Plot Summary
Rejected by his uncle due to the birth of a new son, Prince Caspian is forced to flee for his life from his Telmarine countrymen, who are ruling Narnia and who have forced the true Narnians into hiding. But Caspian finds himself taking refuge with these renegade creatures now that he has a common enemy with them. In trouble, Caspian blows the legendary Susan’s horn and inadvertently calls the Pevensie siblings back to Narnia, although it has been hundreds of years since they left. They immediately find themselves thrust into a conflict between the restless Narnians and the disillusioned Telmarines. Although they believe they have the power they need to win, the High Kings and Queens of Narnia must remember the former days and call on Aslan for help in order to survive.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
In keeping with the production quality of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian is well-produced and well-funded. The camera work is great. The sets are well-constructed and the costuming remains professional, which is key in fantasy movies. Action scenes are filmed with skill. The only small caveats to raise here are that there is some slightly obvious CGI and the editing is confusing at times. Otherwise, there is nothing negative here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Unfortunately, the original plot of Caspian is not adapted as well as the first installment. Though Douglas Gresham was still involved, Box Office Revolution feels that the core message of Narnia was lost in this movie. Disney takes over Caspian and inserts empty action sequences, drab dialogue, and bland characters. Granted, the original plot of the book was not much to work with, but Disney adds a darker tone to this film that was not intended. All the characters seem perpetually angry about abstract things. Some scenes leave the viewer hanging with no real explanation. The end is pretty good, but it has a strange romantic subplot is suddenly forced upon the audience. Needless to say, both avid Narnian fans and professional plot critics cannot find much to be pleased about here.
Acting Quality (2 points)
The professional acting style is mostly maintained from the first movie, but in the sophomore installment, it seems like the cast isn’t really trying. At times, actors seem bored and passive. But it is not all bad and there is certainly worse acting to be seen. In short, the acting keeps up with the rest of the film—good, but not good enough.
Conclusion
Prince Caspian is a natural sequel to the infamous The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but its plot could have been improved. Where there was potential for improvement, nothing materialized. It probably should not be surprising that Douglas Gresham pulled the franchise from Disney after this movie—it needed to be done. The bottom line is that the Chronicles of Narnia remain to be great books to adapt into films, if done properly. Larger production companies have a tendency to coast after success, and this is not something Box Office Revolution respects.
Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 