SCI FI PI

Released June 5
Director Adam Adamson
Starring Ben Barnes, Georgia Hensley, William Mosely, Tilda Swinton, Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis
Rated M



Prince Caspiaaaaaaaaaaaaan!


This is a movie about faith - especially for moviegoers! Faith in a franchise that has taken three years to return to the big screen, faith in a somewhat 'old fashioned' story and faith in, er, 'faith' - the central and extremely Christian heart of this film.

Most of us won't be too bothered by it, but some who equate religiosity with insanity may have more than a few quibbles. For the rest of us, this is a a children's fantasy alive with the clang and clamour of battle.



Well dressed and well-armoured villains always help lift a film.


First up, heads up for those unfamiliar with the C.S. Lewis' classic Narnia anthology. The story so far. In The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, we met the Pevensie children, who stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia through the back of a country manor's cupboard as they escape from the London Blitz.

There they met Aslan, the lion, and the White Witch, essentially in parable God and the Devil - their forces battle, on the one side men and good creatures, on the other, minotaurs, nasty things. After a battle, the Pevensies set up camp and live long as illustrious rulers of Narnia. Returning through the cupboard, they find that no time at all has passed.



Liam Neeson once again voices Aslan.


A year later, they return, only to find that 1300 years have gone by. Things are different. The land of Narnia is ruled by Men, the Telmarines, who have defeated the 'woodland creatures' of Narnia. Talking animals are gone, and the mysterious world of magic has diminished. It is now time for traditional enemies to join together, to hold faith in magic in the face of 'sensible' reality. Narnia has its ancient kings and queens to lead them, but if they are to win the final confrontation, Aslan must return.


Who was that someone who tried to tickle me with an axe?


For those of you who've seen and enjoyed the first film, you won't be disappointed. The cringe-worthy moments are kept to a minimum (most held by a single character, a bear that seems to have been infested by the ghost of Jar Jar Binks) and the film balances a great deal of saccharine with some surprisingly downbeat and savage moments. The battle sequences (there are several) are not for the faint of heart (the film does rate an M in Australia).

Peter Dinklage (Trumpkin) and Eddie Izzard (Reepicheep) are stand-out performers and Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian will have young female hearts a-flutter. The four main Pevensies seem a lot more comfortable in their skins this time around, which in turn helps the tone of the film.



Centaurs with swords. Scary.


The film has a great deal of action, including three major battle sequences. These (surprisingly) contain a few surprises in both content and result, which is refreshing, to say the least. The film's major bugbear will be its adherence to the strong Christian overtones of the books. Those with the greatest faith are rewarded, those looking for a shortcut to salvation receive only death, those who ignore spirituality are doomed, that sort of thing.



These kids are made of The Right Stuff.


Which is fine, the world has enough thought police to start with without having to say 'no Christian movies!' but the film isn't terribly subtle in this regard and may be a bit offputting for those who like their entertainment sans sermons.

The film also borrows very heavily from the work of Peter Jackson in the Lord of The Rings Trilogy (some shots seems to have almost been transplanted directly into this one) which is somewhat disconcerting. Sure, they're great, but fantasy fans will spot them immediately and make a mental notch against the 'originality' column.



Slicing and dicing the Narnia way.


With The Voyage of the Dawn Treader scheduled for a 2009 release (with Michael Apted at the helm) one hopes that the franchise can build on its successes and avoid repeating mistakes to create yet another delightful ongoing film fantasy world. If you like your fantasy a little more "English", with plenty of sword fights and darker hues, Prince Caspian should make for an engrossing experience.



The original 'mouseketeer' Reepicheep is voiced by Eddie Izzard to great effect.