Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Review

Darker, more epic, and devoid of the same sense of awe and wonder as the first movie, Prince Caspian doesn’t fail to please. If the first of the Narnia movies was for a ‘tween audience, this movie is for the same audience, grown and matured by a few years.

We rejoin Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund in a London still ravaged by World War II. Peter is in a fight with two other boys because his pride–he remembers being a king, but is now forced to wear a school uniform and pretend that he’s a boy. Edmund, growing like a weed and somewhat somber from his experiences with the White Witch, is a stolid backup to Peter, even when he’s in the wrong.

The four siblings are once again transported to Narnia as they bemoan the fate that keeps them in England, but their joy in returning is mitigated by fact that they arrive thirteen hundred years after their last departure. Narnia is in chaos; a neighboring kingdom has hunted the mythical creatures to near extinction. The prince of that land, scarcely more than a boy, is the target of a vile assassination plot that would make his uncle king. Soon enough, Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund join forces with Prince Caspian and mount a campaign to save the remainder of Narnia from annhilation.

Peter is firmly in the grip of his own pride. He learns the lessons of a boy filling a man’s job, with all of the pain of his inexperience over-riding his desire to succeed. While not terribly true to C. S. Lewis’ original work, the lesson is driven home through several poignant scenes. Peter’s redemption comes at the point of a sword as he literally lays his life on the line for Narnia. It is his willingness to sacrifice self that shows his true repentence and proves him a worthy King once again.

The episode is more action packed and somewhat less formulaic. The special effects rival those of Lord of the Rings, and the sheer variety of mythological creatures involved in the chaotic battle scenes are a wonder to behold. Though not as deep or as emotionally driven as Tolkein’s leap to the silver screen, Narnia gets the job done. Children of middle school age should be able to handle the themes and a few frightening images with aplomb. It also provides a great opportunity for parents to drive the lessons of the movie home.