[Screen It]

 

"THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN"
(2008) (Ben Barnes, William Moseley) (PG)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
None Mild Extreme *Moderate Extreme
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate Minor Extreme None None
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Minor None Moderate Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Action/Adventure: Four siblings return to a mythological land, only to find that 1,300 years have passed and that the existence of the survivors there is now threatened.
PLOT:
Having magically traveled to the land of Narnia where they were treated as kings and queens and defeated the evil White Witch while helping return Aslan the Lion to power, the Pevensie siblings -- Peter (WILLIAM MOSELEY), Susan (ANNA POPPLEWELL), Edmund (SKANDAR KEYNES) and young Lucy (GEORGIE HENLEY) are now back in WWII era London.

Little do they know, however, that 1,300 years have passed since their departure and that human Telmarines have apparently hunted the Narnians into extinction. But that doesn't mean the conquerors are above killing their own kind, for once Queen Prunaprismia (ALICIA BORRACHERO) bears Lord Miraz (SERGIO CASTELLITTO) a son, the scheming ruler deems his nephew, Prince Caspian X (BEN BARNES), expendable.

Thankfully, his mentor, Doctor Cornelius (VINCENT GRASS), warns him of the pending treachery, thus allowing the young prince to escape into the nearby woods with General Glozelle (PIERFRANDESCO FAVINO) and his men in hot pursuit. There, Prince Caspian encounters Trumpkin the Red Dwarf (PETER DINKLAGE) and Nikabrik the Black Dwarf (WARWICK DAVIS) who aren't pleased to see a Telmarine in their midst.

Glozelle captures Trumpkin, but Caspian manages to get off a distress call before Nikabrik gets him. That summons the Pevensie kids who are magically transported back to Narnia where they're shocked to find nothing but ruins, although Lucy hasn't lost faith that Aslan (voice of LIAM NEESON) isn't far away.

Miraz, meanwhile, is using Trumpkin's presence to convince the other rulers, such as Lord Sopespian (DAMIAN ALCAZAR) that the Narnians are not only still around, but in great numbers and must be exterminated. Of course, he pushes that agenda because he knows Caspian is still in the Narnia woods and must be dealt with.

Caspian soon finds himself in the company of talking animals, such as Trufflehunter the Badger (voice of KEN STOTT) and Reepicheep the Mouse (voice of EDDIE IZZARD), along with mythological creatures including Asterius the Minotaur (SHANE RANGI), Glenstorm the Centaur (CORNELL S. JOHN), and others of their kind. Knowing the Telmarine world, the prince is chosen to lead the Narnians in battle against them, but is role is usurped by Peter and his siblings.

From that point on, and vastly outnumbered, they, Prince Caspian and the various Narnians do what they can and must to save themselves.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they liked the first "Narnia" movie, they most likely will.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
For epic battle action and violence.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • BEN BARNES plays the young prince who must not only contend with his uncle's treachery, but also his sudden leadership role with the Narnians, although he battles with Peter over that.
  • WILLIAM MOSELEY plays the oldest of the Pevensie kids and the leader of the bunch. He fights with other young men in London, and then leads the Narnians in battle against the Telmarines, although he must contend with Caspian wanting to do the same.
  • ANNA POPPLEWELL plays his brave sister who's proficient with a bow and arrow and thus kills many Telmarines with that.
  • SKANDAR KEYNES plays their younger brother who doesn't have the identity crisis as occurred in the first film and thus assists his sibling and the Narnians in battle.
  • GEORGIE HENLEY plays the youngest of the siblings who hasn't lost faith that Aslan is still around and will help them.
  • PETER DINKLAGE plays the testy red dwarf who isn't happy to have Prince Caspian or the London kids around, but assists them in their battle against the Telmarines.
  • WARWICK DAVIS plays his fellow dwarf who's similarly cantankerous and desires to release the White Witch to do battle with Miraz.
  • SERGIO CASTELLITTO plays Caspian's treacherous uncle who wants his young relative dead so that he can be king. His violent sentiments also extend to the Narnians who he wants to drive into total extinction once and for all.
  • PIERFRANDESCO FAVINO plays his right-hand man, the General of the army.
  • DAMIAN ALCAZAR plays another Lord who isn't happy with Miraz and his attempts to become their people's ultimate ruler.
  • VINCENT GRASS plays Caspian's mentor who alerts him to Miraz's treachery, but must contend with the consequences of that act.
  • ALICIA BORRACHERO plays Miraz's queen who bears him a child but is surprised to learn secrets about her husband's actions.
  • SHANE RANGI and CORNELL S. JOHN play the leaders of their respective mythological species that battle the Telmarines.
  • ASLAN is the King of Narnia who's absent for a while, but eventually comes around to help Lucy and the others in their battle against the Telmarines.
  • TRUFFLEHUNTER is the wise badger who informs Caspian of what has occurred to them.
  • REEPICHEEP is the swashbuckling mouse who's quite proficient at defeating enemies much larger than him.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a brief summary of the content found in this action/adventure film that's been rated PG. There's no profanity and only a handful of colorful phrases, while some male characters are seen shirtless and there's a brief, chaste kiss at the very end of the film.

