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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"A fantastic sequel that introduces one and all to the Narnia "saga" so splendidly, it's hard to wait for the next movie!" --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- The Second Movie...though not the saga? While Prince Caspian was the next story in novel form, it was in fact the fourth story chronologically. One story is a prequel which tells of how Aslan helped create Narnia, as well as why that lamp post is in the middle of the forest, and why the wardrobe led to it. Another story is a sort of middle ground between the first and second movie. The stories were not offered chronologically in film, however, because they wanted to offer this story at a time when the child actors were still young enough to play their roles. Keep in mind; over 1000 years has passed in Narnia. The third Chronological story is during this era. It's also a story without the four heroic characters of Edmond, Lucy, Peter, and Susan, so I'm unsure if it will translate well into movie form.
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
A Review by TechtiteAs always, a review of The Show and the DVD extras. The Film Review: As an agnostic viewer of the Narnia series, I have probably seen the same singular book over and over that everyone else has: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. That premiere book in the series by C.S. Lewis, has now been made into at least three totally different theatrical length projects, yet none of them ever led to another book in the series...until now. When looking at Prince Caspian, that's quite surprising. Not only is this a great story; it's actually better than the original. At the very least, it's far superior to the original Disney movie.The story picks up soon after the prior film. For those unaware: Narnia is in a timeline far different from our own, so while the kids seemingly spent a whole early adulthood in Narnia, they soon found themselves thrust back into the real world, as children again. One year later they are heading for school when a portal to Narnia opens once again. They gleefully enter this portal, only to learn that the difference between time in the real world, and time in Narnia, is larger than they thought. Over a millennium has passed since they visited Narnia...and a totally changed Narnia needs their help once again! They soon meet the titular character, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), who is the rightful heir to the Narnia throne. He has been unceremoniously dethroned by a nefarious uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), who wishes Narnia to be the same world it's been for the past few centuries: a world with far less magic, which has not only exiled its most magical inhabitants; its human leaders now insist that such magic is a myth. Caspian soon learns the truth, and wishes to bring Narnia back to the lively, magical world it once was. It's predictable that this battle to reclaim Narnia would lead to cool action scenes and FX galore. Though more surprisingly; the story leads to a lot of heart as well. Just about every main character's story leads to a perfect subplot which enhances the film. Caspian, for example, must come to terms with his wish for revenge, as opposed to his wish to bring justice to the land of Narnia. This leads to one of the darker and more foreboding moments of the film, when an arch villain makes a suspenseful near-appearance. Meanwhile, little Lucy (Georgie Henley) insists that she can see Aslan in the woods, and nobody believes her. Could he really be powerful enough to have lived over 1,000 years? Lucy's older, teenage sister Susan (Anna Popplewell), has the understandable crush on the princely Caspian, while her teenage brother Peter (William Moseley) must come to terms with the fact he has left Narnia too long to still be "King," with Capsian the rightful heir. The only sibling to not have much of a role in this movie is Edmond (Skandar Keynes), yet he was the focal point of the prior movie, and...well, spoilers notwithstanding: he's the focal point of the next story in the series. Until next time, then! Of course, Narnia is a magical realm, so you might wonder how awesome the visuals are, especially after the bar has been raised so highly, by Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter films, and the like. Suffice to say that I've seen many FX frenzies, and this film actually surprised me in many scenes. It might sound like old school when I say that nature itself comes alive in one scene, though I've never seen it done so well before. Flower petals come together to form a forest sprite. Catapults send huge boulders to destroy enchanted trees, only to have them grab the boulders and throw them right back. There are many such visuals in this movie that are just spectacular. Fans of the Lord of the Rings movies should be thrilled. As for Harry Potter; no offense, though this is the sort of whimsical and uplifting FX moments that the films should have more of. I'm just saying. Yet what I really loved about this movie is how well edited and directed it was. Director Andrew Adamson (who directed the prior movie) never misses a beat, with not a single moment wasted on either techno-babble or "stage setting." In fact; such flaws of the prior movie are used in this film's favor. The prior movie's first moments, for example, were uneventful until the trip through the magical wardrobe. In addition; the way the kids unceremoniously return to the real world in the first film's finale ---and they're kids again--- made for an awfully abrupt ending to the story. How did they cope with the sudden change from royalty in a magical realm, to being average kids again? This film's first moments address this. Even better; the film has very little stage setting, presuming that such stage setting was already done in the first movie. Prince Caspian starts with an intense action sequence and never lets up. It's pace is just perfect. If there's a singular flaw with the film, it's how the next story in the novels might not translate well as a film. Mind you; this is irrelevant to this particular movies worth per se, though in the original novel of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (which is set for release in 2010), neither Peter nor Susan are present for the adventure. This might not please people who, for example, want to see a further romance between Caspian and Susan. Such worries will have to wait for the next film, however. This is a fantastic film which only makes one want a new Narnia movie even sooner. That's what great sequels are about. The DVD Review: This is another Disney DVD a la National Treasure 2 where the single-disc version (aka: the one available for rent) has only an audio commentary, while the two-disc "special edition" has all the extras on disc two. So let's just say the single disc has an audio commentary by Director Andrew Adamson with additional actors from the movie, and jump to the special edition. Featurettes are the biggest draw here, and their titles are pretty self explanatory. "Becoming Trumpkin" explains the creation of that character. "Warwick Davis: The Man Behind Nikabrik" showcases that actor's portrayal of the role. There is also a blooper reel and a deleted scenes collection. Additional features include a look inside the game based on the movie, a look at all the menagerie of talking animals and walking tree characters in the movie, a closer look at the "duel scene" in the movie, a look at the sets of the movie, a look at how the movie compares to the actual book, and a particularly amusing feature about the reaction this "big movie" has in a very small town. Is this worth the price of the special edition? In a word: yes. This is an excellent adaptation of a literary classic. It is also an excellent movie for all age groups...and how often is that heard these days?
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