The first Chronicles of Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , was decent. It was marketed as the solution
to the void that The Lord of the Rings left in its wake, and, frankly, it failed to live up to expectations. The movie was a children''s movie, which was fine, but it stayed comfortably within its PG rating even when it promised magnificent battles and medieval, fantastic action. Beyond that, director Andrew Adamson had never directed a live action picture, and it was a risky and ultimately poor move by Disney to put him in control of such a gigantic franchise opener. The movie was clunky, not particularly imaginative and way too long for the story it was presenting. That being said, it was good enough.
Adamson has returned to direct the second film, Prince Caspian , and, thankfully, it appears as though he truly learned from his mistakes. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a thousand times better than its predecessor in every way. The story is more engaging, the action more exciting, and, most importantly, the visuals much grittier. Prince Caspian is rated PG, but parents should be warned; this movie truly does stretch its rating. In many ways, this movie is the perfect representation of what is wrong with the MPAA; Prince Caspian has no sex or gore, but is quite violent. Despite decapitations, murders, executions and plenty of deaths, the MPAA still gives the movie a PG rating. Of course, that''s good for everyone over the age of ten.
The movie picks up a year after the last one ended, with the four kids back in London. Magically, they are swept back to the land of Narnia, but not the Narnia they remember. Over a thousand years have passed, and humans have all but exterminated every Narnian creature. To complicate matters, the King has just ordered the death of his nephew Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the throne. Caspian escapes into Narnia and forms an awkward alliance with the four kids and a small band of Narnians to reclaim their lands once and for all and bring harmony to the different races.