Let me just get this out of the way, so all of you can voice your frustrations at me and get it over with: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian isn't as good as the other two major releases that have come out this summer, Iron Man and Speed Racer... and I really don't expect it to be better than many of the other films coming out this summer. That said, however, I can readily admit that it is, as the marketing campaign has told everyone repeatedly the past couple weeks, better than the first Narnia film, and is a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Narnia still has a bit of an identity crisis, but it's definitely a much more confident franchise which has made for a far better experience at the movies.

One of the most delightful surprises of Prince Caspian is Reepicheep the mouse. He's one of my favorite characters out of all seven books, and his big screen debut perfectly brings him to life. His larger-than-life personality and bravery is captured brilliantly along with his courage in battle, and he steals every scene he's in.

The other big surprise is Edmund. He was one of the really weak elements of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but here in Prince Caspian Skandar Keynes turns in a wonderful performance. In fact, the combination of solid characterizations for both Edmund and Reepicheep has me really looking forward to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader where these two characters really get a chance to shine. However, these aren't the only two strong performances; the entire cast is much more solid and believable this time out. Even Liam Neeson has a better grasp of how to portray Aslan in his few brief scenes: a lot less Qui Gon Jin and more James Earl Jones as Mufassa.

It's never easy to translate a beloved book to the big screen, and Prince Caspian presented the producers a very tough challenge as it's one of the least cinematic of the Narnia books. But what Andrew Adamson and the rest of the crew have done with Prince Caspian is turn a good book into a good movie without strictly adhering to the book. All the key parts and themes and elements are here, just not necessarily in the same form as they were in the book. This is one of the key strengths of the film. Despite a stumbling start, after it builds some momentum, Prince Caspian is better paced and a more even film than its predecessor, and I think Adamson has done a remarkable job in bringing this story to film.

That's not to say that Narnia still isn't suffering from an identity crisis. The Narnia books were written as children's stories; granted they're set in a wonderfully epic and fantastical land, but they're children's stories nonetheless. Even today when I read them, I enjoy their breeziness and lightheartedness; The Lord of the Rings they aren't. That's the problem, however, because while that childlike sense of wonder and fun is found in the Narnia films, and much more so in Prince Caspian, at the same time you can still tell that these films want to be the next Rings-like epic. While not as pronounced as in the first film, Prince Caspian see-saws between the two and I just wish they'd pick one and run with it. Caspian is both darker and more delightful than Wardrobe, a problem that needs to be resolved if this series wants to continue to move forward.

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