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For someone who scoffed at the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian (2008) seemed an illogical choice for a night out at the theatre. I was readily convinced that the majority of the crowd drawn to this film is female and is watching the show only because of Caspian’s dashing good looks. There were definitely some negative points to the show but contrary to my initial expectations, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) was a rather entertaining movie for the family.

For those who missed the prequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), you may find the review here. This episode continues the story a year after the Pevensie children stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia through a wardrobe. Although it has been only a year in England for the children, centuries have elapsed in Narnia since the time when they defeated the White Witch with Aslan. In short, the human race of Telmarines invaded and conquered much of the Narnia of old, their oppressive rule driving the natives into the woods and being exiled from the kingdom that the Telmarines have built. They were depicted to be savage and fearsome and were slaughtered to the brink of near-extinction. The dwarf Trumpkin summarizes the entire atmosphere best – ‘you may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember’.

The rightful heir to the Telmarine throne is Prince Caspian X, whose father was murdered by his power-hungry uncle Miraz. On a fateful night, Miraz’s wife give births to a baby boy, a male heir to the throne that Miraz plans to usurp. With help from his professor, Caspian manages to sneak out of the castle and escapes to the woods, rumoured to be the habitat of native Narnians. He ultimately blows the horn of Queen Susan of the old and unknowingly summons the four Kings and Queens of the yore. This causes the four Pevensie children to be magically transported back to Narnia once again.

Caspian had rallied the remnants of the Narnians behind him, offering them their freedom if they grant him their help to regain the throne. Upon Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy’s return, Caspian cedes the leadership to Peter the Magnificent. However, tensions escalate and emotions run wild after a botched preemptive assault on the Telmarine stronghold. The Telmarine army then marches to the Narnians’ stronghold for a dramatic faceoff. Despite Peter besting King Miraz in a one-to-one duel, the Telmarines proceeded to assail the outnumbered Narnians. The valiant Narnians held off their waves of attack but were succumbing to the massive might of the numerous Telmarine forces. At this darkest hour, the mighty Aslan, who mysteriously vanished from Narnia, returns with Lucy to turn Nature against the Telmarines. The Telmarines were thoroughly routed and Prince Caspian is restored to the throne. The remaining Narnians are welcome back into the stronghold to celebrate the coronation of King Caspian X.

From the trailers, it seemed as though Prince Caspian was a Lord of the Rings wannabe, trying to reproduce the epic battles, the alliance of motley characters and the triumph of the underdogs. However, the battle scenes involved are a great improvement from the first installment. This is especially true for the first strike at the Telmarine base. This was almost as good, or even on par with a Lord of the Rings scene. Fights were well-choreographed, relying more on skill of the sword-wielders than flashy camera effects.

One thing that was outstanding in Prince Caspian was the whole plethora of characters from Narnia. From the disgruntled dwarfs, to the magnificent and chivalrous centaurs, to the tiny but proud mouse-knights, to even the hulking, shaggy minotaurs. Although it was heartening to see former foes band together to defend their homeland, at times it seemed too easy for mortal foes like the minotaurs to so readily join Caspian’s band of warriors. It seemed almost convenient, also, that Aslan would mysteriously return from hiding to aid the Narnians to defeat the Telmarine army.

For a first timer, Ben Barnes acting as Prince Caspian does an admirable job of portraying the teenage heir as a proud and impetuous leader, who is torn by emotions – the feelings and admiration for this father, and simultaneous horror and disgust at his father’s part in invading and destroying Narnia. The four Pevensie children return more mature in this flick. Peter (William Moseley) has lost his schoolboy bewilderment and gamely steps up to assume his namesake (King Peter the Magnificent), somewhat arrogantly and impulsively.

All in all, this sequel is darker and more sinister than the first episode of The Chronicles of Narnia, making it less of a children’s flick. Having said that, I really did enjoy the sequel much more than the previous one. There was plenty of humour and it was quite entertaining watching Prince Caspian and King Peter bicker about their plans. A good family movie nonetheless, and definitely worth the money I paid to watch it.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the film adaptation of C. S. Lewis’ fantasy novel and was released in 2005 after years of production. The story tells of a group of four children stumbling into a magical world called Narnia and become embroiled in its power struggle between factions of good and evil. This was well-received at the box office, managing to attain significant success and is the first of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ films. The second episode of the saga, titled ‘Prince Caspian’, was released recently to mixed reviews.

The story revolves around the English quartet of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and their adventures in Narnia. Set during the Second World War, the four children were sent to the countryside to stay with Professor Kirke to take refuge from the German Blitz assailing London. One day, Lucy accidentally stumbles upon the mysterious world of Narnia while hiding in a wardrobe. She meets Mr Tumnus, a faun, who shelters her from the harsh winter and goes on to tell her about Narnia. Narnia was under the rule of the oppressive White Witch, bringing about an eternal winter. She is sent back to England through the wardrobe, however, she was met with disbelief when she tried to tell her siblings about Narnia.

Edmund eventually chances upon this world with Lucy. He meets the White Witch, who offered to appoint him King of Narnia if he cooperated in surrendering his siblings to her. Not long after, all four siblings stumble into Narnia. They soon learn of Aslan, the creator of Narnia, and his plan to rid Narnia of the White Witch and banish the winter. Edmund sneaked off to see the White Witch but soon realizes his mistake. After reconciliation with his siblings at Aslan’s encampment, the White Witch demanded that Edmund be surrendered. Aslan nobly offered his life in exchange for Edmund’s and was savagely struck down by the White Witch. However, he is magically resurrected and joins Peter and the other children to fight against the White Witch’s army. In the ensuing battle, Aslan and Peter managed to overpower the Witch and Aslan knocked her over a cliff, killing her in the process.

After her demise, the long winter in Narnia ended and the Pevensie children are crowned as Kings and Queens of Narnia. They remained in Narnia for a long period of time, before one day, they stumbled upon the wardrobe again. They slipped through the portal, only to realize that hardly any time has passed in their own world as if it was a dream. Yet, only the four of them know that what happened was real and they await the next chance that they will be able to return to Narnia.

My first impression was that this was a ‘kiddy movie’ – a fantasy movie laden with special effects to wow kids. Much to my surprise, I found this film genuinely enjoyable. It was the good old story of a ragtag bunch of oppressed citizens who rally together to fight for their freedom. In this case, the oppressed citizens include half-man and half-horse centaurs and talking beavers. This does not lend much to the credibility of this being a blockbuster, but this comes close to establishing itself as an epic fantasy.

The special effects were glorious to behold. Aslan the Lion was perfectly sculpted by CGI while arcane sorcery and magics of the Witch were crafted to bewildering effect. This was an infallible storyline, insured by the success and popularity of the novels. I am glad that the movie did not flop like some text-to-film adaptations in recent times. I believe the children actors had not much experience acting in movies, but they did credibly well. Georgie Henley deserved exceptional mention for her role as the lovable and inquisitive Lucy, portraying the youngest Pevensie as being sensible beyond her years but having that headstrong attitude when challenged.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) would be a perfect family movie, filled with actions for the adults and enough of talking animals to mesmerize the young.

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