THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (2008)

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"All I need...is one drop of blood from a Son of Adam..."

When I first saw 'The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe', my first thought was, "Okay... this is definitely for 5-year-olds." I was a big fan of C.S. Lewis' writings growing up, I believe I read all of the Narnia books, my favorite being The Magician's Nephew. However, the second movie in the franchise takes a darker, more violent turn in 'Prince Caspian.'

While it has been only a year for the Pevensies, it has been nearly 1,300 years in Narnia. And upon their return to Cair Paravel, their kingdom at the end of the first movie, they see it is in ruins and Narnia is not the same place they once knew.

So far as we all know, the "talking creatures" and 'cute cuddly' things from the first movie that were for 5-year-olds are sparse or no longer seen in the first half of the movie. Instead the world is a violent place, with a kingdom at war and the rightful heir to the throne shunned out by his own father. So it is that over 1,000 years have passed since Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy first stepped through The Wardrobe to enter the realm they came to know as Narnia, and since then, much else has changed, too. The "Kings & Queens of Old" are all but a myth in Narnia, said to have once ruled the land under Aslan, The Great Lion. As Aslan has not shown his face for over a millennia, he is also considered of mythos, though his name is still somewhat feared. When Prince Caspian blows the mythical Susan's Horn to summon the Kings & Queens of Old, the Pevensies are suddenly swept from their world, and smack into Narnia (on the beach by the ruins of their old throne, Cair Paravel).

And so the adventure begins. I must say, the kids Lucy & Edmund have sure grown somewhat, with Edmund maturing the most. I especially adored the scene in which magic is used to bring the encapsuled White Witch back, trapped in ice, ironically. She says that a drop of blood from a Son of Adam will free her. While the kids debate on using her help, Edmund sneaks behind and stabs the Witch through the heart with his dagger, evaporating her and breaking the spell. Awesome! Great homage to the first movie and a great way to have her cameo in a dark manner.

The movie in itself is even dark, as lighting and the tone of the picture is not bright and glorified as #1 was. Once we see the creatures come out of hiding, even they too get to be drastically violent. There is what seems to be a 'cute-cuddly' little mouse the children might love until he is seen running around slitting people's throats. In contrast, most of the stabbing and killings take place off-screen, so as the kids won't REALLY see what is taking place, but it is not difficult for a child to figure out.

In a grown-up view, I liked this movie way better than the first, as I am not a kid any more, and plus, I love dark movies. The darker, the better. Bring it. 4 stars. Now I can't wait for 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.' Don't expect Peter & Susan to ever return, and hopefully the studio will keep the same director from 'Caspian.' 2010 cannot come quick enough.