One and A Half StarsOkay. I wish I had a better movie to kick things off, but this is just the last movie I saw.
Prince Caspian kicks off with the four same children from the Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe getting called back to Narnia by distressed Prince Caspian. Narnia is in trouble again, under the rule of yet another tyrant. The prince must avenge his father and claim his crown. The children must put aside their pride and do everything they can to bring peace back to Narnia.
This movie is cute. Thats about it. I finished my review thinking the whole time that the movie was rated PG-13. I realize now that my first instinct is far too harsh. Like I said, this movie is cute. I read these Chronicles when I was young, so I have a personal attachment to them. Not to overuse the word, but I kind of wanted to see them turn into something more than "a cute movie".
So I didn't like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, obviously, since its made for kids. To recap my thoughts on the first movie, which far too many people keep saying was a great movie, I would have given it only two stars. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe was good, it wasn't great. The acting was sub-par, especially by Peter who should probably learn how to hold a sword, since he is in a fantasy movie... just a thought. The movie stayed pretty true to the books, one of its only good points, but the script adaptation was done poorly. Prince Caspian had the same flaws.
The acting had not improved, and the cute factor of the little girl wasn't enough to make up for it this time. The movie follows the same basic story-line as the book, but because of its jarring cadence its hard to completely immerse yourself in the movie. The begging doesn't draw the viewer in at all, it just jumps right in assuming the viewer knows everything already and very disjointedly throws our heros into their quest.
The veiled Christian undertones aren't so veiled in the second movie. All that is needed is belief in the one that sacrificed himself for you and all your troubles will be over. In case you were worried that a main character would learn some self reliance for once, don't worry, the Deus Ex Machina makes sure that everything is taken care of, regardless of any effort by the main characters. The character struggles don't even lead to a situation that facilitates the ending.
All in all the movie is predictable and though it stays decently close to the book, it does so in a jolted, unsatisfying way. That being said, the kids will love it. The Chronicles of Narnia movies aren't anything award winning, they are simply created to entertain.
I want to say more, but I also don't want to give any spoilers. One thing I need to learn is the fine line between enough information and not destroying the movie.
Prince Caspian Webpage
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