The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Three-Disc Collector's Edition+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Three-Disc Collector's Edition+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
by Andrew Adamson

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Category: DVD
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley
Director: Andrew Adamson
Brand: Disney
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 149 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: WALT DISNEY VIDEO

Movie Reviews of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Three-Disc Collector's Edition+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Adventuring to a darker land and movie
Summary: 4 Stars

The first Chronicles of Narnia movie, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" came out around the time that many fantasy books were being bought up and while it wasn't as affecting or as memorable, it did do its job well despite some dodgy CGI and some ineffective directing during battle scenes. But it was still a success so out of the 7 books written, the next to be made was "Prince Caspian" but instead of releasing it at the time of Christmas like last time, Disney decided to play with the big boys and put it in the summer, being effectively sandwiched by "Iron Man" and the 4th "Indiana Jones" and let's not forget about that certain bat movie. So "Prince Caspian" grew less and people didn't like the tone but will it find a bigger audience at home or was it possibly too dark and not enough magic?

The Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan, have been living in England for a year trying to get back to normal which is tough after saving the magical kingdom of Narnia. Out of the blue, they're returned to Narnia only now it's almost abandoned with nary a creature in sight, only ruins. Seems that near a millennium has passed in the land of Narnia and thanks to Telmarines, the race of men, the citizens of Narnia have been all but extinct. Rightful heir to the throne is Prince Caspian who's been targeted by death by his uncle Miraz who wishes to take over the throne and so with the help of the Pevensies and the Narnians, Caspian hopes to defeat the incoming soldiers.

It's usually common practice for the second film in a series to be a little bit more darker in tone or at least more adult, thinking being that since you've grown since the last book/movie, so have the characters. But then again, Narnia is a children's series of books with adult fans and an adaptation that screams for something more exciting so it's kind of like the "rock and a hard place" saying. Go too dark and you've alienated mostly everyone whereas if you keep the warm, friendly family tone then you're just lightweight fun and nothing more. And I can say that "Prince Caspian" does maintain an excitement about it and the last battle is quite awesome however the tone and even the pacing of the film feels a bit...off and whereas the previous film had many moments of otherworldlyness and fantasy moments, this film feels more like a normal adventure film with characters in it from fantasy. Maybe if they ever make the third they'll combine the 2 and make it better but this film feels less fantasy and more adult than you'd hope a film like this to have.

That being said, many elements have been improved on from the quality to the animation (save for a dodgy late film sequence involving a river) to the character performances and even Adamson's directing skills have been a little bit more improved and despite some complaints about it being too different than last time, it's still engaging and keeps your interest though I wish Aslan had a bigger role though he is that secret weapon that when unleashed, practically owns everything in the room, his limited involvement kind of hurts it and he might as well be a cameo or at least to show you that despite the talking mice and dwarves, the lion is still in the movie. Then there's the odd brief sequence from a character from the last movie that kind of gives a "what was that for?" feeling. But the villain is just as sinister as Tilda Swinton was and Reepicheep, a swashbuckling mouse voiced by Eddie Izzard is memorable (though sadly not used frequently) and you have a movie that works well enough for adults and even kids might like it though might need to turn down the volume a little. Even the entrance to Narnia itself this time is rather...loud.

The Narnia films seem to be the easiest contender to fit alongside "Harry Potter" and the "Ring" films for some of the better fantasy adaptations but there just seems to be something not getting across, something that feels bigger than the sum of its parts where it turns from a good book adaptation to a great movie, period. "Prince Caspian" is worth a look but it might not be anything more.

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Summary of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Three-Disc Collector's Edition+ Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

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. Join Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, the mighty 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 a 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.

More exciting than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian continues the movie franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy books. The movie picks up where the first left off... sort of. It's been a year since the Pevensie children--Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)--returned to England from Narnia, and they've just about resigned themselves to living their ordinary lives. But just like that, they're once again transported to a fantastical land, but one with a long-abandoned castle. It turns out that they are in Narnia again--and they themselves lived in that castle, but hundreds of years ago in Narnia time. They've been summoned back to help Prince Caspian (Stardust's Ben Barnes, resembling a young, cultured Keanu Reeves), the rightful heir to the throne who's become the target of his power-hungry uncle, King Mraz (Sergio Castellitto). And he's not the only one threatened: Mraz's people, the Telmarines, have pushed all the Narnians--the talking animals, the centaurs and other beasts, the walking trees--to the brink of extinction. Despite some alpha-male bickering, Peter and Caspian agree to fight Mraz alongside the remaining Narnians, including the dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) and the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard). (Also appearing is Warwick Davis, who was in Willow and the 1989 BBC Prince Caspian.) But of course they most of all miss the noble lion, Aslan, who would have never let this happen to Narnia if he hadn't disappeared. Prince Caspian is epic, evoking memories of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. (Some of the battle elements may seem too familiar, but they were in Lewis's book.) And it's appropriate for kids (Reepicheep could have come out of a Shrek movie), though the tone is dark and there is a lot of death, albeit bloodless. After two successful films, Disney and Walden Media's franchise has proved successful enough that many of the characters are scheduled to return in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. --David Horiuchi

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