I will start off by saying I love The Chronicles of Narnia books. They have fascinating characters, interesting stories and the enchanting world we know as Narnia. Now I grew up with these BBC adaptations, while I am more familiar with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there are many good things as well about Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I do agree it is an uneven adaptation, with Prince Caspian being inferior to Voyage of the Treader, but there is a lot to like.
There are certainly improvements over The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. One is that while Susan is given little to do, Edmund's voice takes a while to get used to and Lucy has a tendency to whine, the children's acting is vastly improved. Two, the special effects while nothing special are an improvement as well, some looked dated in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but some here looked nicely done. Both though do respect their respective stories, while Prince Caspian is too short and rushed, the details are there.
I also loved the sets and costumes here, Narnia here is almost ethereal, and out of all the costumes I loved Reepicheep's and the Magician's most of all. The music is great as well, the main theme is something I have known since forever and I am surprised at how it doesn't strike me as boring over 12 years later since first hearing it, and I loved the beautiful, haunting and elegiac quality in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I thoroughly enjoyed the acting, even Barbara Kellerman as the Witch. Warwick Davis is really likable and refreshing as Reepicheep who has the best lines I think,a nice contrast to David Thwaites's obnoxious Eustace, and Geoffrey Baldon and John Hallam are great in their respective roles as well. In Prince Caspian, I still love Aslan, such a great character, beautifully designed and impressively voiced by Ronald Pickup. My favourite scene in Prince Caspian has to be the one in the cave with the hag and the werewolf, that is classic.
However, the adaptation is too short, so some scenes felt skimmed over, depriving them of their power. Especially in Prince Caspian, which felt very rushed as well, the duel between Peter and Miraz was a disappointment almost being completely devoid of suspense. On a plus side, I liked Jean Marc Perrett's spirited portrayal of Prince Caspian but Samuel West is even better as a more valiant King Caspian. Robert Lang is adequately menacing as Miraz as well. Voyage of the Dawn Treader though I feel is much better paced and more carefully written.
Overall, uneven but it is well worth seeing. 7/10 Bethany Cox
