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• Director: Andrew Adamson
• Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Family
• Year: 2008

The Chronicles of Narnia is growing up and this is one sequel that decided to take up where it last left off and build on it rather than take the decline. Darker, moodier and generally more intense, Prince Caspian builds on the fantasy world that the first one establishes and amps up the action; and while the start gets off a bit slowly, the second half of the movie develops with a lot more intrigue than its predecessor.

One year later for the Pevensie siblings is not necessarily so for Narnians, where about 1300 years have passed and none of those seem to have smiled kindly upon the the once happy kingdom. The rightful heir to the throne is now on the run, now that his uncle has been made a father to a son whom he hopes will carry the crown. Doing his best to get rid of Prince Caspian, Miraz arranges his assassination, one which the young prince barely escapes, leaving him with no choice but to use the horn that once used to belong to Susan. And it is that very call which brings the Pevensie siblings back to a Narnia which is “far more savage than they remember.”

The child actors of this movie have grown up and as one saw with the Potter series, these kids have also gotten a better handle on their characters. The improvement is all around the table. Lucy is now more pivotal, Susan is no longer the waste os space in the corner, Edmund is making up for his mistakes of the first movie with style and Peter is no longer the flawless leader the first movie made him out to be, putting him in a collision course with Prince Caspian for power and the ultimate shot at leadership of the Narnian insurgency.

Better acting, better plot and continuing on the path that the first movie started us on, Prince Caspian is definitely a worthy sequel. It is not without its flaws, but as a family film, this movie is one of the best ones that you will be able to take your family to and have both adults and children enjoy it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Notes: More violent than the last one, but they are careful to keep all bloody shots off screen and make the more gruesome moments of battle implied.
Quote: Prince Caspians: You’re Narnians. You’re supposed to be extinct.
Nikabrik: Sorry to disappoint you.