Product: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Two Disc Edition + BD-Live) [Blu-ray] (2008)
Rating: 4.0
The magic has returned
First, I will start off by saying that if you are a Book Nazi, this movie is NOT for you. There are a lot of changes to the plot and some additional scenes added, as well as the Susan and Caspian romance (UGH - but more on that later). There is quite a bit removed and shuffled around in order for it to work as a film. But the thing is, it still works as a story. It's not perfect, but it is good.As a huge fan of the books and the first film, I was eagerly anticipating this one and was (mostly) not disappointed. True, there are significant differences in character development and the pacing of the story, but I think those changes work for the best. One such change is Peter's decision to attack the castle. Now, I know that this seems out of character for him, but if you really think about it, he's a kid eager to prove himself and also on his guard because of a new rival (Caspian). He's going to want to show that he really is King Peter the Magnificent. Well, he fails, of course, but it was still an incredibly well-done and tragic scene. William Moseley got some flack for being a little wooden in the first movie...well, just watch this scene, particularly toward the end. He's more than earned his acting stripes, in my opinion.Everything is better this time around: there is more character development, better special effects (particularly the CGI creatures), absolutely beautiful sets and backgrounds, and all the returning cast has improved in their performances. Georgie Henley and Skander Keynes in particular were a joy to watch - one look at Georgie and you can tell she'll be a real beauty when she's older. (And Skandar's filled out nicely himself...)That being said, I do have some quibbles with this movie. It's not perfect. There are a couple of awkward moments which are supposed to be comedic, but feel slightly out of place with the scope of the movie (the scene with Reepicheep, Pattertwig, and the nuts remark comes to mind here). It's much darker, which I enjoy, but this definitely isn't a movie for the nine-and-under set. And the most grievous change made in the movie for me was the addition of a budding romance between Susan and Caspian. This felt awkward, unnecessary, and forced (though it generated some great jokes, I'll admit). One of the things I appreciate so much about the Narnia books is that they were written in a much more innocent time and about children who didn't have romance on their minds all the time. I appreciate romance in my movies and books if it's well-done and believable, but Susan and Caspian's relationship was neither. Narnia is supposed to be a child's world, full of light and dark and beauty and magic, not hormones and romance. It's especially irritating because Caspian is going to meet his *wife* in the very next movie, so why do we even *need* he and Susan to have a "connection"?Other than those small issues, this movie is magical. Bring on Voyage of the Dawn Treader!