The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Cast: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Peter Dinklage
Director: Andrew Adamson
Three years after the first Chronicles… was released, comes part II – Prince Caspian. Shot in the brilliant locales of New Zealand, the movie opens to a murder attempt on Prince Caspian, true heir to the Telmarines’ throne, by his ambitious uncle. Having earlier killed his father, King Capian the IX, Uncle Miraz hopes to secure the crown for his newborn son. His plans are foiled, however, with the Prince escaping to the wild forests, where live the last of the surviving Narnians.
Desperate for help the Prince blows the magical horn that will bring back kings and queens of the past, namely the four Pevensie siblings, once more to the magical land of Narnia.
It has been 1300 years since Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy left Narnia, though it’s been little more than a year in their ‘other’ world. During the centuries in between the magical creatures have suffered heavily at the hands of the Telmarines, having been left ruler-less by both the children and Aslan, the lion.
Summoned by the horn the Pevensies now set out to reinstate Telmarine to its rightful owner, the brooding Prince, who, unlike his ancestors, fights on the side of Narnia.
The cinematography and composition of various shots will sustain your interest more than will the plot. There isn’t much by way of suspense here and the lack of emphasis on magic, so abundant in part I, is sorely missed. The climax, with its pounding hoofs, rising score and animal war cries seems rather influenced by The Lord of the Rings trilogy, though to poorer effect.
The animation is probably where this movie scores over its predecessor. Be it the adorable and swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep or the river god, real actors and graphics occupy the screen in convincing harmony. Adamson (as director and co-writer of screenplay) has tried hard to infuse the script with urban humour. And it works to some extent, with Dinklage’s comic timing and Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep providing the occasional laugh.
Maybe it is just a case of overkill. We’ve had several visits from parallel worlds this season with Horton Hears a Who, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Bhootnath and The Water Horse. Unaided by the novelty and the curiosity factor that drew crowds to the first Chronicle, this one will find itself tested more on its story, screenplay and performances. And on those counts, the sequel scores an average, one-time-watch only.
