REVIEW: Prince Caspian Rules

"Prince Caspian" is an extraordinary film, a "must see" for everyone, no matter what their age.I give it my highest recommendation.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - From the moment we walked into the theatre I could feel the excitement in the air.

The make up of the crowd spoke to both the extraordinary appeal of the writings of C.S. Lewis and, I would soon discover, the brilliance of this wonderful film. The Box Office results from the first weekend confirmed what I was about to experience.

Prince Caspian Rules.

The audience was an inter-generational sampling of every ethnic variety of family. There were grandfathers and grandmothers, mothers and fathers, children of every age, teenagers, and grandchildren. As the lights dimmed, many people were hurriedly trying to find a seat, while they juggled their popcorn, hoping not to be too conspicuous.

It was the first time in years that I have actually seen the movie ushers have to come along with flashlights to help people to find empty seats.

As the film begins, the deep, stark darkness of the land ruled by the self appointed evil King Miraz, ruler of the Telmarines, reached out from the big screen to draw the audience in. The texture, sound and visual effects were magnificent.

Because his wife had now borne him a son, Miraz had determined to rid himself of Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the throne. He now threatened his own rule. He used the power of his office to deceive the Council with lies concerning Caspian and his treachery.

This evil action simply sets the stage for the fine development of this central character as an example of how wrong choices corrupt. The moral moments start early on in this film for those with eyes to see.

The Prince is awakened from his sleep by his wise teacher and protector, a friend of his deceased Royal Father.The Teacher had handed on to Prince Caspian a love of the old ways and of the Narnians. Again, this character is masterfully developed as a prototype of wisdom, loyalty and dedicated service.

In his paternal and professorial manner he warned the young Prince of the imminent danger that faced him. In so doing he selflessly risked his own security and stood for the greater good.

Caspian was instructed by his teacher to flee the castle and travel through the woods. The soldiers feared the woods, and the trees, believing them to be inhabited by the Narnians and filled with the old magic.

The film soon bursts forth into almost non-stop action as a wonderful Epic adventure unfolds, drawing the viewer into its action and excitement.

The Council, discovering that that the Prince was gone, gathers to address the situation. When questioned, the evil King dispatches his soldiers under the pretext of saving the Prince whom he first alleges had been kidnapped by the Narnians.

He later persuades the Council, through the use of corrupt allies, that the Prince had actually masterminded the affair and was working with the Narnians against the established order.

Some of the soldiers chase the young Prince into the woods. As the Prince falls off of his horse, he blows Queen Susan's horn, which legend has it was left behind by the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve who once ruled Narnia.

There the film transitions to England where we meet the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They are older now but somehow even more endearing. Back in England, the former royalty of Narnia have resumed their regular, daily lives. Yet, they pine for the marvelous wonder and glory of their days in Narnia.

The once great King Peter of Narnia is engaged in a pedestrian fistfight with schoolboys in the subway. Certainly this is not the noble fighting of his distant past when his bravery in Narnia was the stuff of stories.

But all of that soon changes.

They enter through a portal in the subway into a beautiful land, and walk along the shore without a care in the world. We soon discover that this land is Narnia, which has changed significantly. More than 1,300 years have passed in Narnian time.

This strange new land is nothing like the Narnia they remember. In their absence the former glories of Narnia have faded into darkness and the hope that once animated the kingdom has been squeezed out by despair.

The once peaceful relationship between creation, the animals and the humans (Telmarines)has been wounded and divided. The stories of the old Narnia are spoken of only in the whispers of those who keep the ancient ways alive secretly, out of fear.

The children soon find the old castle, encounter Prince Caspian, and the rest of this wonderful movie is a masterpiece of character development which builds upon true friendships, valor and adventure, as they help the Prince to grow into becoming his own man,combat his evil uncle Miraz, and restore Narnia, all before assuming his fathers throne.

With the help of a dwarf named Trumpkin, a mouse named Reepicheep, another Dwarf named Nikabrik, a marvelous Badger and a host of other animals and animal/human Centaurs and Minotaur's, the plot pulls the viewer into its magical embrace.

