Film Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - In Theatres
Director: Andrew Adamson
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Principle Actors: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell
Length of Feature: 147 min
Release Date: May 16, 2008
Rating: PG for epic battle action and violence. 

Reviewed by: Katie Clancy (Calgary Correspondent - Canada) 

It is difficult to do childhood memories justice. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian succeeds in outdoing mine by creating its own epic tale that may even surpass the book it was based on. It is an epic movie, and it is able to stand on its own as an excellent blockbuster. Rich special effects, a fabulous cast, costumes and lush backgrounds bring the film to life. Prince Caspian delivers where it needs to with lush visuals, exotic scenery and costumes to bring Narnia alive. It builds on its predecessor The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with a darker, more adult film, and it is definitely the better of the two.

Prince Caspian starts a year after the events in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Having returned home from their lives as the kings and queens of Narnia, the Pevensies - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Hensley) are dealing with the often troublesome life in war-time Great Britain. They are called back to Narnia, but not all is as it was - they arrive to the ruins of their castle Cair Paravel a thousand years after their initial departure. It is a very different Narnia that they have returned to - their friends are gone and Aslan has not been seen in years. The country has been taken over by humans - Telmarines, and the people of Narnia are missing, and thought to be extinct and that of ‘mythology.' 

Meanwhile Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), a Telmarine prince, daringly escapes from his uncle's treacherous plot to murder him when his aunt births a son and Caspian is no longer needed for the throne. After eluding his uncle's troops, Caspian encounters Narnians in hiding, people that he had thought were just fairytales. Out of desperation, he sounds Queen Susan's horn to summon the Kings and Queens of old. The Narnians pledge their allegiance to Prince Caspian when he promises to grant them back their kingdom. Little does he know that the help he has summoned takes the form of a band of four young adults. Together, Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy and Caspian take on the Telmarine army in an effort to reclaim Narnia. And so the adventure begins - journeys and battles that have you on the edge of your seat.

While it does bring to mind the Lord of the Rings trilogy with huge battles and lush scenes with the journeying, Prince Caspian manages to provide something different. The fight scenes are often tragic, and revealing of the flaws of human nature. They are also mostly bloodless, which can be disconcerting but is to be expected from a Disney movie. The multiple epic battles take up a good chunk of the two and a half hour running time and occasionally it does feel like character development is sacrificed for action. The director, Andrew Adamson was able to add depth to the story without dialogue using rich visual cues, and I feel that the story, while rushed did not really suffer.  

The original cast has grown up, both in age and in acting chops. Skandar Keynes does a phenomenal job as Edmund - he adds a surprising depth to his performance. While he does not have much dialogue in the movie, he makes every line count. Even when he is silent he fills the screen. Georgie Hensley is adorable as always as the ever-faithful Lucy. Hensley does an excellent job performing at the heart of the story, and I look forward to seeing her growth in the next film. William Mosley is good as the conflicted High King Peter and has a few outstanding moments on screen.

Ultimately, Disney has done an excellent job combining the key elements of the film. The lush visuals are some of the best of their kind, creating believable fairy-tale creatures. Fabulous costumes add even further to the beautiful scenery. They have pulled Narnia out of the imagination, and they have done a standout job. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian delivers and delivers big!