By Thomas Ferguson

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of fantasy movies. Even as a child, I had a hard time allowing myself to escape to world that had been created for me on the screen. Only a couple of movies in that genre have done anything for me…  E.T: The Extra Terrestrial and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.  It looks like I have another to add to that short list.

The young siblings from the original Chronicles of Narnia are summoned back to this mysterious land just in time for a war that has been brewing between the power- thirsty Telmarines and the outnumbered creatures of Narnia.

Sometime has past and the Narnian civilization has crumbled. Its inhabitants have coward back into the forest, becoming a myth to all others in the land. The prince and next in line to the Telmarine throne is Caspian, a young warrior whose evil  uncle, Miraz, will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn’t happen. With the birth of Miraz’s son, second in line for the throne, Caspian knows that his life is in danger.

Caspian escapes into the woods where he meets the siblings and all the creatures he once thought were legend. Together, they decide to put their differences aside to fight the true enemy…Miraz and his army. A fight that will hopefully end with Caspian taking his rightful place on the throne.

The original Narnia movie bored me to tears. I hated every second and every frame of that movie. So much that when the credits started to roll, I leaped to my feet and sprinted for the exit. I called it the poor man’s Harry Potter. Obviously, my anticipation for the sequel was not very high.

For a good hour into the sequel, I felt those old feelings once again. Those feelings were accompanied by groans, time checks, and eye- rolling. The urge to walk out became increasingly evident until midway…a burst of light shined through the darkness. The movie actually became interesting.

It took a battle scene at a castle to waken me up. I immediately figured this scene was a fluke. I just knew the movie would quickly start its descent back into boredom...I was wrong.  It actually got better and better as it played out. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat--literally.

I was in total shock this time when the credits rolled. I actually liked this movie? I’m actually looking forward to the next installment?  Yes, I’m still in shock.  It takes a minute to get going, but once it does, sit back and enjoy the ride.