For a two-and-a-half hour fantasy epic, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian goes by surprisingly quickly, but it is more like a trip to the dentist than a journey into a magical world. When you are in pain, time flies.
The movie is a sequel to The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is the story of four English children who are transported into Narnia, a mystical world full of fantasy creatures and talking animals. They find out that they are legendary royalty and are fated to free the land of evil.
In this movie, Prince Caspian calls the children into Narnia. King Miraz, Caspian's uncle, has killed his brother and taken the throne. He attempts to kill Caspian to ensure that his son is the heir. Caspian escapes the castle and is given a horn to use if he is ever in trouble.
It only takes a few minutes for Caspian to blow the horn and bring the children back to Narnia. However, Narnia is hundreds of years older than it was during their last visit.
In their absence, the creatures of Narnia have been nearly exterminated by Miraz and his family. The Narnians agree to help Caspian and the children if he makes sure they are protected when he assumes the throne.
It is clear that Prince Caspian was meant more for kids and tweens than for adults. There is nothing wrong with that, but do not expect the complexity of Lord of the Rings. Villains are villains and heroes are heroes. There are no complex characters here.
Perhaps most disturbing is the way the movie treats violence. Prince Caspian received a PG rating, but it has a body count as high as any war movie. Furthermore, the movie does not show the consequences of violence. Despite the hundreds of dead soldiers, there is not a drop of blood in the whole movie. It might be bad to show kids violence, but if you are going to, shouldn't it be realistic?
Even though it has a simple plot, Prince Caspian is a gorgeous film. It is not that the shots or lighting are especially good, but the special effects are amazing. At the film's climax, there is a water spirit that saves the Narnians, and it looks like real water. It is hard to see where the effects begin and end.
Even better, the film combines costumes and computer graphics for the creatures. Although a more expensive technique, it shows the strengths of both styles. With today's technology it is still difficult to make things look more real than costumes, but by accenting them with special effects, they look even more impressive.
Being pretty is never enough to carry a film, and Prince Caspian is no exception. Thankfully, two battle scenes take up the majority of the movie, and it feels shorter because of them. Prince Caspian would be great if you are 13, but it is not so good if you are 23.
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Chris Bruce
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