, but there is still a niggling lack of soul as EMPIRE suggests - no magic whatsoever. They've co... More


Posted by Pipkin3 at 21:17, 01 July 2008 \| Report This Post



Almost as good as Potter
I didn't have high hopes for this installment given the last film but I was very pleasently surprised. The kids weren't so annoying this time, the fights looked mush better (the weapons and armour didn't look like tarted up plastic) and most importantly the director gave the characters time enough to breath. Last time it seemed to be a case 'lets just show all the the sequences and not worry about a story', Prince Caspian doesn't suffer from this. On another note this film made me want to ... More


Posted by brokenking at 14:54, 01 July 2008 \| Report This Post



Great!
I enjoyed every second!! I thought Will Moseley (Peter) improved loads since LWW the others were just as good! I think this movie was pitch perfect summer fare!! Bring on may 2010 and Dawn treader!! ... More


Posted by chaskins_2004 at 13:13, 01 July 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: good enough
Not quite as good as the first movie s little of it's sense of wander,it focuses a bit too much on the wooden Ben Barnes and not enough on the original children nd it comes across as The Lord Of The Rings-lite far more. Still,that last factor isn't really a bad thing and there's plenty that's great about the movie-the effects are excellent sp;battles are exciting ere's just the right amount of humour. The child thespians are even better this time and Harry Gregson-Wil... More


Posted by Dr Lenera at 20:56, 30 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: good enough
The more I think about it the more annoyed I get. Just because it's supposed to be a darker 'more grown-up' film doesn't mean that night-time scenes have to be blacker than blac. For goodness sake please turn some sort of low light on so I can see what the kids are doing! Will Moseley is just appalling. His rutting stag routine with Ben Barnes was frankly embarrassing and I still don't believe that he can weild a sword in a threatening manner - thankfully Skandar Keynes was well placed to ... More


Posted by clare_star_ at 16:19, 30 June 2008 \| Report This Post



good enough
It's been nigh on 40 years since I read (and loved) the books, so for me this film was a reminder while still managing to entertain. Sadly William Moseley is the weakest point of the film but that is compensated for by stunning FX and a well structured plot. I enjoyed the darker elements and nice to see a move towards a more grown up audience. No classic, but I am looking froward to the next one. ... More


Posted by bretty at 13:40, 30 June 2008 \| Report This Post




Tepid and boring, as if the film is constantly saying, like what we're showing you, but imagine there's more. ... More


Posted by CameronJames at 19:34, 29 June 2008 \| Report This Post




Tepid and boring, as if the film is constantly saying, like what we're showing you, but imagine there's more. ... More


Posted by CameronJames at 19:34, 29 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Great
This was great amazing special effects, about as good a performance from a lot of kids as ul proobably get (not great at all, but certainly better than last time) awesome il go c this again ... More


Posted by monodogg at 13:14, 29 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Loved it!
Absolutely loved it! Having never read the books I was a bit worried at first that Caspian would end up being just another stereotypical 'King-to-regain-thrown' fantasy hero but he was so much more. Props to Ben Barnes for making the character believable...and..well...hot! :) The Pevensie kids were all much better this time around (especially Edmund who seem to have experienced the most character growth from his experiences in the last film), though I wished they hadn't forced the Caspian/Susan ... More


Posted by nclowe at 10:03, 29 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
tle ginger Mick Hucknall dwarf was the most amusing part of this too long, drawn out film.t=arial]The actors in the majority were crap.... especially William Moseley.t=arial]Definitely not recommended, on any level.t=arial]Almost as bad as The Golden Compass.t=arial] ore fun singling along to the cbeebies song at the beginning.... (not of the film, during the ads!) ... More


Posted by scadush at 00:03, 29 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Narnia
ep.gif]Well I have to say I had a very pleasant snooze through most of it. /font] nes ep.gif]ep.gif] as Prince Caspian is as wooden as the trees (before they became animated) and his dialogue cringeworthy most of the time. Good looks do not make an actor.t=verdana] tle girl was good though and the special effects at the end and on the whole throughout the film were impressive. 2 stars for the story / acting, 3 for special effects.t=verdana] ever remake the Robb... More


Posted by sjmlondon at 21:11, 28 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Narnia
the uy who plays peter simply cannot act. - its quite funny really because he says in interviews he doesnt want to be typecast as Peter - too later really. The other 3 were a step up from the last film. The film as a whole was worth watching - but i reckon the only thing in the film that was a true representation of Lewis' narrative was the dwarf (im bloody shit with names) that guided the four back to Caspian. His dry sarcasm was Lewis through and through. I thought the night t... More

