The TV Addict 

The only thing worse than an annoyingly convenient deus ex machina that unexpectedly swoops in at the end, is one you do expect. It’s why even though PRINCE CASPIAN is a solid fantasy action adventure, and a denser, darker follow-up to the first NARNIA film, you never feel yourself fully involved in the events of the film because no matter how things bad go – and they do – you know inevitably the mighty lion Aslan is going to swoop in and save everyone from obliteration.

This time around Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy return to Narnia to find that even though only a year has passed for them in London, in Narnia several hundred years have gone by. The world in which they were once kings and queens has given way to treacherous humans called Telmarines who have driven Narnians almost into extinction. When the Telmarine leader, Miraz (a moustache-twirling Sergio Castellitto) tries to have the heir to the throne, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), killed, Caspian unknowingly blows a horn that brings the London bunch back to Narnia to help the young (and dreamy) Prince and the Narnians reclaim the kingdom.

As the film moves along its slow-build towards the more intense action sequences in this inevitable war for the throne, it tides the viewer over with dramatic scenes involving a heavy-dose of politics, ruminations on the nature and temptations of leadership, the cost of war, and Christian issues of trust and belief. Weighty issues for a supposed children’s film, and the thing is, though it all works well enough, and I enjoyed it all, in a strange way I never got a sense of real gravitas. It felt as if the film was acting a sense of obligation to provide some drama before getting to the action sequences. Which of course means that as a viewer you dutifully sit through those scenes, and even enjoy them, but are still in the back of your mind wondering when the fighting is going to start.

Part of the charm of the first NARNIA film was also the children, who are unfortunately given much less to do this time around. Peter gets the bulk of the character development as he struggles with being a leader. Lucy gets a minor subplot involving her being the only one who can see Aslan. Susan does delightfully get the chance to shine with several neat action sequences, but in terms of character gets short-shrifted. Not as much Edmund, however, who played such a central role in the first film, but here gets relegated to background chatter.

Things do pick up during the action sequences, with several well staged and exciting, if perhaps at times too reminiscent of LORD OF THE RINGS. The problem – as mentioned above – is no matter how bad things get, you’re never really worried about anyone. You know everything will be okay. And yes, most films you know things are going to turn out okay, but there are ways to mask that, to instill doubt at least. PRINCE CASPIAN never does. Whether it be Lucy’s magical poison that can heal any wound, or the repeated promise of Aslan appearing and saving the day finally being realized. It’s hard to care about a twenty to thirty minute battle you just watched when Aslan swoops in and deftly brings about the end of the battle the Narnians were losing – badly – in a matter of minutes.

In the end, PRINCE CASPIAN, is undoubtedly an engaging, at times exciting film, but because in a larger sense none of what happens has any severe consequences, it makes it a film whose events are hard to recall. In fact, when walking out of the theatre you may feel a lot like Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy at the end of the film when they return to London from Narnia. You had a good time, but now you’re back in your normal world and what happened is behind you and with time the memory of what did occur will quietly fade away.

That’s not something I could have said for THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. In that case, like the characters, I was sad to have left that magical world.

Overall rating: B-