NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS

This film has a plot that makes Humpty Dumpty look complex. It’s for kids. Ultra Anglophone White knights arrive on the scene to save wonderfully diverse community of hoofed, furry, humungous and miniscule Narnian creatures from bad black Latin American evildoers.

Despite the simplicity, the lack of intricacies and twists, despite there being no reason to bring your brain into the theatre — save perhaps for the odd spot-the-Christian overtone exercise- cinematographic lushness and evocative music alone do quite well filling the void. Along with the sheer beauty of the five leading actors – each of the Pevensey children capture something quintessentially English with their pale freckled skin, pug noses, and regal good looks – perfect poster children for a pure Anglo Saxon gene pool if ever such a thing were for sale.

They all exude, and no doubt were chosen, for their eye candy sweetness and heart throbbing attraction. Peter with his striking resemblance to Prince William; Latino lover/outsider Prince Caspian, for those who don’t do pale.

Susan with her suspiciously full lips and Spring time sexuality promises intrigue for the dads in the crowd, at least while she’s on screen. For the rest of the time the film’s lustrous natural settings and extraordinary animation -it makes what they did only ten years ago look laughable – which renders badgers and monster birds, bears, giants, mice, centaurs and minotaurs real, alive, in your face, plus some decent war field carnage, should be enough to keep everyone happyish and in their seats.

What sets this movie apart, along with Narnia, the first film in the series, is the extraordinary clarity with which the camera captures, in highly defined detail, the thrill and life, not only of nature, but of the brothers and sisters and their various interactions. The acting is good enough, but again it’s the camera which documents not just their emotions but something of the essence of innocence and beauty itself. The faithful, caring connection between Lucy and Aslam, and Lucy and the Narnian dwarf Trumpkin, the anger between Prince C and Peter, and the early embers…or sparks might be better…of fire licking up between Susan and Caspian…this is all done very well.

For its touching moments, spectacular special effects, boisterous battle and fight sequences and pleasing soundtrack, the film is worth watching, or at least sitting through with your eyes open, if you happen to be with your kids as I was. Oh, and the bad South American (do I hear Falkland Islands?) looking king and his main military man? Both came across good and mean , which didn’t hurt either.

This review appears in the Carnival of Cinema, at the Good News Film Review site.  

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 PM and is filed under Authors and Books, Nigel Beale Reviews, etc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.