The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZfDS5eu7fA

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

The worst part about returning to somewhere you love is how much it can change in your absence.


PLOT


Inspired by CS Lewis’ fourth novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a direct sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A year has passed since the events of the preceding film and the Pevensies are now tending boarding school in England. Peter the Magnificent, Susan the Gentle, Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant have all missed being the alternate world that is Narnia and ironically, they get their wish come true as they get transported back from a train station. They have a moment to enjoy the beach, but finding Cair Paravel has them realize 1300 years have passed there and the lands have been ruled by the Spanish Telmarines who have pushed all Narnian creatures into hiding, meaning the likes of Tumnus and the Beavers are long gone. They realize the stakes after regaining their weapons they left behind and saving a dwarf Trumpkin who was left to be drowned. It turns out Susan’s horn was used to bring them back as summoned by Prince Caspian X. The Prince is hiding from his Uncle Miraz who just beared a son that can help him usurp the throne from him. When getting help to escape thanks to his tutor, Doctor Cornelius, he was able to reach the woods far enough to be taken in by Trumpkin’s friends, another dwarf named Nikabrik and a talking badger named Trufflehunter (Ken Stott). With Trumpkin’s capture leading to him meeting the Pevensies, Caspian goes with the Narnians deeper into the forest to meet the others that are hiding, promising them he’ll restore balance to Narnia should he regain the throne. Eventually, both parties meet and they assemble at Aslan’s How, an underground hall built around the Stone Table where he was reborn. With Miraz’s soldiers tracking them all down, Peter suggests attacking him at night. That doesn’t go as planned because when Caspian rescues Cornelius, the latter accidentally reveals Miraz killed his father, Caspian IX; When he tries confronting him about it, he is able to escapes and their forces get overwhelmed to the point of needing to retreat. Taking advantage of feeling guilt in defeat, Nikabrik offers to help the prince gain revenge by allowing a hag and a werewolf use black sorcery to summon back Jadis the White Witch. Trapped in an ice wall, she asks for a drop of blood but that is stopped by the Pevensies who kill her remaining followers and Edmund shatters the wall that keeps her from coming back. Wanting to redeem himself, Peter challenges Miraz one on one, giving Lucy time to find Aslan as she dreamt of his return. Peter ends up wounding the wrongful king enough to offer Caspian the fatal blow, but the prince chooses to spare him, still intending to live up to his promise. Shockingly, Miraz would be killed by his follower Lord Sobespian who uses Susan’s arrow to frame them and have an excuse to battle. By the time Lucy reunites with Aslan, he awakens the trees to even the odds and when Sobespian tris retreating, the great lion then summons a water deity to devour him. With an epic defeat, Caspian officially becomes king of Narnia and Aslan offers the Telmarines a chance to teleport them back where they came from. The only Telmarines that go are General Glozelle who was against Miraz’s ways, Lord Scythley (Simón Andreu) and Queen Prunaprisima (Alicia Borrachero), Miraz’s widow, who takes her infant son with her. The talking mouse Reepicheep also sends his best mouse to go through to prove the portal is safe to go through before the Pevensies also go back home. Peter decides for his family that they will go back, but promises that Lucy & Edmund would return. Just as they say goodbye to Narnia and return to boarding school, the film ends with Edmund hilariously realizing he left his flashlight behind.


