Prince Caspian

The members of my congregation have been debating the relative virtues of the second in what promises to be a long series of Chronicles of Narnia films, Prince Caspian. Many of them are emerging writers, filmmakers and actors, so they know what they’re talking about. Their varying views of this film match what others are saying.

The short version goes likes this: those who are purists about the book will be disappointed. There are many departures. Those who can view the film on its own merits—and remember that it’s designed for kids—will enjoy a story that takes some risks and grapples with some pretty mature themes.

Prince Caspian takes place after the young Pevensie children have been removed from Narnia for a year in their time. Life in London has returned to predictable routine but they still dream of Narnia, where they reigned as kings and queens for many years. However, what has been one year for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy has been 1300 years in Narnian time. Much has changed. The original Narnians have been killed and driven into exile in the forest, and Narnia is now ruled by the evil Telmarines. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne but his life is endangered by the powerhungry Miraz.

Caspian teams up with the original Narnians and the returned “sons and daughters of men,” to bring justice to Narnia and restore the Narnians to their rightful place in the world. But the story is far from a simple matter of good versus evil. What makes this film interesting is it deals seriously with issues of revenge, betrayal, jealousy, pride and greed. It grapples with the reality that these issues are not a simple matter of “us versus them.”

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” Peter, Prince Caspian and the others discover their hearts are divided in just this way.

Aslan has not been seen in 1000 years and the world seems to have carried on in his absence. Peter is the rationalist. “Aslan is not going to save us,” he reasons. “We must take care of things ourselves.” In so doing, Peter and the Narnians are defeated and all Narnia is pushed to the brink of extinction. Additionally, the justice of the Narnian cause is threatened by an internal power struggle of their own, as Prince Caspian and King Peter vie for top spot.

Prince Caspian is less overtly Christian than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Aslan barely appears in the movie and then, only at the end, at the very last minute. The humans and Narnian creatures are left to work things out for themselves. Some, like Lucy, have a much easier time believing Aslan lives and will rescue them.

Others, like Peter, go through a crisis of faith that many viewers will be familiar with.

In the end, Prince Caspian is an entertaining, action-packed film that affirms the importance of faith in the midst of ambiguity and doubt. Our world is sometimes a dark place but God is still present and at work to redeem His creation, though at times the prospects may seem slight.