    Violence includes various battle and fight scenes, some small-scale, some on epic levels where all sorts of human and mythological characters are wounded or killed by all sorts of weaponry, but there's not much resultant blood. Those scenes, various moments of potential peril, and some visuals (particularly of scary looking characters) might be suspenseful and/or unsettling to some young viewers, but probably few others.

    The fighting and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, and some tense family material is also present.

    If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

    For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from torches in an underground system.

    For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement in the film.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • None.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Trumpkin has a large red abrasion and/or bruise on the side of his head.
  • Trumpkin has a slightly bloody slice on his cheek after battling Edmund with swords.
  • Prince Caspian has a tiny bit of a bloody lip after briefly battling Peter.
  • Miraz backhands General Glozelle, leaving him with a slightly bloody lip and possibly a bloody nose, but his mustache makes the latter hard to discern.
  • We see creatures slice Prince Caspian's palm, with bloody results.
  • Prince Caspian has a few scrapes on his face and head following a battle.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Miraz has a bad attitude, not only for trying to kill Prince Caspian so that he can become king (and then lies to his people that it was the Narnians who abducted Prince Caspian), but also for trying to wipe out the Narnians. General Glozelle is his right-hand man who carries out much of his work, while Lord Sopespian kills another high ranking official, and then blames that on the Narnians to spur his men on to battle.
  • When his men won't follow him into the woods to pursue Prince Caspian, General Glozelle refers to them as "superstitious old women."
  • Susan lies to a boy about her name after he asks for it (just to avoid him).
  • Miraz refers to Trumpkin as "vermin" and says that the Narnians have been breeding like cockroaches under a rock.
  • About being lost in the woods, Peter jokes that's what's wrong with girls, that they have no map in their heads. One of his sisters then implies boys have nothing else in theirs.
  • Lucy thinks she sees Aslan in the woods, but no one else believes her, and Peter even questions her sanity.
  • Doctor Cornelius tells Prince Caspian not to underestimate Miraz like Prince Caspian's father did (implying that Miraz killed him, which the latter later acknowledges).
  • Prince Caspian and Peter briefly have bad attitudes toward each other about who should lead the Narnians and whose battle plan is the best and/or wisest course of action.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.
  • We hear a woman screaming and then see that it's Queen Prunaprismia giving birth to her child (no actual view of that or any blood or goo on the baby).
  • A cloaked figure scurries down a hall, enters Prince Caspian's bed chamber and puts his hand over the prince's mouth, but it's Doctor Cornelius, alerting him of pending danger. Prince Caspian then hides in a closet as Miraz's men enter the chamber and repeatedly fire crossbow arrows into Prince Caspian's canopy bed, believing they're assassinating him. Prince Caspian then flees on horseback, with various soldiers giving chase. Prince Caspian is briefly slowed while forging through a deep river, a body of water that sweeps away one of his pursuers.
  • The fact that Narnia is now in ruins (1,300 years after the first film took place) and the siblings realize that all of their friends there are now likely long dead and gone might be unsettling to some younger viewers.
  • Two soldiers prepare to dump a bound and gagged Trumpkin into a lake or other body of water. Susan fires a warning arrow into their rowboat and orders them to drop him. They do and prepare to shoot a crossbow at her, but another arrow from her hits one soldier, knocking him overboard, while the other jumps into the water. Peter then dives into the water and rescues Trumpkin who's sinking to the bottom.
  • Lucy approaches a bear, thinking it's a friendly Narnian, but the animal rears up and then charges after her. She runs but falls, with the bear again rearing up just above her, but Susan fires an arrow that kills the bear. Trumpkin then cuts into the dead animal with a knife, but we only hear and don't see that impact.
