The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I just finished watching Prince Caspian for the second time and enjoyed it just about as much as the first as the dvd doesn't disappoint.

Prince Caspian picks up many years after the events of the first Narnia and many things have changed indeed. Humans have taken over Narnia and run off all the creatures and magical beings, leaving the land in a darkened and dreary state. Prince Caspian is heir to the throne but is threatened by his uncle who has been coveting it for himself and his newborn son. Caspian must flee to the forest to save any hope for his future rule and the Narnian's whom he's only thought to be myths and legends up until now. The children from the first Narnia are somewhat accidentally but fortunately summoned back to a very different land than they left which is in desperate need of their help. Conflict ensues between all these characters who are all at once thrown together but eventually find a common ground against a common foe. Can the Prince survive to take hold of his royal birthright? What of the returning kings and queens of old, where will they fit in to this land that used to be their own? Will Alsan the Lion return to help save what's left of the few remaining Narnian's and help they gain their stolen freedom?

It's a much more mature and serious film than the first one. I still like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but Prince Caspian does what a sequel should by upping the ante and increasing the intesity. I was very suprised at the overall dark and bleak tone of the film. You really get a sense of gloom that's darkened what used to be a vibrant and colorful Narnia. I thought all the characters and voice acting was excellent. Nothing about this felt childish or remedial. This one works on all levels and makes for a perfect family movie as it has something for everyone without straying too far in one directon or the other. A perfect balance is struck for everyone to find something they like. We're introduced to many new characters but we're not overwhelmed where we have to try to keep up so as to not get lost later in the film. That seems to be something that many films have fumbled with but Prince Caspian is easy to follow and the story stays focused. There are many wonderful action and battle scenes that toe the line perfectly as they're serious but not gruesome or gory. The landscapes are gorgeous as they're all shot on location and the CGI characters blend in well, are very detailed but not distracting. Prince Caspian accomplished something that many films can't or don't bother to by taking us to a beautiful far away land that'll stick with you and make you want to go back after it's ended. That's a real testament in movie making. I had a great time in Narnia and look forward to going back again.

There are a few things here and there that you could nit pick at if you wanted to but you'd only ruin a good time for yourself. Besides, it's a fantasy film so it should be allowed some more liberties than most movie genres. I had to remind myself of that when I caught a few things that stretched reality, but then I told my brain to shut up and just enjoy it and I did.

The video on the disc is clean and clear of any specks or dirt. The day scenes are bright and colorful and the night scenes were fairly dark but not to the point where I found it difficult at all to keep up with what was going on. You can turn the lights down without turning them off and be fine. There are quite a few of the night scenes so it's good they were'nt nearly as bad as I've seen on alot of films. The detail was ok, if a little soft at times but everything was discernable. They could've probably done better but what's here is just fine. The DD 5.1 mix is excellent. The speech, orchestral score and sound effects were perfectly balanced and very involving. The action scenes never got too loud to where you felt you needed to turn it down, nor the quite talking to where you needed to turn it up. There are also some great sound effects from wind, leaves, water, creature noises and the clashing and clanging of armored battle. I also picked up some discrete rumbling and low bass during calmer moments that caught me off guard but were a nice suprise.

Prince Caspian is a very well done movie for all ages and all I can think is what a good thing that is. In these days of raunchy comedies, swear filled action movies, gory horror movies and sex scenes in just about everything, it's refreshing to see an innocent and well done live action(mostly) movie for the whole family to be able to sit and enjoy together. I hope more movie studios catch on to this and give families more reasons to go back to the movies together. Don't miss this one.

In the very slim chance that Disney reads these reviews, I'd like to pile on to other criticisms in the hope that the Dawn Treader doesn't make the same mistakes. As a huge C.S. Lewis and Narnia fan, I was so disappointed in Caspian. Same reasons as many other reviewers: too many unnecessary liberties taken; little dialogue, so very little way to connect with and enjoy the characters; too grim; etc. At the end of the movie, I felt like I didn't get to spend any time with the characters b/c most of the movie was some sort of battle.

