Thanks to the success of the Harry Potter books and movies, there have been scads of young-adult fantasy books turned into cinematic experiences over the past several years. One of the oldest of these books is the series The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. The first in the series became an eponymous film in 2005, and the second film, Prince Caspian, was released in theaters earlier this year. The great news is that if you’re already a fan, or if you were a fan of the first movie, it’s not likely you’ll be disappointed with the followup offering.
In the sequel, the Pevensie children (Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter) are back in London, after the war, back to their humdrum lives. But naturally, they can’t stay in London for long, so soon they find themselves back in Narnia. Only it’s not quite the Narnia they remember (back when they were kings and queens there), because Narnia time moves quite a bit faster than London time – it’s now 1300 years after the kids were last there, although only one year has passed for them personally. They soon find themselves in a conflict between the native Narnians (i.e., talking animals, trees, centaurs, and so on) and the human Telmarines. The Pevensies decide to help the ousted Prince Caspian reclaim his rightful throne, thus allowing the Narnian creatures to live happily ever after.
The film has many rousing action scenes, but not so many that you feel like you’re in a whirlwind of CGI and arrows and blades, as with some fantasy movies. Director Andrew Adamson, who directed the first LWW film (as well as all three Shrek movies) keeps the film moving, allowing us to catch our breath occasionally – but not much more. Filmed in part in New Zealand, the grand, sweeping battle scenes feel like they’re straight out Braveheart.
We get some character development as well, as the kids mature believably from start to finish, just as they did in the first one. The boys can sometimes be snotty brats, but I suppose that’s more of a British attitude than just a childish one; the girls, conversely, are resolute and wise. Particularly wonderful is Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie, the archer with a heart of gold. Popplewell makes a commanding, compassionate queen, and she’s so gutsy and determined in her performance that every line she delivers will send shivers down your spine.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this followup, though, is that the movie is a success even though the most prominent character in the books is absent for 95% of the film. That would be Aslan the lion, voiced by the inimitable Liam Neeson. Aslan, the symbol for Christ, showed up in the nick of time in the first movie to help save the day, but here he’s just not around. Why hath he forsaken the Pevensies?
There are some pretty intense battle scenes (although largely bloodless), despite the PG rating, so you may need to be careful with the littlest ones. But it’s a Disney movie, so don’t expect anything nightmare inducing. Other than talking animals, of course.
***
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