|
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 8 out of 10 Posted: 05/15/08
Running time: 2:17 MPAA rating: PG (Epic battle action and violence.) Peruvian rating: ¿Apta para Todos?
Cast:
William Moseley, Anna Popplewell,
Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes, Sergio Castellitto,
Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Vincent Grass, Liam Neeson (voice),
Eddie Izzard (voice). |
 |
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is pretty much as good as its predecessor. Although it definitely is a more epic production and boasts better performances and more convincing special effects, it has more or less the same problems as the first installment. That's not to say it's a bad movie. On the contrary, much like the first part, Prince Caspian is a highly-enjoyable motion picture, a fantasy epic that can be enjoyed by all members of the family - although I'm not entirely convinced by its PG rating - and that manages to entertain for its entire running time due to its suitably-interesting plot and visual marvels. Much like the first installment, it falls short to, for example, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that doesn't mean one can't enjoy the film in its own right.
The story told by the flick takes place about 1300 years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in Narnia, and bearly a year in the "real" world. Prince Caspian, (Ben Barnes) the true heir to Narnia's throne, has been denied this right by his uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), because his wife has just given birth to a son, and now the boy is marked for death. He escapes with the help of his professor, Dr. Cornelius, (Vincent Grass), who also provides him with Queen Susan's horn, which should be used to call for help only in emergencies. Escaping from Miraz's soldiers, Caspian enters the forests of Narnia, only to find danger. He gets knocked unconscious, but manages to sound the horn, which calls the "old kings and queens of Narnia" from their now-normal lives in England: Peter, (William Moseley) Susan, (Anna Popplewell) Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) arrive at the ruins of their old home, Cair Paravel. There, they manage to find their weapons and clothes from old, an meet the dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage), who tells them of the struggle between Caspian and Miraz, and that they have been called to save Narnia and help Caspian reclaim his throne. If the boy becomes King, all the ancient Narnians will be able to recover their freedom, but if Miraz wins... well, things won't be so good.
Although Prince Caspian was shot by the filmmakers of the first part and features the same actors and actresses - plus a few new ones -, its very "spirit", so to speak, is different. The first installment was more of a fairy tale, a simple-yet-compelling fantasy that told a wonderful story in a very naïve and harmless fashion. On the other hand, Prince Caspian is more of an epic, mimicking what Peter Jackson did for the Lord of the Rings films. While the final battle in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was too restrained and bloodless, the battles in here - yes, there is more than one - feel more natural and are more intense. Not that any blood or guts are shown, but for some reason they feel more exciting and epic. Adamson and company have shot the film with a bigger scope in mind, and it shows. The problem is that, since there are like three or four battles instead of one, they tend to drag. The castle siege - which wasn't in the original novel, by the way - could have been eliminated with no major consequences, methinks.
Visually, Prince Caspian is better than its predecessor, but only for a tiny bit. Characters like Reepicheep (a great new character) are wonderfully rendered, as are many of the "big shots" during the battles or the film's conclusion which involves a very particular body of water, but other ones remains as unconvincing as in LWW. Aslan, for example, who looked really fake in the previous movie, looks as obviously digital as in the former movie, and still doesn't convince me as a "real character." Additionally, the makeup used for characters such as centaurs or minotaurs is not particularly good. Photography is good, though, and although special effects in general are solid - yet imperfect -, they're definitely a tad better than in the first part.
Performances-wise, the movie's just decent. The four kids - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - are not bad; beautiful Anna Popplewell and William Moseley are the strongest performers, although I would've liked more screentime from Skandar Keynes. Ben Barnes' Prince Caspian is a suitably interesting character, but he remains a mystery throughout the whole film. Yes, we know a little about his past and his family problems, but he never attains a definite personality, and ends up being pretty boring. Additionally, his quasi-romance with Susan (which was definitely not in C.S. Lewis' book) is too underdeveloped. Sergio Castellitto's King Miraz is boring when compared with Tilda Swinton's delightfully evil White Witch, but vocal performances by Eddie Lizzard and Liam Neeson are great.
I think whenever I write a review about a Narnia movie, I end up complaining too much. The problem is that, to my readers, it can seem as if I don't enjoy these films. Well, hopefully that's not true. I did enjoy The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and I definitely enjoyed Prince Caspian. Although it's not particularly better than the previous installment, it does provide with tons of entertainment, solid special effects, an interesting story and exciting battles. The trick is not to compare these flicks with movies like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. They are totally different beasts, and deserve to be enjoyed each in their own manners. Did I like Prince Caspian? Yes, and I will eagerly await for the next chapter, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which will definitely be a more challenging project for both the cast and director Michael Apted (The World is not Enough.) Go see this one, though. You won't regret the experience.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - Star Wars Epica