Sure, there were a few good things. Reepicheep was great; so was the DLF. The scenery and landscapes were beautiful. Some of the battles (or parts of battles) were enjoyable and had a sense of honor and bravery. But that's about it. Caspian was okay, a little boring. The posturing between Peter and Caspian was silly, as was the flicker of romance between Caspian and Susan. Not enough of Aslan. Not enough of Lucy. No lessons. Nothing anywhere near the charm of Mr. Tumnus.

You know how at the end of some movies (good ones) you have that feeling like you want more of a good thing? You wish the movie would go on and on? (That's why I ripped through all the Narnia books in the first place.) Well, after watching Caspian, I had a feeling of wanting more of what I knew existed in the book but didn't come through in the movie...it was a yearning for what could have been instead of what was delivered. It was a huge disappointment and a real shame. And I truly hope the Dawn Treader can deliver what the first movie did, and what the books all do....a real connection to the characters and a reason to start thinking about what it means to believe in something and to stand up for your beliefs. I don't think that notion is incompatible with making a block-buster of a movie.

First off, I'll comment on the spread of the reviews. The higher star rating, the more votes, which means more like it than dislike it. On the other hand, the dispersement of votes shows that it was not an overwhelming fan favorite. I suggest for that reason that you do not take this review by itself in deciding whether to purchase this.

Let me give the basics. It is based on the second of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. It has been over 20 years since I read this one, but from my memory this movie was not as faithful to the original as the first of the series was. A lot of those changes were effective for a movie. However, I think there was a little more romance than in the book, and more dealing with vengeance.

There were two great lessons in the book. One of them, dealing with Reepicheep (who stole the show, even though he's just a . . . sorry, my thought was not very original), was intact (after you see the movie or read the book, you'll notice the irony of the word "intact"). The other was juggled in the plot and lost the strength it had in the book.

The special effects were great. My favorite was the shot of an arrow speeding through the air that looked like the arrow was standing still with the background moving.

Can you take your kids with you to this movie? Sure, but I think they would have enjoyed "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" better.

Warning you up front there may be what people would consider a spoiler or two within this review.

After watching the original movie, "the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," I had high expectations for the movie. Especially after I read the book and saw how well they had adapted it into movie form. I even went out and bought the entire Narnian series so that I could read the story before hand and have an idea of the movie plot.
...
...
...
What happened? It was as though they took the characters and a few chunks of the story and slapped it together in hopes of making a decent movie. And let me tell you, they failed, quite miserably. The way that they changed important pieces of the plot frustrated me, while other story lines were nearly left out altogether (For instance, they only hint at the part of the book where Lucy sees Aslan and eventually follows him despite the others protest. Then one-by-one the others begin to see him. I have always thought that to be one of the more significant plots of Prince Caspian). And then, then they add senseless plots like when they decided to invade the castle. Though admittedly Peter did "need" that part of the movie to wake him up.

Which brings me to the other major part of the movie that just annoyed me to no end. They made Peter an absolute jerk. He and Caspian were never rivals, and Peter NEVER had any intent to take over/rule/or give orders to Caspian. He essentially saw Caspian as the leader because he would be once they won the battle. Oh, and don't get me started on that ridiculous "potential romance" thing they had between Susan and Caspian (how was that even remotely necessary?)

There were few redeeming qualities of this movie, but they still did exist. I did like the fact that when the witch was summoned (though this technically never happened)Edwin was the one to "destroy" her. It was a nice touch of irony. And then there was the rat and dwarf, who's names escaped me at the moment, which made the movie bearable to sit through. And, that's about it.

I might have enjoyed this movie had I not read the book in advance, but I'll never know. I guess if you haven't read the actual story then you could potentially think it once of the best movies of all time. But I definitely would not recommend this to someone who read and loved the book, it'll probably annoy you just as much as it annoyed me.

I'd also like to note something else - I saw this movie twice. This was only because I was giving it the benefit of the doubt. I thought that perhaps going in a second time without those high expectations would make the movie more enjoyable. Sadly, it did not.

This movie is nice but not even close to the Lion, Witch, Wardrobe.
Caspian doesn't have the same charm or magic as the first one and they don't follow the book at all. The acting is also def. not as good.
Al in all I was disappointed.