The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) starring Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell directed by Andrew Adamson Movie Review

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Ben Barnes in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

The Kings and Queens Grow Up

It has been a year since Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) returned from Narnia and they are back living in London where Peter is struggling living in the real world where he is just a kid. But he need not worry as they all find themselves summoned back to Narnia and the ruins at Cair Paravel where they not only find their belongings but discover that a year in their word is 1300 in Narnia. Things have changed and Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia has been robbed of his birthright by his uncle King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) and having fled to the forest now has a price on his head. That is why the siblings have returned as Caspian summoned the "old kings and queens of Narnia" to restore Narnia to the way it should be, and save the place for all including the animals.

I just gotta know. Those 4 words must be loved by Hollywood because it means when you make a sequel you will have those who will watch, not because they loved the first movie but have a desire to know what happened next. It is the only reason I watched "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" because whilst I didn't find "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" a bad movie it wasn't for me. And it is pretty much for the same reasons why this sequel doesn't wow me, as I never read the books as a child and so introduced to them for the first time as an adult doesn't quite work.

But the thing is that I didn't dislike "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" and in some ways this sequel impressed me a bit more than I expected. There is a sense that this is a bit more grown up than the first movie with bigger and more impressive action and more of a sense of danger. It made it a bit more interesting and a bit more attention grabbing especially with for a while a genuine bit of mystery going on. Plus the special effects look a lot more convincing this time around with less focus on being cute.

What this all boils down to is that "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" was in truth an improvement on the first movie and had a lot more going on aimed at appealing to an older audience but not so much that it alienated younger teens. It still felt like a movie which worked best for those who were either young or had read the story as a child but it certainly managed to keep my attention more than the first one did.


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