The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Collector's Edition DVD - Review

Viewers are invited to return to the magical world of Narnia in the second installment of C.S. Lewis' timeless epic, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which released on December 2, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Filled with exclusive featurettes, interviews and deleted scenes, Prince Caspian is available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def, as well as a special two-disc Collectors Edition.

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features more special effects and action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as the Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and they are joined by Liam Neeson as Aslan the Lion and Tilda Swinton in a brief scene as the White Witch. Rounding out the cast are Ben Barnes as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto, Eddie Izzard, Warwick Davis and Peter Dinklage appearing as new residents of Narnia.

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children face a perilous mission and a greater test of their faith, hope , and courage. They enter Narnia at its hour of great need when Caspian blows Susan's horn. In Narnia they discover that 1,300 years have passed since they ruled the kingdom. The castle where they once lived and ruled is now in ruins. The White Witch is gone, the realm is ruled by a despot, and Aslan has not been seen for over a thousand years. The four children embark on a journey to free Narnia from Telamarine rule and restore the Deeper Magic to the land. Accompanied by Trumpkin, their Narnian dwarf guide, Reepicheep the talking mouse and a suspicious Black Dwarf named Nikabrik, they must raise and lead an army of Narnians to rise up against King Miraz and reclaim their land.

Matters are complicated because Peter brings his own battles with anger, frustration and bitterness into Narnia with him. He was once High King, and he looks on Caspian, the heir apparent, with hostility and jealousy. Can Peter and Caspian put aside their competition in time to save Narnia?

Although Prince Caspian is an exciting movie, and is a glowing testament to Lewis' faith, the courtly King Miraz and his minions were just not that intimidating except in sheer numbers. However, the film is a remarkable telling of Lewis' inspired tale, and the struggle of the Pevensie children to remember who really defeated the White Witch and to find Aslan is exciting and inspiring. The lesson is clear - evil can only be defeated by Aslan. We can only overcome when we follow Aslan's lead .

Weta Workshops, who became a household name working on The Lord of the Rings, did their usual amazing job creating costuming, weapons, armor, and miniatures for Prince Caspian, as they did previously for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The DVD includes special audio commentary by the director and actors, and the Collector's Edition DVD contains the special audio commentary by director and actors, a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film's locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, deleted scenes and more.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian special edition DVD packaging also includes a special DisneyFile, a digital copy of the movie that is supposed to be accessible to a variety of portable devices for viewing anytime, anywhere. I tried to download my free copy from Itunes, but was told I had to supply some form of payment to register with Itunes. Since I don't like to give out my credit card information indiscriminately online, I opted for my PayPal account. After logging in to my PayPal account, I was told I STILL had to supply a credit card number! Needless to say, after some 10 minutes fooling with this process, I declined the DisneyFile digital copy. My copy of the DVD also had a warp throughout the movie that slowed scenes at certain points just enough to be annoying.

In spite of my technical issues and my desire to yawn whenever Miraz and his general were on screen, I enjoyed Prince Caspian as a movie, was moved by its spiritual message, and I give it a moderately enthusiastic thumbs up.