  • The ground beneath Lucy at the edge of a gorge suddenly collapses, meaning she instantly disappears from sight (but is okay just a few feet below that).
  • After having a similar dream, Lucy wanders off in the woods by herself, thinking she'll find Aslan. She hears noises when Peter suddenly grabs her from behind with his hand over her mouth as a minotaur passes by.
  • Trumpkin appears to be badly wounded as he's carted back, but Lucy gives him an elixir that restores his health.
  • An enormous amount of soldiers march across a newly constructed bridge to head toward the Narnians (younger kids might be worried).
  • Nikabrik introduces Prince Caspian to two scary looking creatures (one a woman with some sort of beak type face, the other some sort of emaciated bear looking monster) that promise they can help him. What they intend to do is resurrect the White Witch from the first film, and we then see her contained within a wall of ice, needing just a drop of blood to free her. The creatures then grab Prince Caspian and slice his palm (with bloody results), with the White Witch reaching out for his blood. Peter and others then show up to stop that, resulting in a small battle where various characters are knocked about and the two creatures are killed (one sliced in the head, with no blood), while Trumpkin stabs Nikabrik in the back, presumably killing him (after Nikabrik was coming at Lucy). Edmund then stabs his sword through the White Witch still encased in her ice wall, causing it to shatter loudly and then collapse, with her disappearing with it.
  • Reepicheep appears to be dead or badly wounded when others carrying him back from battle. Lucy gives him an elixir that restores his health.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Swords/Spears/Regular and Crossbow Arrows/Clubs/Catapults: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details.
  • We see a government war poster of British soldiers carrying rifles.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Superstitious old women," "Vermin," "Oh, shut up," "I'm not crazy" and "You people have no imagination."
  • All of the fighting, stunts and other action might be enticing for some kids to imitate.
  • Played for laughs, we see that Reepicheep has left a cat bound and gagged.
  • We see creatures slice Prince Caspian's palm, with bloody results.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • The ground beneath Lucy at the edge of a gorge suddenly collapses, meaning she instantly disappears from sight (but is okay just a few feet below that).
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • An extreme amount of action-oriented, heavily dramatic, suspenseful and ominous music plays throughout the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • None.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • In various scenes, we see various shirtless male centaurs.
  • We see various shirtless male Telmarines as they work.
  • Susan briefly kisses Prince Caspian (for a few seconds, nothing steamy).
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Doctor Cornelius tells Prince Caspian not to underestimate Miraz like Prince Caspian's father did (implying that Miraz killed him). Caspian later confronts his uncle about this, and Miraz's confession (about killing his brother, Caspian's father) shocks the Queen.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Fantasy worlds.
  • WWII era London.
  • Trumpkin's explanation that if the animals of Narnia are treated like dumb animals long enough, that's what they'll (and have) become.
  • The comment that a common enemy can unite the oldest of foes.
  • The Christian symbolism and metaphors in the film.
  • After Peter says he wishes there was proof of Aslan, Lucy says that maybe they need to prove themselves to him.
  • The comment that things never happen the same way twice.
  • VIOLENCE
  • A cloaked figure scurries down a hall, enters Prince Caspian's bed chamber and puts his hand over the prince's mouth, but it's Doctor Cornelius, alerting him of pending danger. Prince Caspian then hides in a closet as Miraz's men enter the chamber and repeatedly fire crossbow arrows into Prince Caspian's canopy bed, believing they're assassinating him. Prince Caspian then flees on horseback, with various soldiers giving chase. Prince Caspian is briefly slowed while forging through a deep river, a body of water that sweeps away one of his pursuers.
