Prince Caspian: Onward Christian youth soldiers
“You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember,” a dwarf warns in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
That’s an understatement.
Continuing the series created by novelist C.S. Lewis, director Andrew Adamson skips the magical wardrobe, gives the witch only one scene and keeps the lion at bay most of the movie. Filling the void is numerous and violent sword fights, fatal arrows and old-fashioned beatdowns that would make Aragorn and his Hobbit friends reconsider their quest.
Even the cute talking animals in this one are out for blood.
Yet the movie earned a PG rating, despite the fact that much of the killing is done by two of the time-warped Pevensie children: Peter (William Moseley) wades into enemies with blade-slinging bravado while Susan (Anna Popplewell) is a grim-faced archer with deadly aim and a quiver never needing to be reloaded.
It isn’t only fantasy creatures getting snuffed, which would create a degree of separation from reality. Many victims are humans. Remorse is never a topic of conversation. Even without graphic bloodshed, an uneasy feeling occurs when a teenager proudly completes a suggested decapitation.
All this mayhem is on behalf of Telmarine’s Prince Caspian (adolescent eye candy Ben Barnes), who survives an assassination attempt ordered by his uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), who plans to usurp his throne. Caspian escapes to the forest where survivors of Telmarine’s siege of Narnia dwell. Chief among them are that warning dwarf Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) and swashbuckling mouse Reepacheep (voice of Eddie Izzard).
The Pevensies are pulled into this squabble 1,300 years after they saved Narnia and the messianic lion Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson) in part 1. Hailed as returning royalty they amass a fellowship of dwarves, centaurs, minotaurs and anything else that can massacre the Telmarine army. Younger siblings Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) remain innocent but probably will be ready to make their bones in part 3.
Adamson stages impressively epic battles – perhaps too many and too long – because the intrigue between clashes is blandly repetitive. Prince Caspian doesn’t find its dramatic stride until late when Aslan returns with Lewis’ quasi-religious theme, made obvious when the lion raises a waterspout in the shape of Jesus to drown Telmarine heathens.
A higher body count has never been seen in a PG-rated movie, compiled by children and animals convinced that right equals might and vice versa. Maybe Lewis’ ham-handed religious allegory convinced the MPAA there’s no harm; onward Christian soldiers.
[AP/Disney photo]
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
Well, if people actually read the books the movies were based on they'd know how dark this one is. Then again, I guess I'd be expecting people to, you know, read.
Hopefully Blood Meridian will be given a PG rating.
Posted by: Patrick | May 16, 2008 at 02:53 PM