Seen on: May 16, 2008

The players: Director: Andrew Adamson, Writers: Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Cast: Peter Dinklage, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes

Facts of interest: Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis.

The plot: The Pevensies return to Narnia to team up with Prince Caspian and bring down the evil King Miraz, whose only objective is to eradicate the Narnians.

Our thoughts: A new age has begun for Narnia and the Pevensie siblings, but cinemagoers will likely not find many exciting novelties in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” Andrew Adamson’s sequel to the 2005 box office smash hit “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The second film based on C.S. Lewis’ fantasy books may be a lot darker and more accomplished than its predecessor, but the film is still not fast-paced enough to compete with other big-screen family adventures.

There’s a lot going on in this sequel in terms of story line, so I’ll try to keep it short and simple. When Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan return to Narnia after one year, they quickly notice something’s awfully wrong. More than 1,300 years have past in the magical land since their last visit, and Narnia lies in ruins. With the help of Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the land’s throne, the Pevensies embark on a dangerous quest to bring down the ruthless King Miraz, whose ultimate goal is to steal the throne and extinguish the Narnians once and for all.

“Prince Caspian” is essentially just a war flick for kids, focusing mostly on the preparations for the big, inevitable battle against Miraz and his army of Telmarines. The film’s slow-moving first hour sets the general mood and gradually builds the story by introducing a horde of new characters, but action and first-class entertainment remain scarce. A couple of exciting battle sequences follow in the second part, but the number of long pauses dominated by dialogue never give the film a fair chance to pick up enough pace.

The plot itself is not particularly innovative. Besides struggling to put an end to Miaz’s vicious plans, the central characters are slowly growing up, bumping into a bunch of important issues such as learning to accept one’s mistakes or getting involved with the opposite sex (sparks fly between Susan and Caspian). I generally don’t have anything against family films addressing the same issues over and over again, but “Prince Caspian” treats this coming-of-age factor without much depth. Watching the main characters develop in the “Harry Potter” films proves to be much more rewarding. 

Compared to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” this second installment is darker and more violent, although you won’t see a stain of blood anywhere in the flick. After all it’s still supposed to be a kid flick. “Caspian” is also superior to its predecessor in terms of visual effects. They really did a fabulous job creating the film’s gorgeous look, paying immense detail to the mythical creatures and their impressive environment. Returning director Adamson fully utilizes his skills when it comes to helming the action sequences, thus preventing his film from growing into a bore. 

I didn’t notice any major improvements in the lead actors’ performances, and Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell still have these static, emotionless looks. Most of the time I felt like watching the young actors just blatantly repeating their lines, an observation I never made in the “Harry Potter” series, for instance. Acting honors in this sequel go to Peter Dinklage in the role of Trumpkin the dwarf. I also appreciated Sergio Castellitto’s performance as the fierce King Miraz.   

Freaky quote: “You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember.” – Peter Dinklage

The final word: “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is a slight improvement on its predecessor, but it’s still not a family epic that really captivates its audience. Fans of the first flick - especially youngsters - should have a great time revisiting Narnia, and I guess that’s what it all comes down to in the end. To me, personally, the film features nothing particularly new. It’s just another forgettable sequel that is likely only to impress at the box office.