by Bella Lindsey, age 12
Action. Fantasy. Romance. Lessons. Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has it all. C.S. Lewis is known for his epic fantasy books. Since his books are so popular, why not make some of them into family-friendly movies? In 2005, that’s exactly what director Andrew Adamson, who also directed the Shrek movies, did. Starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Adamson continued the series with Narnia: Prince Caspian. Expertly Ben Barnes (who played Prince Caspian in the film) and his co-stars make this movie exciting and funny, while staying true to the intentions of the book. Altogether, Prince Caspian is a family-movie-night must.
Miraz wants to be king. Unfortunately, his Telmarine nephew, Prince Caspian, is forced to flee the castle for his life since Miraz now has an heir of his own. Before he left, Caspian had been given a horn. While being attacked the night of his flight from the castle, Caspian wields the horn, unsure of what will happen next. The horn calls High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy back to Narnia from England. Learning from Trumpkin, a dwarf they meet along the way, that it has been hundreds of years since they were last in Narnia, they set off to find Prince Caspian. When they arrive at Caspian’s hideout, they find that the prince has joined forces with the Narnians, who had been in hiding. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy do their best to help Caspian and his newfound army properly practice and prepare for the inevitable battles. They all hope that Aslan, the great lion from over the sea, will come to aid them in their time of need.
Why did Prince Caspian and the Narnians unite? Well, as Trufflehunter states, “Even the greatest of foes can unite against one common enemy.” Who is this common enemy? The answer is Miraz. Because of Miraz and his army, the Narnians have had to go into hiding. If they had not, Miraz would have killed them. For Caspian the number of Miraz’s offences are many, and after finding the Narnians, Caspian now wants to help them too. Having thousands of men at his disposal who could easily crush the Narnians, Miraz knows he has the better army. Helplessly engaging in battle after battle, Caspian’s number of men is dwindling.
But a plan is developed. Bravely Peter decides to challenge Miraz to a duel. The loser must completely surrender. However, the Narnians don’t expect Miraz, who is known for cheating, to keep his promise if Peter wins. Using the duel as a distraction, the Narnians are prepared to execute their real plan. As expected, the Telmarines don’t keep their side of the deal. Will the Narnians be able to defeat the Telmarine army? Will Aslan come to help them?
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will be enjoyed by the whole family. One reason being, the lesson it teaches. Although many lessons come to mind, Peter’s pride problem is one of the most prevalent. Since the beginning of the movie, Peter is bossy and full of himself. He thinks that he knows everything, and everyone who contradicts him is wrong. Continuing to lead the Narnian army into a battle that they have already lost so he can show off, Peter makes a costly mistake out of pride. But sadly, we all make this mistake sometimes. The statement “Pride goeth before destruction” not only applies to Peter in this movie but to us as well. Thankfully, Peter learns that pride will not get a person anywhere. Peter becomes a better leader because he learns to be humble. While this movie has action, fantasy, romance, and more, these elements are not as important as the lessons this movie teaches.
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