Directed by Andrew Adamson
Starring William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes
If you are just jonesing for the next installment of The Chronicles of Narnia and you missed it in the theater, wait no longer. It is now available on a Blu Ray 2 Disc Edition.
The Movie
In the first film The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Pevensie children, Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Peter (William Moseley) and Susan (Anna Popplewell) had to leave their London home after World War II and go to live with a professor in his country home. Upon arriving, they find a wardrobe that when you shift aside the coats and jackets, you can enter into another world: a world covered in Snow and called Narnia. Narnia has been in constant winter since the White Witch has been in power. Here, the meet Aslan, a talking lion and many more interesting characters and creatures. After many trials and tribulations, the Pevensie children fight the forces of evil and eventually become kings and queens in this new land.
Now, onto the second installment. Just as not only the Pevensie children, but other children are leaving Narnia, Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) beckons everyone back to Narnia. It has been over a thousand years and legend has told that trumpting a horn will bring back the old kings and queens of Narnia’s past, these being the Pevensie children.
The residents of Narnia have been driven underground and the Children of Adam have long thought them to be extinct. Enter Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Caspian is the son of a king but his Uncle Miraz has taken the throne by force and he sets forth to get rid of Prince Caspian. He uses the horn given to him by Dr. Cornelius (Vincent Grass) and the Pevensie gang are there to help.
Soon, they are all working together to make an army to fight so that he may reclaim his throne. The children get to see their old friend Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy) and Miraz is a mighty an enemy as the White Witch ever was. What will happen next in this magical land?
If you are a fan of the first film, I think you will enjoy this second installment. I read these books when I was much younger and the religious undercurrent, particularly in the character Aslan, went right past me. It is more apparent in the first film, but nothing that would really detract someone from enjoying these films. The religious undercurrent is more thematic, not direct and is very mild. And, some of this may only be because it is known that C.S.Lewis, writer of these novels, was religious. But, so was J. R. R. Tolkien and people have said there are vaguely religious themes throughout the Rings trilogy.
The cinematography is eyecatching and the CGI elements of the film are blended in flawlessly with the practical effects.
This film is a decent slice of fantasy storytelling that is suitable for all ages. There are some fights and battles, but remember, it is still only rated PG. So, if you liked the first one, check this one out. If you don’t like the first one, this one probably won’t change your mind anytime soon.
7/10
The Video
This film looks spectacular in all of its 1080p glory and anamorphic widescreen splendor. The film is perfectly transferred and is a nice piece of eye candy. I did not notice one instance of grain, edge enhancement or artifacting.
10/10
The Audio
Presented in 7.1 English DTS-HD, every syllable of the words spoken and the swords wooshing through the air is crystal clear. There are optional audio tracks in French, Spanish, Portugese, Arabic and Chinese, as well as subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portugese and Chinese. All around great job in this department
9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is presented in a standard 2 disc amaray case with artwork that suits the film.
Some nice bonus features await your discovery on this release. First up, a commentary with the director Andrew Adamson and his five young stars of his film. It is spirited and an enjoyable listen.
Inside Narnia: The Adventure Returns is a 35 minute featurette that covers everything from production to the “down time” between shots. Sets of Narnia: A Classic Comes to Life covers C.S. Lewis. Big Movie Comes to a Small Town covers the shoot in the small town of Bovec, Slovenia that is an interesting look at how a film shoot affects the residents of a town.
The Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle is a 360 degree shot of every angle of the castle that was constructed for the film. There is over an hour’s worth of material in this section, everything from commentaries to featurettes on the process of making this film. A lot to enjoy here.
A blooper reel is offered, as well as a short featurette on the character Trumpkin and the actor that portrayed him, Peter Dinklage and the makeup process. Secrets of the Duel is a look at the choreography. There is a short featurette on the animation process, particularly the animals and trees. Warwick Davis and his character Nikabrik is covered in another featurette. There are 10 deleted scenes.
All things considered an enjoyable plethora of bonus material to explore.
10/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 7.5/10
The Review
The Movie 7/10
The Video 10/10
The Audio 9/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 10/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7.5/10