Movie: When the first film adaptation of C.S. Lewis` obese "Narnia" books hit theaters in 2005, the fantasy spectacle grossed over $700 million worldwide. The sequel, eagerly awaited by many, was to eclipse that success.
It has been a year since siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie returned from Narnia to their world, World War II-ravaged London. Having lived in Narnia for many years as adult rulers of the kingdom, they are visibly struggling to find their way back into society as children. Just when they have come to terms with this reality, they are summoned back to Narnia. But when they get there, nothing is the same as it was a year ago.
Because, as we all know, the clocks go differently in Narnia. And so, over 1300 years have now passed here. The many wonderful creatures of Narnia live hidden from the tyrannical Telmarines. The young Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), the rightful heir to the throne of the land, was the great hope for Narnia, wanting to unite its inhabitants and his people in peace. But his evil uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) has seized power, determined to kill Caspian and every living being in Narnia. This is to be stopped with the help of the Pevensie children. But can this battle really be won, especially since the powerful Aslan, the only one who could bring guaranteed salvation, has been missing for 1300 years?
From the very first moment, it's clear that the second "Narnia" film is much darker, more adult, and bigger in every way than its predecessor. Director Andrew Adamson, who earned his spurs as the animation director of the first two "Shrek" films, has matured considerably as a live-action director. His staging feels much more assured and engaging than it did in the first installment. It's also pleasing that the plot of "Prince Caspian of Narnia"is no longer too obtrusively riddled with religious undertones. To be sure, Aslan is still clearly the Jesus figure of the story. But this time around, Adamson focuses much more intensely on dynamic tension than on God-fearing messages.
The drawing of the characters, however, is still one of the very big weak points of the "Narnia" films. While secondary characters, such as the pugnacious mouse Flitzeflink or the grumpy dwarf Nikabrik, wonderfully embodied by the great Peter Dinklage, are imaginatively drawn, the Pevensie siblings continue to remain relatively pale in most scenes. While they can fill their characters with a certain depth at the beginning, especially in the atmospherically filmed London sequence, they increasingly degenerate into marginal figures as the story progresses. It becomes especially clear here that future "Narnia" films could easily do without the siblings (after all, they don't appear in all the books either). Sure, the four young actors do a decent job, but it just doesn't manage to make them as inseparable a part of the story as, say, the hobbits were for the "Lord of the Rings" movies.
Newcomer Ben Barnes as the titular Prince Caspian, on the other hand, is fully convincing in the role of the chivalrous hero, although he too lacks the depth that would have made him a memorable movie hero. But Barnes does possess a certain charisma, which should make him especially popular with female viewers.
In terms of special effects, the film has taken a definite step forward. Since many sequences were shot against the imposing backdrop of New Zealand rather than in a studio, there's little artificiality to the whole thing, it just looks great. Even the animated characters, such as the lovable badgers or the mouse Flitzeflink, are full of life, which is not necessarily the case with computer-animated creatures, despite excellent technology.
Positive mention must also be made of the soundtrack, which integrates the various themes into the action much better in the second part. If the music in the first film was without a particularly high recognition value, now a few very nice, catchy themes provide again and again for a comforting goose bumps. What's particularly interesting here is that some of these themes were already heard in the first part, but simply couldn't develop their full power there.
"Prince Caspian of Narnia" is a very good fantasy film, giving the "Narnia" series a whole new cult potential. With better effects, more suspense, a more gripping story and again very likeable supporting characters, the second installment easily puts its predecessor in its pocket. If this continues, then the third film announced for 2010 (which, since Disney has withdrawn from the project due to the disappointing box office results and the financial crisis, may well be delayed longer) will be a real blast.
Picture + Sound: Technically, the DVD presents itself at quite a high level. The picture shows a first-class sharpness, super contrasts and strong colors. The sound is somewhat front-heavy, but overall powerful and dynamically mixed. So the home theater is really fun!
Extras: The Collector`s Edition double DVD has numerous good quality extras to offer. Starting off on the first DVD is a commentary by the director with his main cast. While this commentary is not quite as entertaining and light-hearted as the one on the DVD for the first film, the whimsical chatter between the participants still provides good and informative entertainment. There's also a trailer show on the first disc, and the rest of the bonus material can be discovered on the second DVD.
Let's get started here with "In Narnia: The Adventure Continues", a good, nearly 30-minute making of. After a 22-minute special on the sets, we continue with a visit to the Slovenian town of Bovec, which was virtually besieged by the filming team as key scenes of the movie were shot in a nearby valley. Other short documentaries look at the pre-visualization, effects, as well as actors Peter Dinklage and Warwick Davis, who takes viewers through one of his typical days of filming.
10 additional scenes, though they seem rather odd without finished effects, as well as a few breakdowns from the shoot and a look at the making of the big duel round out the very good bonus material satisfactorily. And if that's not enough, you can go in search of six more hidden features located on the various menu pages of the second disc.
Conclusion: "The Chronicles of Narnia" can step up in quality in its second go-round and offers fantasy entertainment of the best kind. The Collectors Edition double DVD offers not only the film in first-class picture and sound quality, but also a lot of great extras. Absolutely recommendable!
Original Title: The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian
Director: Andrew Adamson
Length: approx. 144 mins.
FSK: Ages 12+
Number of discs: 2
Languages: English, German, Italian, Turkish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles:German, English, Italian, Turkish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian
Image Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Extras:Audio Commentary, Making of Documentaries, Additional Scenes, Breakdowns of Narnia, Previsualization Sequences
Country Code: 2
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