Film Review - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Liverpool Daily Post

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (Cert. PG, 144 mins)
Stars: Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Hensley, Sergio Castellitto, Peter Dinklage, and the voices of Eddie Izzard, Liam Neeson
Directed by: Andrew Adamson

THE second book of CS Lewis’s epic series to make it to the big screen reunites the creative talents of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe for a titanic battle between the Narnians and a race of human usurpers called the Telmarines.

Prince Caspian is a bigger and more ambitious adventure, introducing colourful new characters from the enchanted realmamidst breathtaking battle sequences laden with computer-generated special effects.

The similarities to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy are even more pronounced here - both series are filmed on the North and South Island of New Zealand - including a tour-de-force denouement that strongly resembles JRR Tolkein’s siege at Helm’s Deep.

Director and co- writer Andrew Adamson populates this rollicking romp with a menagerie of comical, larger-than-life creatures who are sure to delight younger audiences.

In particular, a dapper sword-wielding mouse called Reepicheep (drolly voiced by Izzard) is a mere cut and parry away from Puss In Boots.

Like the first film, the majestic lion Aslan (Liam Neeson) is the mane attraction of an action-packed second half, plus a fleeting return for another dominant character from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.

Prince Caspian begins with the titular heir to the Telmarine throne, right, fleeing his home to escape an assassination attempt by his uncle.

The four Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – are summoned back to the magical kingdom from Second World War London and become embroiled in the battle to overthrow the despot.

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian confidently trumps its predecessor for thrills and intrigue, although it does lack a strong, boo-hiss villain like Tilda Swinton’s Witch, despite some passionate glowering from Castellitto’s power-monger.

Moseley, Popplewell, Keynes and Hensley snuggle back into their familiar roles, with hints of a romantic subplot for Lucy and Caspian, which can never come to fruition because as Lucy ruefully explains, "I am 1300 years older than you."

Dashing newcomer Barnes is an attractive addition to the forces of good, capturing the internal conflict of his vengeance-seeking orphan, despite a shaky accent to align himself with his predominantly Spanish-speaking Telmarine co-stars.

Dinklage brings a comic tinge to proceedings, affronted when Lucy refers to him as her DLF (Dear Little Friend). "That’s not at all patronising," he mumbles.

Pacing rarely slackens, so 144 minutes pass without any noticeable longueurs, building to a rousing finale that relies too heavily on the power of the visual effects team’s hard drives, rather than the characters’ emotions.