Reviews by Matt

A few years ago, on a whim, I went to see “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I had no real intention of seeing it in the theaters, but a friend wanted to see it, so that is what I did. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

The sequel, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was released earlier this month and it was just as good, if not better, than the first.

It has been one year since the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), visited the magical land of Narnia. On their way home from school one day, they are called back to once again help bring peace to Narnia.

It is not the land they left, Narnia is 1300 years older and is in chaos. The Telmarines have taken over and have pushed all non-human residents of Narnia into the forest. King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) wants his newborn son to have the power so he sets out to kill his nephew Prince Caspian (Ben Barns). While on the run from his villainous uncle, Caspian blows a horn given to him by his teacher and is summons the Pevensie children back to Narnia.

I never read the second book, so I cannot tell you how close this stuck to the source material, but it was a great, interesting, intriguing story either way.

As much as I am trying to get back in to the groove of writing reviews, it is hard to do when the part of the movie I want to talk about is basically a rehash of what I just wrote in the last review. The visuals were stunning in this movie and they had the story to back it up.

The visual elements are some of the best I have seen, and I do not just mean all the things done with computers. The makeup used for the characters is another stunning element. The world of Narnia is inhabited with all sorts of creatures and the people from WETA Workshop, made famous when they did all the costumes and makeup for the Lord of the Rings movies, did an amazing job. Each creature, no matter how minor, has a different look from others of its kind.

Despite the PG rating, this is not a PG movie. There are three huge fight scenes and, were the rating any higher, they would have been bloody battles. Some of the images could easily scare children. The movie is much darker than the original.

The movie is just as good in every aspect as the first. It may be darker, but that should not discourage you from bringing children to see it. It is a movie that all ages will enjoy. Kids will love the creatures, adults will like the story as well as the visual elements.

8 out of 10
Rated PG for epic battle action and violence
144 min