 Tagline: Hope has a new face. The magical world Of C. S. Lewis' beloved fantasy comes to life once again in Prince Caspian, the second installment of The Chronicles Of Narnia series. And in Disney Blu-ray , Narnia's sights and sounds are more stunning than ever. Join Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, the might and majestic Aslan, friendly new Narnian creatures and Prince Caspian as they lead the Narnians on a remarkable journey to restore peace and glory to their enchanted land. Continuing the adventure of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe with more magic and brand new hero, Prince Caspian is a triumph of imagination, courage, love, joy and humor your whole family will want to watch again and again. It'll take your breath away like never before in Blu-ray High Definition. Storyline: The four Pevensie children return to Narnia, only to discover that hundreds of years have passed since they ruled there, and the evil King Miraz has taken charge. With the help of a heroic mouse called Reepicheep, and the exiled heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, they set out to overthrow the King, once again with Aslan's help. Written by comicfan Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 23, 2008 -- You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember. Despite grossing nearly $142,000,000 during its early summer box-office run, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian failed to recoup its budget via domestic earnings. Perhaps even more amazing is that the film almost feels lost under the deluge of mega-hits that defined the 2008 summer movie going season. With films like Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Wall●E, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull steamrolling the competition and lingering in theaters through most of the summer months, Prince Caspian seems almost like an afterthought. While not quite up to par with either the competition or its predecessor, Prince Caspian is nevertheless a quality film, one that bodes well for the continuation for the franchise, and proves that Andrew Adamson, returning once again as director, is perhaps one of the most gifted talents working in the film industry today. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian sees the return of the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) to the magical Kingdom of Narnia, some centuries after they returned to England through the wardrobe after their adventures as depicted in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. They find Narnia a vastly different place. Cair Paravel lies in ruins and the magical beings of the land seem gone. The children learn that Narnia has been overtaken by Telmarines, humans who once journeyed to Telmar through what is perhaps best described as a fissure between the worlds. The native Narnians have been driven to the brink of extinction, and so isolated and scarce are they that even the Telmarine heir to the throne, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), remains unaware of their existence. When Caspian's uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), serving as "Lord Protector" of the empire after his brother's death, learns that his wife has birthed him a son, Caspian flees the kingdom and barely escapes an assassination attempt, his death ensuring Miraz and his line as the sole heirs to the throne. Upon his escape, Caspian signals for the ancient King and Queens of Narnia using Susan's long-lost magical horn just before being captured by native Narnians. Caspian convinces the Narnians that, unlike the other Telmarines, he wants to overthrow his uncle's iron-fisted rule. When he is finally joined by the Pevensie's, the heroes and all of the remaining Narnians set out to free themselves of the oppressive Telmarine rule once and for all. The second installment of the big-budget filmed adaptation of C.S. Lewis's timeless series of novels, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian often feels bigger and better from a technical perspective in comparison to its predecessor, but not necessarily more meaningful or emotionally fulfilling. Prince Caspian is certainly a fine movie; it looks and sounds wonderful, features amazing action sequences, and is very well put together. The film sees the return of many of the primary cast and crew, ensuring seamless continuity, but there seems to be discernible absence of spirit and meaning underneath the glamour, spectacle, and technical marvel of the film when compared with the first. Whereas The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was built upon a spiritual foundation that brought meaning to the story and depth to its characters, Prince Caspian feels somewhat devoid of the moving emotional and magical under- and overtones that so defined the first film, though the film does offer a message on the importance of faith. Prince Caspian, however, generally succeeds in masking these shortcomings by creating what is oftentimes a tense, thrilling, action-packed adventure film with incredible fight choreography, mind-boggling special effects, and the addition of several new and likable characters. Still, the four primaries -- Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy -- don't seem to grow all that much as characters, their emotional underpinnings, particularly Peter's temper and Susan's first experience with love, feel tacked on rather than playing as natural progression to their characters. Nevertheless, Prince Caspian is more than worthy as a sequel, and while it feels different from the first film on an emotional level, it works very well as more of an action-packed adventure story that once again returns the magical realm of Narnia and a quartet of wonderfully written and acted characters back to the big screen. For viewers hoping for a nearly faithful reproduction of