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Disney's attempt to cash in on the fantasy craze back in 2005 paid off in a big way: the first Narnia instalment made over $700 million worldwide. Naturally, then, with seven C.S. Lewis books to adapt, that gross immediately spelled "franchise", but in terms of quality, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was definitely more Harry Potter than Lord of the Rings. Returning director Andrew Adamson, who was also the man behind the first two Shreks (i.e. the good ones), clearly had a point to prove, as despite the commercial success the previous film received numerous criticisms. One of the changes this time round - an obligatory one, given this is a sequel - is that this tale is a considerably darker one, and thankfully much more interesting. Although it has apparently hampered its box office takings (Caspian hasn't even made half of the first film's takings in America), the general lack of familiarity also proves to be something of an advantage. The story this time doesn't feel like it's on rails, instead possessing a much-needed life and character of its own.
One of the problems with the first film was the child-centric storyline; the journey of four young siblings from schoolkids in mid-World War 2 London to heroic champions of Narnia was a little hard to swallow. This time, such leaps of believability are less prevalent, as despite the lead actors looking barely older than last time, they are in fact playing adults in teenagers' bodies, having spent many years in Narnia before returning to London the first time. The acting, too, is a little better, but the youngest, Georgie Henley, is again the star, and Skandar Keynes also forges a believable and relatively multi-faceted character as the younger of the two brothers. The main newcomer, at least in terms of the human characters, is, of course, Prince Caspian himself, played with a Spanish twang by Ben Barnes, who had a brief part in last year's Stardust. Belying his Orlando Bloom-esque looks, Barnes actually seems like a natural actor, and gives off all the right regal vibes.
Much of the emphasis again is placed on the talking animal characters, rendered in frequently stunning CG. Aslan the lion is back (eventually; his late arrival in the story is only explained rather vaguely) and again voiced by Liam Neeson, who replaced Brian Cox in the original film, and who still doesn't sound right. Pride of place though goes to Reepicheep, a swashbuckling mouse, of all things - the most dangerous screen rodent since Monty Python and the Holy Grail's flesh-eating rabbit. He's voiced by Eddie Izzard, who ends up being a better fit with the character than might be expected. Unlike last time, however, the bad guys are all people, and this is ultimately beneficial; instead of hordes of indistinguishable grotesque creatures, our heroes have to face the human Telmarines, the look of whom is clearly based on the Spanish conquistadors.
The appearance of the villains is one of the film's distinguishing factors in the visual department, and in every respect this is a fabulous looking film. The deep colours and extensive use of spectacular New Zealand locations, combined with the aforementioned brilliant CGI, mean that this is yet another area in which Caspian improves on its predecessor. Now Narnia looks like a real, lived-in place, contrasting with the plasticy snow-globe look of the original. Also, importantly, Adamson ensures that the narrative retains its momentum, starting with an excellent opening sequence depicting Prince Caspian's escape from the villain's castle (which later the heroes infiltrate in a rather suspenseful and well-executed sequence). Other than a slightly stop-start pace in the early stages - as the film cross-cuts between the Pevensie children, Prince Caspian, and the villain's scheming - the pacing is very good, and should keep adults and children alike suitably engrossed.
The summary
A pleasant surprise. Prince Caspian improves in every way on its predecessor, and while still hamstrung by certain elements (some due to the source material), it's certainly one of the best post-Lord of the Rings fantasy films.
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