THOUGHTS


I enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe very much at the time, due to the fantasy trend we were getting in the 2000s, so I did not mind seeing a proper follow up. It was appropriate for Walt Disney to focus on the Pevensies because they were the only protagonists to return throughout the book series. Needless to say, this does somewhat live up to being entertaining just not the way we expected. It’s not exactly the fault of director Andrew Adamson since his goal was to give it the darker tone in vein of what occurred in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. The problem is that it is not 100 percent well executed. I mean you know the tone has completely changed when it opens with a childbirth and a teen surviving an assassination attempt. I mean it came off more in the line of George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones since you’re not prepared for it to get political with the Spanish Telmarines. At the same time however, you are still interested in how things go full circle in setting things right. Particularly, the production/costume design for both parties are still well done and you can’t go wrong with the visual effects that pay off in the climactic fight at Aslan’s How. You know Aslan looks stunning as usual and you’re gonna be hesitant to admit the details are delightful on Reepicheep, hysterically portrayed by Eddie Izzard, but I had a big gasp seeing those trees come to life before the lion summons a water deity. Also, the editing was just as good when it came to the midnight ambush. Harry Gregson Williams’s score peaked there because you’re reminded of the epicness that you remember from before and that is where it pays off. Apart from all the action you’re here for, I think the reason seeing these chain of events where an unlikely era of people are defeated by fate itself does bring things full circle in saying trust in a higher power does pay off no matter the delay. This was indeed the case here because while you can still call out that Aslan is a deus ex machina, he’s still Jesus Christ to Narnia because he’ll always be there even when we give up and Liam Neeson still sells that stoic optimism we admire from the voice alone while in only one minute, Tilda Swinton is still just as conniving as before in her cameo as Jadis. As the titular prince turned king, Ben Barnes is a compelling protagonist because he’s all about having this assertiveness that is lacking in the society around him and for the most part, he does his best in holding back on his anger while trying to prove he is different from his predecessors. The only reason he creates this mindset is thanks to Vincent Grass making a sentimental mentor out of Cornelius who too wished for balance to be restored. Sergio Castellitto however owns it in making Miraz the most calculating tyrant in Narnia since Jadis, which is ironic since those are exactly the people he is pushing out, making him no different from her. If there is one thing that made me laugh about him was that he had no choice but to prove his worth when he was hoping not to. I mean in the end, it will forever be embarrassing he lost a duel to an experienced teenager. At the same, Damián Alcázar showed Sobespian to be just as cunning because he was willing to be cunning without notice which almost paid off for him. Then there is Glozelle and as Pierfrancesco Favino portrays him the most pragmatic because while he does believe he wants to do good for his people in the same vein Caspian wants to, he definitely doesn’t enjoy breaking rules the way Miraz does. He chose to leave with Prunaprisima because this was his way to do right by the king and simultaneously be cleansed from his mistakes. At the end of the day, Caspian is able to remain a better leader because he knows he can put others before himself in the same way that the Pevensies did. Of course while we know that the books have had multiple entries without them, we knew it would’ve been a missed opportunity to not see them again and boy was it still pleasing. A lot can change in a year for them the way Narnia changed in 1300 years because all four siblings felt nostalgic of their experience and are proud of the maturity it has given them. There is so much that they’ve gone through and no one will understand it but themselves. So when you think about Peter, William Moseley portrays him as the most eager of the group because he misses being a leader and wants to contribute the way his dad was. That is part of what made him at odds with Caspian originally because they’re the same age physically while he’s older mentally. Again, since Caspian doesn’t understand this, it gets hard for him to respect where he’s coming from. However, respect & honor is what defines them since Peter is willing to give Caspian the final blow and continue fighting alongside him without hesitation. As for Susan, Anna Popplewell makes her interesting because she gets where both guys are coming from and is still able to mediate between them while still being protective enough for Lucy. I definitely was tripped out on how sudden it was for her and Caspian to have feelings for one another, but I think the reason why has to be wanting to do more than what they’re capable of. Since she was reliving the coming of age aspect of her life while still having that wisdom of her past life, it does feel easier for her to communicate with him more than her brother. Knowing this, it’s a given to say they wouldn’t forget each other. Moving on, Skandar Keynes really stood out to me the most as Edmund because he has the most confidence compared to Peter. We know Peter is willing to take action without expecting Aslan, but it goes a long way with how Edmund is able to trust his brother and not even be hesitant to fight either. He even gives the message to Miraz without fear and gets even with Jadis stabbing her from behind. Both of those moments were just very pleasing to show how much he’s grown. As for the latter, it was clever to see he was able to do it and maintain confidence because it expressed Peter had doubts after botching the ambush. Heck, I know for sure he wasn’t holding back with Trumpkin either which says a lot on how skilled he became as a swordsman. Lastly, it goes without saying that Lucy continues to be the heart of this trilogy because through Georgie Henley’s performance, nothing ever needed to change about her as she remained the most optimistic. She was the only one waiting to see Aslan again, knowing he will set things right once her daily gets the ground going. Had it not been for this said optimism, no one would continue to maintain the bravery needed to keep fighting. The biggest example goes to both black dwarves Nikabrik and Trumpkin were their own sides of the coin when it came to inner conflict in reality. Warwick Davis showed the former to be completely hopeless, while Peter Dinklage made the latter one to be on the fence and just waited for the evidence to clear his judgment. Luckily, he got more than what he bargained for in the right ways. He and Lucy hit it off as good friends because her compassion erases his cynicism, which in turn makes another relationship that won't be forgotten. When reaching the ending where all four children of Adam & Eve must return, it struck me because it gave me this reminder that some good things are only temporary even if you get to try having it again. Peter was in the right to decide for his family because deep down they all knew it wasn’t their home no matter how long they stayed. Although Lucy & Edmund would return, it did sting that they needed to be away again in order for them to grow up the way Peter & Susan do. ‘The Call’ by Regina Skeptor is a great song to conclude the story because it was a poignant way to tell viewers to not cry when the good things are over, but to smile for it happening. Despite the wait for Lucy & Edmund, at least we know everything they went through was worthwhile because they know they can still come back which is what they were fighting for. There are some things that make it work, but then there are some that just do not at all. Like from the top, it’s too big of a risk for Caspian to see the murder attempt as he tries escaping because that’s just asking to get caught. And I refuse to accept nobody looted the Pevensies’ armory after 1300 years because it’s not like the place was locked. Then again, how did the centaurs not get spotted as Caspian was getting shot at by Telmarines? I mean those guys are the tallest creatures so it’s not like they can camouflage. And honestly, it’s over the top for Miraz to actually kill three soldiers just to frame the narnians. It’s not like anyone is gonna ask for proof after revealing Trumpkin. That’s dumber than not having guards at the door of your bedroom if you ask me. I still scratch  my head about how the hell does Peter recognize Caspian? I gotta ask because we don’t see him in school learn about him and there’s no portrait of him in Narnia, so he had the luckiest guess ever. And who the hell was that grizzly bear in the climax? He basically shows up like he was there the whole time as Trufflehunter and it’s weird. It was smart for griffins to sneak the protagonists in, but it’s kinda crazy they don’t join in on the ambush and only wait until the climax to truly participate. That felt just as weird as the eagles hardly being involved during Lord of the Rings, despite the reasons they had. It’s even a miracle Sobespian’s horse didn’t jump when getting picked up by a water deity which I refuse to believe since any startled horse, trained or not, could’ve jumped for it and Sobespian still could’ve died hilariously. If you can ignore these things however, then you can still say The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was able to be an experimental sequel that doesn’t completely overstay its welcome. If you enjoyed the books and the previous movie, then it’s a no brainer you’ll have a soft spot for this as well.