Highly Entertaining (2009-06-30)
As with the first movie, I really enjoyed the second one. I can't come up with a single reason why I enjoyed it, but the plot, in my opinion, was great. The action kept me hooked from beginning to end.

The only thing I would really complain about is the use of cliches (overused plot ideas). The evil uncle kills his brother and tries to kill his nephew. Does that sound familiar? It does to me -- The Lion King and the movie version of Ella Enchanted use the exact same theme. If you want something original, you might want to check out something else.

But that's really the only issue here -- I highly recommend this movie to all fantasy fans out there.

DVD good enough, movie lacking (2009-06-24)
If you are reading reviews to learn about the DVD itself, then know that this is a nicely put together piece. Though the digital copy is kind of pointless in my view, the special features on this DVD set are very good; As with the Lion/Witch/Wardrobe special dvd, the features on this one fall somewhere in between those of the Lord of the Rings (the best), and Harry Potter series (pretty pathetic). If you are interested in behind the scenes stuff, this DVD is well worth the extra cost.

However, if you were wondering about the film itself, I'm afraid Caspian falls well short of expectations. Much of the imagination of the first film is lost as the director Andrew Adamson tries to make the film more 'mature'. Actually, he never truly committed to this, with his goofy approach to Reepicheep often ruining serious and otherwise believable moments in the film. In addition to his heavy use of goofy humor vis a vis the mouse, his notion that adding a forced 'romance' between two characters made the film more adult is, I think, ridiculous. To continue with the theme of invented plot lines not found in the book, Adamson gets it completely wrong with his foolish 'castle raid' sequence and the invented tension between Caspian and Peter. Instead of adding legitimate weight to the movie, it soils the characters from the books, and it just feels false and put on.

All in all, Caspian is an enjoyable film, but the direction Adamson takes it in ruins the potential for this film. I view Caspian as the best Narnia book, and the most suited to a real action film. That is the reason for my disappointment, not that it is a bad film. I am looking forward to a fresh vision for Dawn Treader.

Narnia with a dose of reality (2009-06-23)
First of all, a movie can never live up to the book or nostalgia, especially if you read the story as a child.

With that said, I'm highly aware of the differences between the book and the movie. It's difficult to translate dancing trees, mythical Bacchus, and children released from stuffy institutions as a reawaking and renewed freedom of Narnia that only words and the power of imagination can explain. Winning a battle tells much more on a screen.

The liberties taken to change the story for cinema worked well for visual presentation. Reality (at a PG level) was thrust into fantasy as the protagonist children struggle to save what they learned to love in Narnia while dealing with their own emotional conflicts rooted at home. I didn't care for the love interests between Susan and Caspian, but these film snippets will be a venue to explain Susan's character change of heart that happens rather abruptly in another book - and hopefully will come to film.

Prince Caspian is a delightful, exciting tale, but it's not a rock-em-sock-em rollercoaser ride. Enjoy it for what it is - the retelling (and best to date) of the continuing children's adventure in Narnia.

A big surprise for a sequel. (2009-06-20)
While many were expecting The Chronicles of Narnia to be flops as films, no one would have expected the first instalment to be on of the highest grossers at the box office. Now with the second installment of hopefully 7 films the world of Narnia takes on a very different shape.

The same actors who played the Pevense children are back to reprise their roles, but Narnia itself is no longer a world filled with fantastic creatures and magic. 1300 years after the defeat of the White Witch Narnia has been taken over by a ruthless leader who wants Narnia to be a...normal place. A place that will appear just as bland and ordniary everywhere else. It it now up to the Pevense children to return an rescue Narnia from this new menace and discover the true king of Narnia, Prince Caspain.

I was very surprised by this film. Much like the first Narnia film it was not an incredible movie, but it was just as enjoyable and the atmosphere was a little more dramatic and mature. There is a lot of dramatic sword fights and meaningful moments between the characters and the new roles are played well by actors such as Eddie Izzard and Ben Barnes. Now we have to see what the next film will bring. There is new leadership for these future projects now that Disney as given the project to Fox. I am hoping that the rest of this story keeps the same elements that made the first two movies enjoyable.

Excellent Service (2009-06-19)
Classic 3-disk Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian:

I can only comment that the disk came 2-3 days after my order, so it was really delivered fast.

Due to the combination of many situations over the past month we have been unable to watch the film, outtakes, etc. I'm sure the quality will be excellent, and I look forward to a breathing spell to watch it all.