I love Narnia. I always have and always will ever since I was a small boy, but I must admit when I reread the Narnian Chronicles last summer I was curious about how exactly they would adapt it. At least half of the book is one giant flashback told by Trumpkin the dwarf. To do a movie in this structure would leave a film largely unfilmable. It's not to say Prince Caspian the book is a bad book, it's just not as cinematically friendly as the first was.
To say the least they did a great job. Two key points of making a sequel are first to make it the same story, only different. The other is to make it darker than it's predecessor.
They succeed in both levels. Everything in Narnia feels "used" and "lived in" as opposed to "new" and "fresh" like in the first film. This lived in feel gives Narnia a more realistic aura.
Will, Anna, Skander and Georgie are even better in their roles than the first time around, if that's at all possible. These "are" the Pevensies to the core. In any moment they are in a scene together you feel the connection between them. It's impossible to single out one of them as the best of the bunch. It's going to be hard when VDT comes around and there's a hole to fill in that group with Eustace!
Ben Barnes suits the role of Caspian nicely. While he may not be the"blue eyed blonde" we thought of at first when reading about him, he portrays the character nicely. granted this is only his introduction into Narnia, but I expect big things form him in the next film. he fits in nicely with the rest of the cast and makes a more than welcome addition.
Caspian, and the rest of the Telraminians honestly seem like they are descended from pirates, nto only because of their accents but in their mannerisms. The accents they have also work so well for them and they don't come off as to comical.
Many people have said that Reepicheep was exactly like Puss n' boots from Shrek. About the only thing they have in common is being small furry animals that wield rapiers. To even imply they are the same is like saying that Errol Flynn's Robin Hood is the same as Douglas Fairbanks's Zorro. Yes, they are both swashbuckling heroes but they are very different types of heroes.
Eddie Izzard handled Reepicheep very nicely. His voice gave Reep the sense that he was "bigger: than he was, a trait that is key to the mouse. Reepicheep, though tiny is the very embodiment of nobility, honor, and chivalry. Of course he's also a show stealer with great lines and awesome action. His reaction to discovering it is Lucy who calls him "cute" is very funny.
While Aslan may seem downplayed he is still clearly in charge, just as God is in our daily lives. We may not always see him, but He's still at work. You can feel his and Lucy's relationship wonderfully, and the animation to bring him to life is even better. Just like in the books his size does change periodically. At one point he is in fact larger than a typical lion.
Liam Neeson as Aslan's voice is just phenomenal. He is to Aslan what Ian McKellen was to Gandalf .No one else can bring him to life. He is able to say so much in so few words. While all his lines may not say "I have absolute power, yes!" Aslan still clearly does just by how he talks and how he is animated.
Trumpkin and Nikabrik are played very nicely by Peter Dinkalage and Warwick Davis, yet only one of the dwarves really stands out much. Trumpkin is probably the stronger of the two, but that's because his character was better defined to begin with. As for Nikabrik he's very much in the background hiding his sinister agenda.
The Night raid, thought not in the book, was very fun to watch. There hasn't been a battle scene like it yet. At the same time it also serves some key story purposes. Since most of Caspian's back story isn't told to us in a flash back it is told to us here. The battle also ends up being a moment not to celebrate in the end but to mourn as it is a debacle for our heroes.
As this leaves them more emotionally vulnerable it better explains why Nikabrik calls on his sinister cohorts for their plan to bring back the White Witch. In the books Nikabrik and his friends never really had any leverage to suggest anything as Caspian hadn't ever seen the full power of Miraz and his army. In this moment not only do we get another chilling and mesmerizing performance of Tilda Switon as Jadis, but a great character defining moment for Edmund and helps show as CS Lewis put it, "Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is."
Yes, there is a kiss between Susan and Caspian but it is quick and painless and made humerous by snide remarks from Edmund and Lucy.
The sets are just as lavishly designed as the first film, and the special effects are amazing and improved upon greatly.
Gregson-Williams music is as great as the last time and many familiar leitmotifs are now able to take place as they world's been established. Particularly funny is the motif for the mice which is a muted trumpet.
In all it is a very well produced, and well acted production. While it may not be as close to the book as the first film, it is a great adaptation. All the timeless themes we have come to know and love about Narnia are in place and while maybe a few characters are missing everyone is here. Because of this, I was misty eyed at the end as the children said good bye to Narnia and their friends. It is definitely worth seeing more than once and I can honestly say bring on the Dawn Treader.