The extraordinary physical appearance of some of these creatures is only exceeded by the brilliant development of their characters and personalities in this well written, well produced and well directed film.

Throughout the film, the audience sat still, mesmerized, laughing, gasping, perched on the edge of their chairs and, at several places, shed a few tears. I was right there along with all of them, experiencing the full panorama of emotions. I did not move for the entire length of the film, thrilled by the wonder of it all.

Like Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia", the film captures both the heart of a child and the heart of a grown man or woman.

To the children, it communicates hope, virtue, goodness, friendship, love, and chivalry, demonstrated in the exploits of Caspian, Lucy, Susan, Peter, Edmund and all their new friends, those humorous, exotic and endearing creatures. Their sacrificial service, bravery and nobility are inspiring and exciting to children, communicating deeper meaning symbolically.

To the adults, the film speaks to profoundly important truths about life, offering the way of sacrificial and redemptive love as an antidote to an age sickened and crippled by nihilism.

In the beginning, even the children have lost their faith, hope and love. That is except for the youngest one, little Lucy. This is evident in their inability to see Aslan, hear him, or surrender themselves in hope and confidence to his providential care.

Lucy becomes the sage in the film. She sees Aslan, hears him, and fights all of the efforts to discourage her childlike faith. Truly, a little child leads them.

The Kings, Queens and the Prince, along with the all the Narnians who have joined them in their mission, soon rediscover faith, hope and love. These virtues enable them to do great things, for others.

Their heroism in battle deepens as the story progresses, revealing that there are degrees of heroism in the order of goodness. They move from shouting "For Narnia", as they charge forward in the initial dramatic battles, to shouting "For Aslan" in the final ones.

The film also develops the theme of harmony with the created order as a fruit of faith, hope and love. This is done through the relationship between humans, the Narnians and the trees.

These trees, we learn, once danced when Narnia was filled with hope. Now, they are still. That will all change at the command of Aslan in one of the most breathtaking scenes of this film.

The Narnians, along with the Kings, Queens, and the Prince who will be King, rediscover what truly matters in life. They recover their hope, love, faith and with them,their happiness. Aslan, the fantastic Lion, shares his providential care and wisdom with Lucy through several tender encounters.

His words and those encounters provide the spiritual wisdom revealed in the film. For my readers who are adults, pay close attention to those words and encounters with Aslan, first with Lucy, and then with all the others and learn the way of the Gospel.

This big, bold, beautiful and magnificent film is filled with some of the finest special effects and CGI that I have ever seen. It is breathtaking in so many places.

The encounter with the "White Witch" is actually frightening and quite effective. The temptations to abandon hope and succumb to despair and idolatry throughout the film provide opportunities for the underlying redemptive themes of the story to be developed beautifully. This is just what CS Lewis did in his writings.

However, it is the final battle which is the real show, and heart, stopper. It must not be missed.

In the end, good prevails over evil, a refreshing turn of events in this age of so many anti-heroes. The Prince becomes a good man, a noble leader and a just King. Those once alienated from one another are brought back together. In a final example of redemptive love, Aslan offers even the enemies of Narnia a path to peace and a new life.

The maturation of the main characters throughout the film is a study in the role of choice in the moral life. As they grow in faith, hope and love, through making the right choices, the virtues are revealed in all of their beauty. The film is a tutorial on the true path to human flourishing and the real meaning of love.

I had the privilege of interviewing Douglas Gresham, a co-producer of the film and the stepson of C.S. Lewis. He told me that he knew that I would, because of my faith, see the underlying themes which are so evident in Lewis' work in this movie; themes such as chivalry, love, honesty, integrity, goodness, loyalty and love, all written large in an exciting and adventurous film of the highest order.

Doug told me that the film proclaims to the viewer that "It does not matter how far you have strayed, there is always a way back".

He was absolutely right. This truth comes through in one of the most adventurous and exciting films I have seen in many, many years.

Prince Caspian rules!

This film is a must see for everyone, no matter what their age.

I give it my highest recommendation.

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