  • Riding through the woods at night, Prince Caspian turns to look for pursuers, but when he faces forward again, he runs face-first into a tree, clotheslining him off his ride. The horse then continues, briefly dragging Prince Caspian along the ground by his feet until he cuts himself free. He's then confronted by an armed Nikabrik while Trumpkin goes off to confront Miraz's men.
  • Peter fights with two guys in a subway station with various punches and other blows thrown and delivered and a great deal of struggling occurs. Edmund then joins the fray to defend his brother, with more punches and other blows before adults break up the flight.
  • A train passes by the siblings at a fast rate through a subway tunnel, causing structural damage to that tunnel until the overall motion whisks the four back to Narnia.
  • Miraz backhands a bound and gagged Trumpkin.
  • Two soldiers prepare to dump a bound and gagged Trumpkin into a lake or other body of water. Susan fires a warning arrow into their rowboat and orders them to drop him. They do and prepare to shoot a crossbow at her, but another arrow from her hits one soldier, knocking him overboard, while the other jumps into the water. Peter then dives into the water and rescues Trumpkin who's sinking to the bottom.
  • Edmund and Trumpkin spar with swords, with Trumpkin hitting Edmund on the head (not with the sword), while both avoid various close calls with the blades until Edmund disarms him.
  • Prince Caspian briefly fights with Nikabrik (sword vs. rod or stick).
  • Lucy approaches a bear, thinking it's a friendly Narnian, but the animal rears up and then charges after her. She runs but falls, with the bear again rearing up just above her, but Susan fires an arrow that kills the bear. Trumpkin then cuts into the dead animal with a knife, but we only hear and don't see that impact.
  • Soldiers fire crossbows at Prince Caspian, Nikabrik and Trufflehunter as they flee through the woods, with one arrow hitting and downing Trufflehunter. Prince Caspian goes back to rescue him, while something unseen in the undergrowth keeps downing and presumably killing various soldiers. That turns out to be Reepicheep, a standard-sized but armed mouse.
  • Not realizing he's an ally, Peter nearly attacks a passing minotaur when Prince Caspian jumps in to save the beast, with the two young men then battling with their swords.
  • Miraz backhands General Glozelle, leaving him with a slightly bloody lip and possibly a bloody nose, but his mustache makes the latter hard to discern.
  • A large mythological bird grabs a guard with its talons and yanks him away, while Prince Caspian, carried by the same sort of creature, slices another guard off his observation tower. Meanwhile, Susan fires an arrow into another, while Peter slices yet another guard with his sword and Nikabrik knocks out another one. Reepicheep slices one guard, and he and others attack another, while Trumpkin fires an arrow into another one.
  • Prince Caspian holds his sword on Miraz, followed by the Queen aiming a crossbow at him, and Susan then aiming an arrow at her. This standoff continues for a few moments until two arrows are fired, and Prince Caspian it hit (in his arm) while another person may be struck as well.
  • Edmund jumps down onto a guard and the two battle with swords, including Edmund head-butting that man. At the same time, Edmund slices several guards with his sword.
  • There's a big-scale battle pitting Prince Caspian, the siblings and the Narnians against the Telmarine soldiers. All sorts of weaponry is used to attack, wound and kill parties on both sides, but there's no blood. This continues for several minutes and includes General Glozelle shooting a minotaur with an arrow, followed by Miraz pushing that creature off the balcony and it crashes through parts of the castle's exterior. Trumpkin fires an arrow into a soldier, but another uses his shield to knock him off a balcony, resulting in Trumpkin hitting the stone floor quite hard. Trapped, Edmund purposefully falls backwards off a balcony, only to have a large mythological bird catch and fly him off to safety. Realizing they can't win, the good guys then try to retreat, with a minotaur struggling to hold open the heavy gate while allies pass by. Miraz fires several arrows into that creature, with the heavy gate then crashing down onto it, leaving many Narnians trapped inside the castle where they're struck by many arrows. After the battle, we see many dead combatants lying all over the ground.
