Hey folks, Valkor here. Last night I was given the opportunity to catch the premiere to the latest film in the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. Along with friend “The Fabe” (aka Epic-1, Thanks for comin out duder) we trekked through NYC, made our way over to the AMC, stuffed our faces with popcorn and nachos, and happily feasted our eyes upon the masterpiece that is “Prince Caspian”. To say it was simply good is an understatement, It's grrrrr-reat! And while not a perfect film, it does kick a lot of ass.

The story of Prince Caspian goes like this: There is a new child born in the land of Narnia, born to King Leon… oooops I mean King Miraz. However his son will not be next to partake the throne, that honor goes to Caspian. No Leoni… Damn… I mean Miraz decides to have Caspian killed. However Professor and friend Dumble… fuck… I mean Cornelius helps Caspian escape, but not before giving him a horn, a very familiar horn from the first film, which Caspian uses while he’s being chased by Miraz’s men and is then surrounded by trolls.

Switching over to present day earth, we meet the Pevensies, Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan, adjusting to their lives after spending many a years in Narnia as kings and queens. Now they are just regular folk, but they long to go back to the world they once ruled. Suddenly the foursome are whisked back to Narnia, meeting up with the Narnians, where they learn that its 1300 years later and a whole lot has changed. Narnia is now run by Spar… I mean Telmarine soldiers, most of the Narnia creatures are dead or are in hiding and those that are alive are heading up a rebellion, gearing up for all out war with the Telmarines. The Pevensies agree to help the Narnians once again, but not as their ruler but to help bring Caspian back to the throne and bring Narnia to peace once again. The story is much darker than the previous film. The Narnians who looked all shiny and new in the first film are now much grittier and savage looking. The trolls, Minotaurs and Saytrs who were on the side of evil are now on the side of good (Because the Telmarines don’t discriminate against fantasy creatures, they want them all wiped out). We are introduced to some old characters and plenty of new ones, all wrapped within a fantastic story. After the film we had a little Q n A, and by Q n A I mean Fabe and I had a discussion about the film. And this is what we came up with.

The Good

I’ve never read the books, but I will say that Prince Caspian is a great companion film to the first flick, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The cast main cast Lucy (Georgie Henley), Peter (William Moseley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Susan (Anna Popplewell), though a bit older really fit into their roles and bring their A game to the table. New Cast member Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) really rounds out the cast and I really don’t see anyone else in the role. AAhhhh but the show stealer goes out to Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard). You’re gonna love this little mouse as soon as he’s on screen, he rocks that hard. (Just don’t call him cute) Rounding at the cast is Sergio Castellitto as Leon… oops I mean Miraz. He makes a seriously wicked villain, though not as villainous as I’d like him to be at the end, but still good. Finally a geek favorite, Warwick Davis aka Wicket from the ewoks, makes an appearance as Nikabrik. Here’s a guy used to wearing a ton of makeup and if you didn’t know he was in the film, you wouldn’t be able to point him out from the other trolls, that’s how special the make up effects are. Now the special, digital effects kick ass too especially the scene with the Waterlord, which by far, best scene in the film. The theater literally shook the entire time its on screen. Visually the film is stunning, there are scenes that are so beautiful as to make you cry. One scene in particular is when the Penvensies, with Trumpkin in tow are sailing on a boat, the camera is overhead and the water below is the most delicious blue you’ve ever seen and you can see clear to the bottom. However most of the film is dark and gritty and as it should as these are dark times for Narnia. The effects on the animals are much the same as the first film, which is still damn good. (Especially Reepicheep, I freaking love this mouse!!)

The Bad

Yes as great as this film is, it’s not without its imperfections. First off, the White Witch makes an appearance. And as much as I loved her in the first flick, her presence in this movie was pointless and felt like total filler. Second not enough Aslan. Though his character isn’t really integral to the story as the first film, still I wanted to see glimpses of him here and there. Everyone once in awhile he could have popped his head in just so we know he’s around, because we know he’s in the film and he’ll have his role to play at the end. Lastly it’s rated PG. I know it’s a Disney film and they play up to the whole family thing, but a bit more blood, a bit more hack and slash would have made this film even greater than it already is. Ok that last one was more of nitpick, but still, just a bit more blood. It’s a freaking war and people are dying, it’s ok to show the peoples and creatures a bit banged up.

The Ugly

N/A

The summer movie season is kickin off just right and so far its three for three for me, making Prince Caspian the capper of the trifecta; we still have the Hulk and Batman to look forward to. But come May 16th when Prince Caspian is released; make your way to your local theater and check it out. It’s an exhilarating, fantastical piece of filmage that you seriously don’t wanna miss. Bar none if you loved the first film, you'll go ga-ga over the second. Prince Caspian gets 4.5 stars from this reviewer and it’s been Valkor tested and TOV approved.

Valkor Out!