Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Movie Review

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Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
**---

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian requires little introduction. I know this, you know this, the film even knows this, and so they quickly wisk the central characters into the fantasy land of Narnia with very little delay. So why is this adaptation of the classic children's series two and a half hours long?
I'm not really sure.
I guess there's a lot of fighting going on, but to be honest I hardly remember any of it.

The fact that this children's series is considered such a literary classic is perhaps this film's greatest hindrance. Character introductions abound with beat pauses long enough for people in the audience to gasp and whisper. When individuals make their appearance they are basked in a lighting that clearly tells us how we should react. While this interaction with fans of the book is all well and good, meanwhile the rest of us, who never got past Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are left in the dark wondering what all the fuss is about.

In that sense I would consider this the ideal illustration of Christianity within the context of a film, perhaps more so than the Passion of the Christ. Here we are presented with the character of Aslan, the lion, whose mercy and sacrifice serve as direct symbols of Christ and whose very presence stirs awe from Narnians and, more importantly, from certain members of the audience.
But the film is strangely uninvolved and bland. When I was given the initial image of Aslan I thought, well, that's a big effing lion that can also talk.
But to the children in the audience, those that read the books and understood the character already, the digital manifestation of Aslan drew applause.

The film seems to miss the very point that the story of Prince Caspian is all about, and the audience would be most interested in. Narnia, as presented, has changed over the course of a thousand years since the last film. The luster of Aslan's sacrifice has diminished along with his disciples, the kings and queens of Narnia.
The movie appears to neglect the fact that characters within the movie, and within the audience, don't know exactly who this Aslan is. Yeah, we can tell he's a big effing lion, but there's clearly more to him than that.
The film never expands on this premise. As a result, Aslan becomes nothing more than a last minute plot device. He becomes the deus ex machina, the equipment for which god intervenes last minute rather than the God he is meant to represent.

Is it entertaining? Yes and No.
The scribes here have apparently decided that the central characters had enough
development in the first film, and have instead opted to just give them swords and let them duke it out.
The problem is this, and primarily, only this.


The Chronicles of Narnia lacks both tone and mood.


Harry Potter understood the transition from light fantasy to dark introspection. Lord of the Rings understood it's epic journey through the gritty darkness of the heart and war.
The Chronicles of Narnia seems to miss the fact that it has a perfect place to fit in either as a childlike fantasy or as a fun adventure. This could have been the next Princess Bride, or the Goonies with religious influences.
But they missed the mark. Instead we have a two and a half hour kiddie "epic" where the battles are drawn out and bloodless, and the female centaurs have the decency to cover themselves. The characters are shallow and could easily be replaced by the posterboard I saw in the hallway.
I just didn't care.

The best part?
Was the trailer for Wall-E



This and the new Batman are going to ROCK MY WORLD.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
**---

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian requires little introduction. I know this, you know this, the film even knows this, and so they quickly wisk the central characters into the fantasy land of Narnia with very little delay. So why is this adaptation of the classic children's series two and a half hours long?
I'm not really sure.
I guess there's a lot of fighting going on, but to be honest I hardly remember any of it.

The fact that this children's series is considered such a literary classic is perhaps this film's greatest hindrance. Character introductions abound with beat pauses long enough for people in the audience to gasp and whisper. When individuals make their appearance they are basked in a lighting that clearly tells us how we should react. While this interaction with fans of the book is all well and good, meanwhile the rest of us, who never got past Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, are left in the dark wondering what all the fuss is about.

In that sense I would consider this the ideal illustration of Christianity within the context of a film, perhaps more so than the Passion of the Christ. Here we are presented with the character of Aslan, the lion, whose mercy and sacrifice serve as direct symbols of Christ and whose very presence stirs awe from Narnians and, more importantly, from certain members of the audience.
But the film is strangely uninvolved and bland. When I was given the initial image of Aslan I thought, well, that's a big effing lion that can also talk.
But to the children in the audience, those that read the books and understood the character already, the digital manifestation of Aslan drew applause.

The film seems to miss the very point that the story of Prince Caspian is all about, and the audience would be most interested in. Narnia, as presented, has changed over the course of a thousand years since the last film. The luster of Aslan's sacrifice has diminished along with his disciples, the kings and queens of Narnia.
The movie appears to neglect the fact that characters within the movie, and within the audience, don't know exactly who this Aslan is. Yeah, we can tell he's a big effing lion, but there's clearly more to him than that.
The film never expands on this premise. As a result, Aslan becomes nothing more than a last minute plot device. He becomes the deus ex machina, the equipment for which god intervenes last minute rather than the God he is meant to represent.

Is it entertaining? Yes and No.
The scribes here have apparently decided that the central characters had enough
development in the first film, and have instead opted to just give them swords and let them duke it out.
The problem is this, and primarily, only this.


The Chronicles of Narnia lacks both tone and mood.


Harry Potter understood the transition from light fantasy to dark introspection. Lord of the Rings understood it's epic journey through the gritty darkness of the heart and war.
The Chronicles of Narnia seems to miss the fact that it has a perfect place to fit in either as a childlike fantasy or as a fun adventure. This could have been the next Princess Bride, or the Goonies with religious influences.
But they missed the mark. Instead we have a two and a half hour kiddie "epic" where the battles are drawn out and bloodless, and the female centaurs have the decency to cover themselves. The characters are shallow and could easily be replaced by the posterboard I saw in the hallway.
I just didn't care.

The best part?
Was the trailer for Wall-E



This and the new Batman are going to ROCK MY WORLD.