  • Nikabrik introduces Prince Caspian to two scary looking creatures (one a woman with some sort of beak type face, the other some sort of emaciated bear looking monster) that promise they can help him. What they intend to do is resurrect the White Witch from the first film, and we then see her contained within a wall of ice, needing just a drop of blood to free her. The creatures then grab Prince Caspian and slice his palm (with bloody results), with the White Witch reaching out for his blood. Peter and others then show up to stop that, resulting in a small battle where various characters are knocked about and the two creatures are killed (one sliced in the head, with no blood), while Trumpkin stabs Nikabrik in the back, presumably killing him (after Nikabrik was coming at Lucy). Edmund then stabs his sword through the White Witch still encased in her ice wall, causing it to shatter loudly and then collapse, with her disappearing with it.
  • With Miraz's huge army poised at the Narnian stronghold, Peter proposes that he and Miraz battle to the death to resolve this matter without a large scale battle. Miraz agrees and the two battle with their swords and shields, bashing and knocking each other about while avoiding various sword thrusts and slices. During this, Peter slices Miraz's leg, while the latter ends up dislocating Peter's arm (that Edmund later pops back into place, albeit causing his brother pain in the process). Their battle continues (with Peter losing his sword and then shield), with more close calls as well as contact, including Miraz bashing Peter back into some rocks, while Peter hits Miraz on his previous leg wound, causing him pain. Miraz then nearly gets Peter with his sword, but Peter spins around, grabs the sword, and impales Miraz. Rather than kill him, Peter gives the sword to Prince Caspian for that act, and while it appears as if he's going to do it, Prince Caspian purposefully drives the sword down in front of his uncle.
  • Susan and Lucy ride off into the woods to find Aslan, but realize armed soldiers are chasing after them. Susan then stays behind to buy Lucy some time, and fires arrows into various soldiers, knocking them off their horses. But there are too many and she's knocked down, but Prince Caspian then arrives to rescue her, slicing various soldiers.
  • To meet two ends (killing his rival, and spurring his men into battle action), Lord Sopespian stabs Miraz in the back with an arrow, claiming it was shot by the Narnians.
  • The Telmarines use catapults to fire huge boulders at the Narnians, with some hitting near and thus upending them, while also hitting and damaging their fortress. As the army then quickly approaches, the Narnians knock out support beams below the ground, causing it to collapse and swallow up the soldiers and their horses, followed by the Narnians firing many arrows into the soldiers. The large-scale battle then continues, with combatants on both sides fighting with and wounding or killing many opponents. During this, many arrows hit and down large mythological birds carrying arrow-firing Narnians, while other Narnians are struck by debris falling from the partially collapsing fortress. Susan ends up dangling from that, and falls a short distance, but is okay. We see many dead (but not bloody) bodies on the ground during and following the battle.
  • Aslan arrives and Lucy falls backwards off her horse when it rears up, but Aslan leaps over her to attack one Telmarine soldier.
  • General Glozelle nearly spears Prince Caspian, but enormous tree roots grab the general and yank him back into a cliff. Other now animated and enormous trees attack the soldiers as well as destroy their catapults.
  • Aslan summons a huge, watery river figure that creates a large wave that sweeps away various soldiers. That figure then raises up Lord Sopespian on a bridge that then falls apart in midair, sending wood and Lord Sopespian down into the water to his presumed death.



  • Reviewed May 13, 2008 / Posted May 16, 2008

    Other new and recent reviews include:

    [Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

    Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
    By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

    All Rights Reserved,
    ©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.