Coming out three years after the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian picks up in Narnia, decades after the rule of the Pevensie family. The children had lived and ruled into adulthood, but returned to our world as children, with almost no time having passed. But in Narnia, mankind has overrun Narnia. The mythical creatures seem all but gone.
Lady Protectress Prunaprismia gives birth to a son, delighting her husband Lord Protector Miraz. He calls to have the rightful heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, killed. Caspian’s tutor Professor Cornelius helps him escape. Cornelius has tried to teach Caspian in the forgotten ways of Narnia and Aslan. He gives him an ancient battle horn.
In his escape, Caspian runs into the original citizens of Narnia, whom he had believed to be myth. In a fit of panic, he blows the horn, but the horn is not an ordinary artifact. It actually calls the Pevensie children back to Narnia. They discover the ruins of their old castle, and come across their old weapons. The children then discover Telmarine (the ruling class of Narnia) soldiers about to kill the dwarf Trumkin. After saving him, they start to make their way back to the other hiding creatures of Narnia. Throughout the story, Lucy is certain she sees Aslan, but nobody else seems to see him.
Eventually, they reach and meet Caspian. Caspian has cast in his lots with the citizens of Narnia against their Telmarine oppressors. With the help of the Pevensies, they go on a mission to overthrow the Telmarines.
This is an okay follow up, though it pretty much has all the same positives and negatives of the previous film. It is trying hard to be an epic, instead of trusting the story laid out before it. The film invents a temptation to bring back the White Witch for the Pevensie kids that is entirely pointless and unneeded.
Prince Caspian is not terrible…but it really is just an average film adaption. Not great. But decent enough.
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