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Friday, May 16, 2008
‘Prince Caspian’ strengthens the Narnia series
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian becomes one of the rare sequels to better its predecessor, although it takes a long time for the new movie to roar as loudly as its familiar lion.
The first Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a solid if tentative fantasy. Considering how revered C.S. Lewis’ book is, the film often felt more like an adaptation of a Narnia imitator than the genuine article.
The sequel impresses with a strong opening sequence that cleverly sets up the story and displays a more vibrant visual style than the first film. The title character (Ben Barnes) flees from his evil uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), with the prince unwittingly summoning the four Pevensie youths back to Narnia.
Only a year has passed in their time, but more than 1,000 years have gone by in Narnia, with the Pevensies finding the land they knew in ruins, after centuries of oppression. They join forces with Caspian so he and the Narnians can claim their rightful place.
After the promising beginning, the sequel begins to lose its way, threatening to repeat the mistakes of the first movie. For too long, Prince Caspian lacks urgency. When the kids get to Narnia, there’s not enough of a sense of wonder or astonishment. Their reaction is too subdued, as if Narnia were a place they saw all the time. Slack pacing doesn’t help matters either; the movie could have stood to be tightened in several places.
At about the midway point, however, when the heroes must buckle down and battle their foes, the wind returns to the movie’s sails. Andrew Adamson directs the action much more confidently than before, staging several rousing battles with thrilling vantage points both high in the clouds and low beneath the earth. The visual effects are greatly improved to boot.
Once the movie gets going, the lead actors are just as appealing as they were, with Georgie Henley being especially winning as the youngest girl Lucy, who makes the themes about finding lost faith go down with ease. The charismatic Barnes is a terrific addition, but the real scene stealers are the sword-fighting mice, who, funnily enough, reminded me of Puss in Boots, who made his debut in Shrek 2, co-directed by Adamson.
What I especially liked about this new film that it wasn’t simply a retread, or the first movie on steroids. Like all good follow-ups, this one heightened the drama and forged its own identity. For reasons I won’t give away here, the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, promises to be an even more radical departure - and given the way this series is improving, I’m anxious to see it.
GRADE: B+
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