Film Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG)
Jul 3 2008
By Sam Thorne
THE WARDROBE is gone, the White Witch is on ice and Aslan has been missing for over one thousand years, but the C.S Lewis saga continues to march on.
In this second instalment of the much-loved kid's books, the four Pevensie children return to the fantasy land of Narnia to join forces with bears, mice and dwarves in another epic battle for its future.
But instead of stepping through a magical wardrobe like last time, the Pevensie children are summoned back to Narnia from war-torn London by a magical horn.
Although only a year in human time has passed since Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy's (Georgie Henley)last trip, we're catapulted forwards by over 1,300 years in Narnian time.
Since we last visited the magical kingdom, we find that Narnia is a somewhat darker and more menacing world than before.
As the rightful heir to the Telmarine throne, the rather dashing Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) should be crowned King of the magical land.
But, thanks to his sinister and menacing Uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) who wants his own son to be King, Caspian - a future Orlando Bloom, if ever I saw one - narrowly escapes assassination.
Sauntering off into the woods, the Prince discovers that the Narnians - a motley crew of dwarves, fauns, centaurs, minotaurs and talking animals - he thought were extinct are actually alive.
The Narnians, driven into hiding by evil Uncle Miraz, are eagerly awaiting help so that they can overthrow the Telmarines.
With the help of the Pevensie children, a dwarf called Trumpkin (voiced by Peter Dinklage) and a mouse called Reepicheep (Eddie Izzard), Caspian raises an army to foil Miraz's plans.
Given the much too lenient PG rating, Prince Caspian is a much darker affair than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
As the Pevensies are accurately told - just seconds after Lucy was nearly savaged by a bear - You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember.
Jam-packed with stunning battle scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Rings (hardly surprising, given Tolkien and Lewis's close friendship), this film is probably one for the adults.
The battles themselves are special-effect extravaganzas and are guaranteed to keep you entertained, despite the exorbitant two and a half hour running time.
Although it ran on and on and it was lacking in character development, the stunning visual effects were stunning and there was a lot more comic relief than in the novel.
As a massive childhood fan of the Narnia sage (I cried when I realised my wardrobe didn't possess magical powers), I lapped this film up.
This sequel was a perfect follow-up to the magic of the wardrobe, and I can't wait for the third instalment, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, due in 2010.
What's on 