Posted by Sumintelligentguy at 11:00, 28 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Narnia
Far superior to the original in every way, even Lucy wasn't quite as annoying this time round. Susan's massive forehead was a bit off putting at times and it could have been trimmed a bit (the film that is not her head). 4 Stars. ... More


Posted by skeletonjack at 00:12, 28 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Narnia
Caspian has a darker tone than the first installment t, but it still hasn't got the genre-transcending scope of Lord Of The Rings to cross over and become a genuine epic. There is undoubtedly just as bland as the first installment. The battle scenes are well-handled by director Adamson, but Barnes is awful, coming across like a more-annoying Orlando Bloom. Not that he has a lot to do. The script mainly leaves the action to Moseley, who still comes across as far too snobbish to be yielding a... More


Posted by moviemaniac2 at 20:16, 27 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Why?
he Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2005, Andrew Adamson)enter] There are some films that I just plain don’t like, and have no yearning to watch again soon. Unfortunately, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not one of those films, because it has struck a chord with children everywhere and is now played on what seems like a monthly basis in every house across the country. The 2005 franchise-starter was, quite frankly, tosh. I won’t go into the reasons why that failed, because t... More

Posted by Piles at 14:54, 27 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Why?
I wasn't expecting much after the first one but this is an improvement but only just.The main fault with these films is Peter who is overloaded with wood. Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian is a big improvement on him and Skandar Keynes stands out as well but the film is stolen by Reepicheep as voiced by Eddie Izzard. I left the movie feeling happy, though it still left quite a bit to be desired. 6/10 ... More


Posted by Starscream at 14:26, 27 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Why?
I posted my comment in the wrogn thread os here it is... I was disappointed with the film when I saw it a few days ago at the 02. I had expected the same magic as the first film but focusing on Ben Barnes and William Moseley was a mistake. Neither are good actors and have zero screen presence. Also the romance that was skated over was ludicrous and Anna Popplewell is her usual wooden self. The two delightful younger actors in the first film namely Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley we... More

Posted by devoted at 20:43, 26 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: Why?
L: chaskins_2004 why are ppl writing reviews yet? IT AINT OUT YET!! It was out in the US ages ago and I saw it in New York so there. ... More

Posted by acertree at 20:40, 26 June 2008 \| Report This Post



bit disapointing
i thought this was better than the first one, but a substansial amount of effects did need working on and some of the characters really pissed me off, especialy that damn mouse. ... More


Posted by IsabelB at 19:36, 25 June 2008 \| Report This Post



RE: The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Saw a preview of this yesterday and agree it's better than the first, which I also found a bit empty and unengaging. Eddie Izzard and Peter Dinklage aside, the "Narnians" take a backseat and we are left with the four children and the prince - all are fine, none are laudable. The 'tension' between Peter and Caspian is pathetic, and I just wanted to send them to the naughty step so they could learn to behave! I don't want to blame the actor, but whether it is the way the character is written, his... More


Posted by ingenious_pain at 17:42, 23 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Why?
why are ppl writing reviews yet? IT AINT OUT YET!! have heard of previews haven't you? It has also been on general release in a large number of non-UK countries for over a month. We will not tolerate name calling aimed at other posters on this forum. Make your points politely. ... More


Posted by chaskins_2004 at 17:16, 23 June 2008 \| Report This Post



The Narnia Series is falling off par
I personally wasn't a huge fan of the first movie. I agree with the fact that the first one seemed a little empty and I feel that the same can be said for this one. I didn't feel for any of the characters and there we several long moments which seemed to drag on and diverted my attention. There was a lack of humour, even though it is darker there should be at least some. A great example of this was in The Goblet Of Fire with the middle section being captured perfectly with a light-hearted ed... More


Posted by danwink at 16:39, 23 June 2008 \| Report This Post



Skandar Keynes the standout performance
The only good thing about this film is the performance of Skandar Keynes as Edmund. He is greatly under used in the film but still steals it from the other actors. He has charisma and screen presence but the two actors they focus on Ben Barnes and William Moseley dont and thefilm suffers as a result. The film doesnt give us an emotional connection to the characters. The pacing is also poor and it doesnt have the magic of the first film. They shouldnt have pushed asside Edmund and Lucy from... More


Posted by acertree at 07:51, 23 June 2008 \| Report This Post



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The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince CaspianTake a trip to a better, badder Narnia

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Take a trip to a better, badder Narnia