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CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:PRINCE CASPIAN - DVD Movie
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the first Narnia movie,
By
This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Classroom Edition (DVD)
If you liked The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I think you'll love The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Technically, as a piece of cinematography, the latter stands as a marked improvement over Andrew Adamson's first Narnia film. Better acting, better special effects, even better soundtrack. The plot also has more twists and turns, from the raid on the castle to the internecine fighting among the Telmarines.
The Pevensie kids feel more comfortable with their roles, raising the level of acting up a notch. Between his accent and youthful demeanor, Ben Barnes has the right mix of prince and adventurer to fill the role of Prince Caspian. Peter Dinklage as the dwarf Trumpkin is a great addition, injecting sarcasm and cynicism into the dialogue. Even the minotaurs seem like better actors. When the rest of the army flees the enemy castle, a minotaur holds the gate open. That one act of self-sacrifice transforms the non-human Narnians into real characters, worthy of compassion, rather than mere special effects. For me, what makes this film much better than The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the rich villains. The Telmarines are a truly byzantine tribe of humans who invade the land of Narnia. They display a vile mix of treachery and military ethos that the White Witch, minotaur costumes, and CG wolves from the first movie just couldn't match. Their effectiveness really comes through during the raid on the castle. That battle - my favorite part of the entire film - is riveting and emotionally complex. The despair that seeps among the Narnian ranks after that defeat makes The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a richer and more engaging movie than its predecessor. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian doesn't break much new ground, and the general plot is the same, with an epic battle at the end. However, it represents a marked improvement over The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a film. It's somewhat more mature and engaging, but still appropriate for kids. In short, if you liked the first one, you'll probably love Prince Caspian.
4.0 out of 5 stars
You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember,
This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Classroom Edition (DVD)
Imagine finding a magical kingdom in another world... only to return over a thousand years later, and find it in ruins.
That's the whole idea of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," a superb sequel to "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe." While it has a climax that goes on WAY too long, this movie shows us the darker side of C.S. Lewis' fantastical world -- with a heavy dose of Shakespearean villains, political intrigue, and some spectacularly epic battles. It's been 1,300 years in Narnia, and the human Telmarines have invaded and driven the native Narnians underground. Aslan hasn't been seen in centuries. And when King Miraz's (Sergio Castellitto) wife gives birth to a baby boy, his nephew -- the rightful heir -- becomes an obstacle. Young Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) flees from his treacherous uncle, and is discovered by a band of Narnians. Along the way, he accidentally ends up summoning the ancient Kings and Queens of Narnia -- also known as the Pevensie children, who were waiting at a train station when they were unexpectedly sucked trough a tunnel. Though initially delighted to have returned to Narnia, the Pevensies are horrified when they find that their once-idyllic land has been nearly destroyed. Caspian has been organizing a ramshackle army of native Narnians, but Peter (William Moseley) finds that fighting an organized, armed force is very different from battling the White Witch. And after a disastrous attack, the Narnians are facing almost certain destruction -- but Lucy (Georgie Henley) is convinced that Aslan can somehow save them, and restore the kingdom to Prince Caspian.... "Prince Caspian" is definitely a darker story than its predecessor -- good guys die, coups fail, evil machinations succeed, the castles are grimy, some of the good guys turn bad for real, and a bleak, hopeless feeling suffuses much of the movie's second half. Even our heroes have to deal with their doubts and anger, especially since Aslan is conspicuously absent for 95% of the entire film. And if the first film was a colorful fantasy adventure, then this one is a military story with all the necessary action trappings -- spectacular aerial drops, castle-wide massacres, and a spectacular finale involving a massive pit, tree roots, a river, and catapults. But Adamson also packs in as much violence as a PG-rated movie can contain -- while there's only a few drops of actual gore, there's plenty of beheadings, shootings and stabbings. But Narnia itself has lost none of its charm, and Adamson lingers lovingly on the sunlit forests and quiet rivers for as long as he can. And though the story is grim, he sprinkles it with plenty of humor (the bound-and-gagged cat) and fairly snappy dialogue. One of the most spectacular scenes involves a very familiar character speaking from inside a sheet of shimmering ice, as Caspian is dragged into a necromancer's ritual. It's really rather creepy. Problems with the movie? Well, the climactic battle drags on for a LONG time, and every time you think it'll end, it revs back up. And those masked soldiers are a wee bit too reminiscent of "300's" Persians. The four Pevensie actors all do solid jobs, although William Moseley is the standout -- Peter is struggling with doubt and a bit of alpha rivalry, especially since he's used to being Narnia's top dog. Barnes starts off a little stiffly -- come on, where's the fear when you see your bed turned into a pincushion? -- but soon grows into the difficult role of a Hamlet-like prince who is struggling to become both a Narnian friend and a Telmarine king. But there's a pretty brilliant supporting cast as well: Castellitto is simply outstanding as the ruthless, icy-cold Miraz, as are Damián Alcázar and Pierfrancesco Favino as his scheming advisors. Warwick Davis does a low-key, malevolent turn as Nikabrik, while Peter Dinklage is the likably brusque, cynical Trumpkin. And Eddie Izzard is top-notch as the mousy swashbuckler Reepicheep -- this could have a silly, comic-relief character, but he does end up being both adorable and formidable. There are going to be two embellished versions of the "Prince Caspian" blu-ray release, and the more bare-bones version basically has the film, plus an extra bonus disc with the stuff you'd expect in such a movie: bloopers, deleted scenes, and a series of featurettes about the making of the movie -- previsualization, fight choreography, sets, special effects, and the guys who play the dwarves Trumpkin and Nikabrik. "Prince Caspian" drops the children's fantasy feeling, in favor of a darker, more militaristic story -- especially with all that father-murder stuff. But despite its darker overtones, it never forgets the light side.
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