Let me start off by saying that I have (regrettably) never read the Chronicles of Narnia. When The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was released in December of 2005, I wanted to see it, but with a new born daughter in the house, it just wasn’t practical to get to the theater for a screening. I meant to get it on DVD, but it just didn’t seem to happen, either.
Last week, Hugh Hewitt interviewed one of the driving forces behind the Chrnicles of Narnia at Walden Media in preparation for the release of Prince Caspian. Okay, I finally broke down and picked up the first installment on DVD in time to watch with my darling wife before seeing the new movie. I’m glad I did.
Prince Caspian is the story of a young prince who is driven out by his uncle who has usurped his throne. Caspain is saved from being murdered by the Narnians.
Meanwhile, the Pevensie kids, having lived a year of a “normal” life since their first journey to Narnia, suddenly find themselves swept back to that magical land. There they find their former castle-home in ruins. Over a thousand years had passed on Narnia since they first visited it.
It isn’t long before they find themselves at the forefront of a war to restore Narnia and aiding Prince Caspian. Caspian struggles with temptation, and nearly succumbs to it.
The story is well done, perhaps a bit more adult in theme than the first story. The special effects teams had their work cut out for them in animating the various creatures of Narnia, and pulled it off brilliantly. The battles are a tremendous display of stunt work, animation, and photography.
The focus is on the Pevensie kids, Caspian, and a dwarf ally. All fine and dandy, but I would have liked to have seen more of the Centaurs and some of the other creatures that people Narnia.
All in all, it is an excellent film. I would recommend, however, seeing the first film before hand, if you haven’t seen it already.
