DVD Review: Prince Caspian

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features even more groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the Pevensie siblings, along with Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson (1993 nominee for Best Actor, Schindler’s List) as Aslan the Lion and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (2008 winner for Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton) as the White Witch. They are joined by Ben Barnes (Stardust) as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto (Arthur and the Invisibles), Eddie Izzard (FX: The Riches), Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter films) and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) appearing as new residents of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is fantasy adventure that will delight the entire family.

Review:
Better than the first? Hard to say. It’s definitely darker than its predecessor The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but story-wise, both films are quite good.

In this second installment, the Pevenise children find themselves back in the magical world of Narnia 1300 years after their last visit. They have been summoned by Prince Caspian to find that Aslan the Lion has gone missing, and the Telmarines have seized Narnia forcing the animals into hiding. It’s up to the Pevenise family to restore Narnia to its former glory.

Without question more violent than the first film, parents should exercise caution before letting younger children watch. Clearly, the film contains as much violence as a PG film can, there may seem to be very little gore, but they do not easy on the beheadings, the shootings, or the stabbings.

The previous cast returns for a stellar job, the younger cast members showing only more maturity with their age. Also, we have Eddie Izzard, one of my favorite actors, who makes an appearance as Reepicheep, an adorable yet formidable character. The rest of the supporting cast including Warwick Davis as Nikabrik and Sergio Castellitto as King Miraz do wonderful jobs as well.

Looking for some sweet special features? Check out the amazing Blu-ray version of the film which includes an interactive game, audio commentary, bloopers, deleted scenes, and numerous featurettes!

Review by Emma Loggins

Grade: B+
Official site: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/princecaspian/
Buy on Amazon: Prince Caspian