THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

Narnia ain't what it used to be, in more ways that one.

Do you ever come away from a movie trying to convince yourself that you liked it more than you actually did? Love for a movie should be effortless—like my instant love for the talking beavers and for James McAvoy's adorably sweet Mr. Tumnus from The Chronicle's of Narnia's first film installment, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I cooed after seeing the first movie. As for the second? Well... (shrug)

Depending on which reality you are residing in, Prince Caspian picks up one year after The Lion... or perhaps hundreds. The four Pevensie kids, Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Peter (William Moseley), and Susan (Anna Popplewell) are back in the real world in WWII-era London. But, only for a moment! They are on an Underground train platform missing Narnia when next thing they know... whooooosh! They are on a beautiful beach back in their beloved alternate universe.

At this point, if you forgot the epilogue and, well, much of the first movie, you'll have to do some quick mental recapping. On an overgrown hilltop they find the ruins of a majestic temple, and through a secret door find a room containing all of the treasures and costumes and weaponry from when they ruled as Kings and Queens of Narnia, hundreds of years before. But why are they back in Narnia now?

Turns out they were summoned by chance. Young hottie Prince Caspian (young hottie Ben Barnes) has fled his castle and kingdom where he is the rightful heir to become King of the Telmarines. His evil uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), just procured a brand-new boy-baby and is not above killing his nephew to rule the land. So, off flees Caspian, tooting the magical horn that inadvertently summons the Pevensie kids.

In the meantime, Narnia ain't what it used to be. Some of the animals have gone completely wild and can't speak, while most of the other creatures have gone underground, both literally and figuratively, since the evil Telmarines have ruled the land. In no time, the Penvensie kids have run into Prince Caspian, as well as teamed up with all the woodland animals and mythical creatures (including Peter Dinklage and Warwick Davis as a couple cranky and suspicious little people). All Narnians will unite with Caspian and defeat the evil empire, even if it kills them all!

Unlike the previous installment of Narnia, there is not much joy to be had in Prince Caspian. Lucy is the only one who seems to be in touch with Jesus, I mean Aslan (who appears only to her), and we have to endure at least one major battle that does not go well at all for our Narnians. Not only that, but there is a HUGE "Haven't I seen this before?" feeling, what with an evil leader, marching armies, scurrscurryingle people, elaborate battle sequences with armor and swords, and (most of all) really pissed trees that comes to life just in time to settle the final battle for the good guys. Can we all say, "Lord of the Rings! The Two Towers!"

And unfortunately, dear Prince Caspian himself may be pretty, but he is void of charisma. The British actor Barnes is forced to adopt a curious Southern-European accent (I suppose to match his Italian Telmarine co-stars), and brings no flair to the character. This movie could have launched him as the next pretty-boy matinee idol, like Orlando Bloom, but he succeeds mainly in being completely unmemorable. Which ends up being the problem for the movie as a whole. There is nothing really wrong with it, but you'll forget it as soon as the credits roll.

DVD NOTES

The three-disc DVD edition of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian includes a digital copy of the film (one disc), plus the expected bevy of extras. The most fun to be had among the usual assortment are a featurette called "Warwick Davis: The Man Behind Nikabrik" that follows the short-statured actor through a typical day, from getting ridiculously early for hours of makeup, doing a lot of sitting around on the set, and trying to eat without his fake beard getting messed up. Also interesting is the piece called "Big Movie Comes to a Small Town", profiling the gorgeous mountain town of Bovec, Slovenia, the location of the impressive scene where a water spirit rises from a river and tosses the bad-guy soldiers into the water while destroying a bridge. The bridge was actually built, and had to be supervised from start to finish to dismantling by preservationists who protect the river, one of Slovenia's most beloved outdoor gems.