First Hit: Although some of the lush shots were visually impressive, this film never found a true flow losing its momentum time and time again.
While Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell playing Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan Pevensie respectively, were well versed and brought interest to their characters, Ben Barnes playing Prince Caspian seemed out of his league, miscast, and misplaced.
This film is about the return of the four Kings and Queens of Narnia to Narnia because the kingdom has become tyrannical.
The call for their return comes from Prince Caspian who escapes the palace because he is soon to be killed as his uncle's wife has finally born him a son who will be the next king. This means Prince Caspian must be killed. In his escape he is given a horn to blow only in a dire emergency.
The horn will summon the Kings and Queens from the secular world and bring them back to Narnia. While riding his horse at a full gallop he hits his head on a large stationary tree limb and doesn't suffer a cut or even a bruise (simply unbelievable).
This followed by the moment he chooses to blow the horn which didn’t seem like a most dire circumstance to me. Upon their return to Narnia, the Pevensie’s are shocked at the state of their old home.
Soon they meet up with Prince Caspian and the other citizens of Narnia whom gather together and make an attempt to overthrow the current regime.
As this plot meanders along it continues to make attempts to pull itself on course but then strays into a plot less mess.
Ben Barnes is cute enough to be a fantasy prince but he just seems stupid in this role. Maybe it was the lack of direction or maybe it was a poor script; whatever it was it wasn’t a good fit of actor and role. What I particularly didn’t like about this film was the focus on the killing and that killing is noble.
Overall: This film was a long way from the true fantasy and wonder of the first film.