Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, May 16, 2008

'Narnia' saga perks up with 'Prince Caspian', but might be too intense for little ones

By Robert Horton
Herald Movie Critic

 Wow. Never mind all those cute talking animals. The second installment in the "Chronicles of Narnia" series is a warlike affair, full of battles, bloodletting, and author C.S. Lewis' heavy Christian allegory.

Part two is also a better movie, although I seem to be in the minority opinion there. But I wasn't crazy about the first one.

If part one, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," was all about computer-generated animals that never seemed real, this one puts the focus back on people.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" returns the four Pevensie children to the long-ago world of Lewis' literary Narnia. But the good they did in their last adventure has crumbled away, as dark, swarthy brutes have taken over, led by the dastardly Miraz (Italian star Sergio Castellitto, bringing a nice amount of villainry).

The true inheritor of the Narnian leadership is Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), but he's been driven out and now must band together with the castoff races of Narnia. A dwarf (expressive Peter Dinklage, from "The Station Agent") and a talking badger are among the allies.

As for the Pevensies: Susan (Anna Popplewell) develops a crush on the prince, Peter (William Moseley) hogs the swordplay, and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) recedes into the background.

Youngest sister Lucy (Georgie Henley) continues her relationship with the lion-god. This rather cruel deity allows thousands of Narnians to die, and then rushes in at the end, saves the day, and gets all the credit.

Returning director Andrew Adamson makes this film quicker and funnier than the first movie. It is also a relief to have fewer talking beasts (although a sword-wielding mouse, voiced by Eddie Izzard, is a welcome addition).

However, smaller children will probably be spooked by some of the darker apparitions here, and the film is quite long at 144 minutes. It's also one of the more violent films to ever garner a PG rating, even if blood is minimal.

After a certain point the battles overwhelm this handsome and expensive film, which will doubtless disappoint fans of the first movie. But my expectations were low, and I was pleasantly surprised.
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