The
second coming
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There might be a really good franchise to be got out of this after all. The first Narnia was just OK; this one raises the bar to Really Quite Good.
It's been a year since the Pevensie siblings left Narnia, turning from kings and queens back to children. Peter is getting into fights, Susan is finding to her distaste that boys are interested in her. The children seem to be almost coming to terms with their return to regular life when suddenly they're whisked right back to Narnia again. The land they knew has changed drastically, the heir to the throne has just escaped death at the hands of his evil uncle, and the world needs its old rulers back to put things right. So Lucy (Georgie Henley; very good), Edmund (Skandar Keynes; quite good), Susan (Anna Popplewell; has her moments) and Peter (William Moseley; alas, not very convincing) having essentially reclaimed their thrones, head off to save Narnia and look for a mysteriously absent lion.
Prince
Caspian
has the same Christian themes as the previous film did. Out
of all the siblings Lucy is the one with most faith, seeing Aslan when
no-one else can and chiding her siblings for not believing her. Peter,
Susan and Edmund lose hope when Aslan fails to show up and put things right,
although the only reason Aslan gives for leaving them to their own devices
is "Nothing happens the same way twice." (Curiously, he says this twice.)
This film has the right balance between action and comedy: there's a few lines that are geniunely funny and Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep the talking mouse comes close to stealing the show. "I think Mr C.S. Lewis is a very good writer. But he has one failing...no funny bits in his books," says Roald Dahl's heroine Matilda in the book of the same name. She was correct, but this movie is careful to apply humour when needed.
It is not careful to apply consistency, however. Without being too spoilery, there is a sequence near the end of the film where a good character has an evil character at his mercy, but cannot find it in himself to execute him. This is all well and good, except that over the course of the movie all the characters have killed plenty of men- Susan alone takes out a whole troop of soldiers with her bow and arrow. Sure, maybe all these other people were just injured, as suits a family-friendly film, and not killed, but for some reason I find that unlikely. Why suddenly change the rules like that?
Bizzare Disney logic aside, this is an entertaining and very pretty film: the camera lingers on green forests and shining beaches and brings Narnia thoroughly to life. Newcomer Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian is good (although not great) as are all the other new characters; plus, there's a surprise appearance from an old 'friend' towards the end of the film which is very welcome. It's in the quiet moments that this film really shines, though- a conversation between Susan and Lucy at night by the fire, or Peter musing in the midst of battle, "What do you suppose happens back home if we die here?" The ending too is understated, although the song chosen to play over it and the credits only almost works.
In conclusion, then, better than the first. Bring on the next one.