novel to film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian features several major plot contrivances that don't appear in the original C.S. Lewis tale, in addition to some glaring omissions. Whereas even the first film, though rather true to the source, featured some embellishments, several arguably necessary for the sake of cinematic spectacle, Prince Caspian introduces several sequences and character traits not found in the novel. The most obvious addition is the "castle raid" sequence featuring Peter, Edmund, Susan, Caspian, and a host of creatures attacking Miraz's castle in an unsuccessful effort to remove the burgeoning tyrant and restore Caspian to his rightful position as heir to the throne. Also introduced is a romance between Caspian and Susan, only hinted at several times until it becomes fully realized at film's end. Omitted from the film are several plot points, such as the description of the difficulties the Pevensies faced once they returned to Narnia, including both hunger and exhaustion, at one point stuffing their pockets with and contemplating the consumption of raw meat. Obviously, no novel-to-film adaptation is going to be perfect, and despite its omissions and additions, Prince Caspian remains an incredibly entertaining and engaging motion picture. The "castle raid" sequence, the subject of Disney's interactive Circle Vision feature found on the disc, is nothing short of an astounding visual sequence. Although a nighttime scene, bathed in dark corners and lit so as to de-emphasize much in the way of color, the action is stupendous, the breadth of the battle intense, and its stealthy origins nail-bitingly intense. Prince Caspian does flow very well from a cinematic perspective, true to the novel or not; the narrative is strong, the pacing is quick, and and the visuals are first-rate. The strongest asset to this film is the return of director Andrew Adamson and the primary cast. Adamson's incredible vision of Narnia and his strong sense of location and penchant for breathtaking visuals play perhaps the most important factor in bringing Narnia to life. Although the two films see the contributions of different cinematographers, (Donald McAlpine on the first, Karl Walter Lindenlaub here), Adamson's talent as a filmmaker and creative imagination are clearly the overriding strengths that maintain the seamless continuity of the look of the films. Like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features majestically-filmed and expertly choreographed battle sequences that are as intense and exciting as most any other in recent memory, but with practically no blood or gore. Prince Caspian represents family-friendly filmmaking at its finest. The film also features an abundance of seamless special effects; the final confrontation between Narnians and Telmarines is literally awash in perhaps the most incredible special effect in the Narnia series yet. Finally, the return of the four actors who portray the Pevensie children lends to the film a continuation of the strong, almost familial, bond between the actors. It is almost as if the actors never left the set between films, rather simply continuing on in-character, remaining as closely knit in life as the movie would lead viewers to believe. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian makes for a fine sequel to one of the best films of the past decade. Continuing in the traditions of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian sees the return of the primary cast and crew, making for a seamless transition between films. While this film lacks many of the spiritual undertones of the first film (though Caspian does feature a look at the importance of faith), it is certainly bigger and bolder, more glamorous and action-packed. Anyone looking for a fairly straight retelling of the Lewis novel may be somewhat disappointed. Still, Prince Caspian delivers a strong sequel to an amazing film, following up the story well and continuing the budding legacy of the Narnia novels brought to life. Director Andrew Adamson is perhaps the series' greatest asset. His vision is extraordinary; his directorial style, particularly in these grandiose Narnia movies, is nothing short of awe-inspiring; and his passion for the stories and the filmmaking process, as evidenced by his enthusiastic and intelligent contributions to the supplemental sections of this and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe release, seems almost unparalleled. Unfortunately, Adamson will not be returning to helm the third film; no doubt he will be missed as director of The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treador'. Nevertheless, he leaves the series in capable hands, and the promised return of several characters -- including Prince Caspian, Edmund, and Lucy -- lend hope that Dawn Treador will again do the series proud. Disney's Blu-ray release of Prince Caspian is, as expected, a first-rate presentation. The film looks and sounds spectacular, and the studio has included a most impressive array of bonus materials, all presented in high definition. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian comes highly recommended. Cast Notes: Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian), Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie), Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie), William Moseley (Peter Pevensie), Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie), Sergio Castellitto (King Miraz), Peter Dinklage (Trumpkin), Warwick Davis (Nikabrik), Vincent Grass (Doctor Cornelius), Pierfrancesco Favino (General Glozelle), Cornell John (Glenstorm [as Cornell S. John]), Damián Alcázar (Lord Sopespian), Alicia Borrachero (Queen Prunaprismia), Simón Andreu (Lord Scythley), Predrag Bjelac (Lord Donnon). IMDb Rating (12/04/08): 7.2/10 from 28,299 users
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