I loved the Narnia books as a child. My basement turned into Narnian headquarters and a roll out map of the land was the center point. As an adult I have taught the books and re-read them as an antidote to discouraging times.
And these are discouraging times.
Like a miracle, comes a gift to us from Disney and Walden Media. Prince Caspian, the weakest of the seven Narnia books, is a better film (as a film) than the first . . . and I really liked the first. This time the makers felt able to make changes as the plot was less well known (and less tightly structured).
My family contains young people the age of the children (now not so child-like!) in the films . . . so it was interesting to watch Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy grow up as we have watched our own grow over the last two years. My kids all laughed, one cried, and all clapped spontaneously at the end. One of them had counted down the days and was petrified of being disappointed and was overjoyed to discover that all fears had been for nothing.
This is a splendid family film and a reminder that movie making is not a second class artistic cousin to literature.
The acting is solid throughout. Peter in particular is much better in this film than the first. He is given a greater emotional range and handles it well. Caspian earned cries of delight from our nearly sixteen daughter . . . and the touch of romance in the film was welcome. We are all glad we will get to see Caspian more in the next film.
This is a Christian film of course . . . in the Burke, Queen Victoria, Anglican, “King and Country” sense. It is never dark, but it does make the case for just war, honor, and courage.
What is not to like about that?
Go support this kind of movie making. If not, we will not see its like again. If we do, then we will have the chance to see five more marvelous works of art.
* Opening Day was weak. Here is hoping that the box office recovers and we get the third and fourth films!