May’s third blockbuster is Disney’s fantasy sequel Prince Caspian. The second Narnia stands above weaker genre entries of the past years, but suffers from the limitations of the original book it’s based upon.

One year after returning from their adventures, the Pevensie siblings are transported back into the magical realm of Narnia. 1300 years have passed here, and what’s left of the childrens’ former kingdom lies in ruins and in ancient tales. But worse, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines, a savage race of humans who’s war on the native Narnians has left the land’s magical creatures all but extinct. Their best hope lies in the Telmarine Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), who forms an alliance with the fabled creatures after his power-hungry uncle Lord Miraz tries to assassinate Caspian in an attempt to usurp the throne.

When Shrek director Andrew Adamson adapted C.S. Lewis’ The Chornicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the big screen in 2005, he was riding the wave of popularity created by the ultra-successful fantasy-books-turned-film-franchises The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Adamson’s talking animals proved to be a hit almost on par with Hobbits and bespectacled wizards, not least thanks to the popularity of C.S. Lewis’ childrens book series in anglo-american territories.

Thirty months later, with nearly every major Hollywood studio having tried to grab a piece of the cake by developing random half-successful fantasy novels into film properties, the playing field has changed. Substandard genre brothers such as Eragon or The Dark is Rising: The Seeker have put audiences on alert: promotional images of sword-wielding heroes riding over great magical landscapes no longer hold the promise of unabashed escapist entertainment. Stronger seeds are needed to rise above the crop.

Prince Caspian thankfully sets itself apart, mainly due to its high production values and Adamson’s rock solid directing. The studio trusting in a decent filmmaker like him pays dividends. Not only does Adamson, retaining his post from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, manage to maintain a degree of intra-film integrity and consistency, but his purposeful approach also ensures that the sequel never loses its focus or sense of direction. This coupled with beautifully intricate costume and creature designs, concentrated camera-work, flawless editing, superbly-crafted special effects and an unobtrusively melodious soundtrack gives Prince Caspian a very strong spine.

However, just because the plot isn’t as hopelessly messy as, say, that of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, it doesn’t mean it’s that much more engaging. Adamson’s otherwise commendable focus is drawn a little too tight in that the plot of Prince Caspian is surprisingly thin; there’s just not much going on. Sure, there’s an unassailable enemy with a huge army that has to be defeated – the stakes are high – but the movie doesn’t really contain much beyond exactly that basic conflict. It’s all just one huge battle, ranging over various locations, but drawn out over the entire film. Which runs for nearly 150 minutes, no less!

But the problem isn’t limited to the lack of story variation and sideplots, the general characterization of the plentyful figures is just as poor. Expected stereotypes in supporting parts play off unexpectedly shallow lead characters with no depth. A lot of this is directly related to C.S. Lewis’ original Narnia novels, in which the sketchy characters are used as vessels for the author’s distinct Christian allegory. What’s noticeable in the film is how Adamson and his screenwriters actually try to give the character relationships more dynamic by adding a rivalry between Peter (the eldest of the Pevensies) and Caspian, and an implied romance between Caspian and Susan (the elder Pevensie sister).

The deus ex machina issue, which just about ruined the first film’s narrative, at least isn’t as prevalent in Prince Caspian. Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), the omnipotent lion and not so subtle personification of God, obviously appears at the end to secure victory for the Narnians. The problem in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was that the appearance of the all-powerful Aslan tipped the balance of the struggle not just unfairly in the heroes’ favour, but absolutely. The deificated character simply transcends any rules the film may have established, nullifying any significant events which led to that point. Prince Caspian limits Aslan’s contribution to a bear minimum – he only appears at the very end, and only after the Pevensies have proven themselves worthy (by putting blind faith in Aslan – a moral I personally find very troublesome for a children’s story). So in a way, Aslan is far more functionalized in the sequel, which makes bearing him slightly easier.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian works better and is more enjoyable than many of the fantasy blockbusters we’ve had to endure following the success of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. But even a reliable filmmaker like Andrew Adamson can’t hide the crass shortcomings of C.S. Lewis’ original writing.

Posted by Tai in Chronicles of Narnia, Movies, Reviews • Add to del.icio.us Add to Digg