Return to a More Savage Narnia

When the story begins, one whole year has passed for the four Pevensie siblings and they've grown up quite a bit, which is reflected in their attitudes. Peter, the eldest, has become arrogant and confrontational. Susan has grown more pretentious and insecure, and she's also become aware of the fact that boys are now attracted to her. Edmund is now loyal and courageous (his last adventure in Narnia having redeemed and humbled him somewhat). And Lucy, the youngest, is still innocent and full of wonderment but now she's concerned with how people perceive her, which results in her distancing herself from her faith and creates an inability to act independently of her siblings.

When the Pevensies are mysteriously transported back to Narnia, they are immediately reminded how Narnian time differs from Earth time. Though for them only a year has passed since their last visit to Narnia, over a thousand years have passed in Narnia. During that time, Narnia was invaded by the Telmarines, who now rule the land.

Prince Caspian, a young handsome Telmarine prince, discovers that his treacherous uncle Miraz intends to have him murdered. Miraz' wife, Queen Prunaprismia has given birth to a son and if Caspian was out of the way then Miraz could ascend to throne as the true king.

Caspian summons the High Kings and Queens of Old Narnia (a.k.a. the Pevensie children) to help him reclaim his birthright as the next king. But it soon becomes apparent that Peter and Caspian both think of themselves as the natural leader and their egos lead to conflict. Despite this rivalry, they manage to organize a rebellion against Miraz. Gathering together a great host of talking animals, mythological beasts, and anyone still loyal to Narnia, they plan a counterattack against Miraz. Among their new allies are the dwarfs Trumpkin and Nikabrik, the noble swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep, and the faithful badger Trufflehunter. The desperate Narnians are driven to use questionable tactics, suggested by Peter, in order to combat the ruthless Miraz, who himself must deal with his own mutinous subjects by a show of great cruelty.

Rather than placing their faith in the Great Lion, Aslan, the majority of Narnians look to the Pevensies to save them from extinction at the hands of the Telmarine soldiers. With Peter as their leader, the Narnians attack Miraz' castle, but things don't unfold as planned and they are forced to retreat, leaving many of their number behind to die. The defeated Narnians return to their refuge, morally dejected and in mourning for their fallen comrades.

When Miraz and the Telmarines march on their hideout, the Narnians resort to one last ditch effort to defeat them. Motivated by his pride Miraz accepts their terms and agrees to duel Peter to the death, to the winner of the duel goes the throne of Narnia.

The film's cast includes William Moseley as Peter Pevensie, Anna Poppleton as Susan Pevensie, Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie, Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin, Warwick Davis as Nikabrik, Sergio Castellanto as Miraz, with Eddie Izzard as the voice of Reepicheep, and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan.

Most of the cast is quite good, though Ben Barnes seems a poor choice for Caspian as the accent he adopts is very distracting. Also for some reason the filmmakers have decided to cast Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Mexican) actors to play the Telmarines, which gives the film an unintended racial overtone. It also makes Miraz and the Telmarines appear rather Mussolini-esque.

The film also makes numerous departures from C.S. Lewis' book, including changing the age of the Pevensies and Caspian so that they're older, adding the failed attack on Miraz' castle (which takes up a considerable amount of screen time), creating the conflict between Peter and Caspian (in the book they immediately form a friendship), and having the Narnians use what could only be described as dishonorable battle tactics. I think C.S. Lewis would be appalled to see the Pevensies and the Narnians utilizing sneak attacks, back-stabbings, threatening unarmed opponents, and killing their enemies with a gleeful bloodlust. In many ways, the "good guys" are almost as cruel and destructive as the "bad guys".

Although I wish that the film had maintained the childlike simplicity and the charm of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I can still give it a cautious recommendation. Still, I hope that future installments in this series will be lighter in tone and return some of the lost magic to the world of Narnia.