It begins in the guest bedroom of Eustace’s (Will Poulter) house. He is the prudish and annoying cousin of Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley). A painting of the high seas catches the attention of Lucy and triggers a flood that transports the trio on board the ship of King Caspian (Ben Barnes). With Narnia seemingly at peace, their mission is to help Caspian find the seven lost Lords of Narnia. As they island-hop in search of the Lords and the swords bestowed unto them by Aslan, an evil green mist crosses their path while temptations lay abound.
The introduction of Eustace adds a new dimension in the storyline as he contributes much comic relief. His initial animosity with the talking mouse Reepicheep blossoms into a crucial partnership and ends in a touching scene. Notably absent from this film are the two older Pevensie children Peter and Susan who have outgrown Narnia. They are certainly missed as the sibling dynamics are conspicuously lacking. The presence of Aslan remains iconic to the series. The booming voice of Liam Neeson, coupled with thunderous roars, gives Aslan much character and identity despite managing only brief appearances.
Directed by Michael Apted, this film satisfies most criteria on a fantasy adventure checklist. There are sword fighting scenes, a magic tunnel, goblins, a dragon and a sea serpent. While it delivers on the adventure aspect, the action scenes are much less fulfilled. They are pretty restrained to render the film children-friendly. There is also not much focus given to the Christian references made in C. S. Lewis’ books except when Aslan tells the kids that he goes by another name back in the real world and to look for him there as a source of strength. Nevertheless, that statement strikes a chord with me.
In the final scene, the film teases the audience when Aslan informs Eustace that he might be summoned back to Narnia should the need arises. Is another chronicle in the works? We can only wait with anticipation.
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