THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (2008)

MY RATING: B+

RUN TIME: 144 min

MPAA RATING: PG


REVIEW: I should start off by saying that I have not read the book version of The Chronicles of Narnia of which this movie is based. I did watch the first movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," which preceded this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie and was looking foreword to this the second installment of the collection.


I find there is a delicate balance in producing a movie such as this, where you need to give the audience a movie with some closure and finality, but still leave it open enough to where the next movie can pick up without having to start all over. I believe this movie achieved that and though I was left with some concerns by the end I was able to leave the theatre with a "closed book." The story had been resolved and you weren't left with the story unfinished (such as the ridiculous ending of the "The Golden Compass").


THE GOOD:
Prince Caspian was my favorite throughout, not only because of his dangerously good looks, but there was some excellent acting on his part and he did an excellent job at characterizing his role. The remaining characters were also quiet convincing and you know your villain did a good job when you have that gut-wrenching hate for him, which I had throughout this movie. I wouldn't call the graphics out of this world, but they were good and convincing enough for me.


THE BAD:
Some parts of the movie were a bit too corny for me. Though I wasn't as flabbergasted as the obnoxious girls behind me who would let out grunts and laughs anytime there was some chivalry in the movie, I thought some of the saluting and grovelling was a bit much. As for the plot, I enjoyed most of it but it seemed *POSSIBLE SPOILER*(Skip to the next paragraph to avoid any potential spoiler) they had complicated the story so much, that it would be interesting to see how they would resolve it. But then they used the easy way out and let magic swoop in and save the day. A let down for me.


OVERALL:
A good-looking-- I mean, a good movie with some good acting and graphics. A little more creativity in the plot would've improved my view of the movie. However, I would watch it again.