Karnataka

A gentle, leisurely film

Timeless: A scene from ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (English)

Cast: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell

Director: Andrew Adamson

Prepare to be surprised. For all the thrills and adventure of the original, the sequel is a film so gentle, with a pace so leisurely, that you may as well have been sitting on a river bank, waiting for the next ripple to kiss the shore.

Bows and arrows, shields and swords are there but there is scarcely any emotion unworthy of repetition. The enduring love, nascent romance, bravery… are all lauded. Even deceit and vanity acquire hues of mild acceptance, and death evokes only a mild rebuke. Such are the characters, so are the fables of Narnia, a world untouched by technology. Yet not really backward, just a timeless world that has remained the same although about 1,300 years have lapsed.

It is a story of human ambitions, treachery and those qualities we lay much stock by — loyalty, fearlessness, discipline. Yes, it is about Prince Caspian and a world where the heir is denied his right to take over the reins.

The struggle for power, the defendants, the assailants are all like the original. The “courtroom” drama is a little more elaborate. What the film lacks is drama. There is too much fair play, too much predictability, too little suspense.

Agreed, the four young boys and girls can do only so much, but this time the smoothness of the narration occasionally lapses into monotony. And the action is not high-octane stuff, rather some stabs at getting the adrenaline running. The romance is a nice little aside that evokes smiles; as does the cinematographer. The film based loosely on C.S. Lewis’s novel, could have done with better editing. But never mind. You can still enjoy the film. Just make sure that the watch does not tick along too fast.

Z.U.S.

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