Considerably darker in tone but no less engaging than its predecessor, this worthy sequel to the 2005 box-office blockbuster based on the second book in the fantasy series by C.S. Lewis begins a year after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, with the four Pevensie siblings (Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell) summoned back from their humdrum lives to the mythical land of Narnia, where the quartet hold positions of royalty. Some 1,300 years have passed since their last visit, and evil is afoot: tyrannical King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) is plotting to do away with his nephew Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), who is the rightful heir to the throne. Thanks to Narnia's four youthful kings and queens—aided by the frequently abrasive Red Dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage), and a garrulous but valiant mouse named Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard)—virtue triumphs, but at a significant cost, and only due to the timely intervention of the magical lion Aslan (again voiced by Liam Neeson). Given Prince Caspian's more somber aspects and relatively violent battle scenes, comparisons to two other famous sequels—The Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers—are inevitable. However, like those crowd-pleasers, this follow-up adds depth to the narrative and characters, while expanding upon the loss-of-innocence theme established in the initial entry. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Andrew Adamson, and costars Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell), the production featurettes “Inside Narnia: The Adventure Returns” (35 min.), “Sets of Narnia: A Classic Comes to Life” (24 min.), and “Big Movie Comes to a Small Town” (23 min.), 11 minutes of deleted scenes, “Warwick Davis: The Man Behind Nikabrik” (11 min.), “Previsualizing Narnia” (10 min.), “Secrets of the Duel” (7 min.), “Talking Animals and Walking Trees: The Magical World” (5 min.), “Becoming Trumpkin” on the character design (5 min.), bloopers (3 min.), and trailers. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the “Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle Raid”—a massive behind-the-scenes look at the titular sequence featuring several featurettes and interactive maps—and the BD Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a sure-to-be-popular second Narnia film.] (E. Hulse)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Walt Disney, 149 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Dec. 2 Volume 23, Issue 6
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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