Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ One of Most Extensive Releases of Season

BrianTT — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:59:44 -0700

CHICAGO – “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” may have fallen flat at the box office this summer but it is sure to be a gigantic hit on Blu-Ray this holiday season. Not only are the words “family Disney movie” practically a license to print money around this time of year, but this studio has been one of the frontrunners in the race for the best at making Blu-Ray.

With “Prince Caspian”, they may not have made one of the greatest films or even Blu-Ray releases of the season but the mantra of “bigger is better” that clearly followed the production of the film has made it intact to the extensive BD release.

Personally, I found the critical and commercial shrug that greeted “Prince Caspian” somewhat surprising. Releasing what should have been a holiday film in between Iron Man and Indiana Jones IV was clearly a misstep, but I think history will be kinder to “Prince Caspian” than audiences were in May of 2008. It’s funny that people honestly called “Prince Caspian” a box office disappointment when it made $420 million worldwide, but when you’re the sequel to a film that made $745 million worldwide then that’s bound to happen.

Box office and poorly chosen release dates aside, the visually sumptuous but somewhat hollow feeling that I felt watching “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” has been replaced by a more action-driven tale with better performances and some of the most seamlessly integrated special effects of the year. The technical accomplishments of “Prince Caspian”, including 1500 visual effects shots, are made clearer by the collection of special features in the two-disc set from Walt Disney Home Video.

“Prince Caspian” takes its title from its lead character (Ben Barnes), who escapes the citadel of the Telmarines in the opening scene. The Telmarines are mortals who have taken over the land of Narnia, where it has been 1,300 years since the action of the first film. Of course, time doesn’t move the same in our world as it does in Narnia and the four heroes from the first film - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) - must return to save the day and restore the Prince to power.

Aslan the lion (still voiced by Liam Neeson and still a little too blatant of a Christ figure) and even the witch (Tilda Swinton) from the first film make an appearance but the weight of the story has shifted to the children, who feel much more confident as actors. In particular, the two older Pevensies, played by William Moseley and Anna Popplewell, finally feel have the depth as actors to ground the work in reality. CGI fantasy films often make the actors feel like nothing more than WETA creations themselves but “Prince Caspian” keeps its focus for most of its admittedly over-long running time and should be a satisfying rental or purchase for Blu-Ray buyers.

Those buyers will find that “Prince Caspian” has received the Disney treatment, which means one of the best video transfers on the market. The 1080p High Definition/2.40:1 transfer is wonderfully mixed with the colors of Narnia popping off the screen. The audio mix in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is the kind that stereo stores use to sell high-priced equipment. It will wake the neighbors.

As with most things Disney and most things Narnia, there is no moderation when it comes to special features on the Blu-Ray release of “Prince Caspian”. Honestly, it’s too much. Half of the features on the second disc of “Prince Caspian” could have been merged into one, behind-the-scenes documentary. Overall, they’re too repetitive.

Audiences will learn almost all they need to know from the commentary with director Andrew Adamson and most of the stars along with the 35-minute “Inside Narnia: The Adventure Returns”, the best featurette on the second disc and one that’s truly comprehensive enough that it makes the other ones feel like overkill. And the hyperbole about the production - someone actually says “Enriches the vocabulary of cinema” - gets a little overwhelming.

The first disc of “Prince Caspian” also includes an interactive feature that allows deep access into the making of the castle raid and Disney’s excellent BD-Live capabilities. There’s no better studio to truly take the lead with a feature that allows for game-playing and scene-sharing than Disney.

The second disc of “Prince Caspian” includes the aforementioned featurette along with 11 minutes of wisely deleted scenes, bloopers, “Sets of Narnia: A Classic Comes to Life” (23:35), “Big Movie Comes to a Small Town” (23:13), “Previsualizing Narnia” (10:03), “Talking Animals and Walking Trees: The Magical World of Narnia” (4:43), “Secrets of the Duel” (6:41), “Becoming Trumpkin” (4:46), and “Warwick Davis: The Man Behind Nikabrik” (11:11).

‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ is released by Walt Disney Home Video and stars Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Sergio Castellitto, Liam Neeson, and Tilda Swinton. It was written by Andrew Adamson & Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and directed by Adamson. It was released on December 2nd, 2008.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Packed With Picturesque Majesty, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ Fights Nobly For ‘PG’ Rating

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:51:53 -0600

CHICAGO – For the life of me, I couldn’t exorcise it from my head. Amid all the splendor of such a picturesque film, this one question was like a gnat I couldn’t swat: “Is this really rated ‘PG’?” Indeed, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is rated “PG”. But that didn’t come without great scrutiny and much editing.

For starters, Walt Disney Pictures contractually required the filmmakers for the epic film to achieve a “PG” rating. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) granted it following a wide array of amendments.

For example, director Andrew Adamson (who also directed “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005, “Shrek 2” in 2004 and “Shrek” in 2001 and wrote “Shrek the Third” in 2007) changed a scene with a fallen helmet to make certain it didn’t contain a decapitated head, according to the Los Angeles Times on May 4, 2008.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” in our reviews section.

View our full “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” image gallery.

After showing the film to young audiences and gauging their reactions, Adamson in fact made copious edits. Adamson said in a May 15, 2008 interview published on NarniaWeb.com:

“When you sit down and you’re watching it and you see the kids’ faces while making the film, you’re just making an attempt. You’re making it exciting. You’re doing all these things because you’re essentially making the film for yourself. When you start showing it to an audience, that then influences how you feel about the film.”

While the “PG” rating for the recently released “Speed Racer” felt more like an opportune financial decision, the rating for “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” instead felt an appropriate artistic decision. Props go to Disney and Adamson for pushing its importance.

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Despite “Troy”-like fight scenes, this was nothing like the ingenious bloodshed in “300” or the blood-spattering good time in “Gladiator”. In fact, aside from a dribble on a face or two here and there, there was no blood at all. As well, much of the brutality was implied.

Instead of swinging a sword and showing the final result, the film merely illuminated the intent without the follow through.

The decision didn’t detract from the purpose in the slightest, and along with making it more appropriate for younger audiences, it issued a renewed faith that Hollywood can spit out a money-generating product without having to spew gallons of blood and blow stuff up.

The MPAA says a “PG” film “should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The rating indicates … that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children and parents should make that decision. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity.”

Liam Neeson (the voice of the lion Aslan) along with Georgie Henley (right) in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Read Adam Fendelman’s full “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” review.