Narnia critics hail more sombre sequel

STILL MAGICAL: A poster for the latest Narnia movie, which has been described as closer to a medieval battle picture than the fantastical other-worldly journey of the first film.

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Some of Narnia's magic may have gone, but the first reviews of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian suggest the sequel directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson will still cast a spell on cinemagoers.

Hollywood trade magazines Variety and the Hollywood Reporter have both reviewed the film, which forms the second part of CS Lewis' fantasy series, ahead of its opening in the United States on Friday.

It opens in New Zealand on June 19.

Variety's review described the 144-minute movie as closer to a medieval battle picture than the fantastical other-worldly journey depicted in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which grossed $589 million internationally.

The still enchanting but older core cast of English children transported from wartime London remain, but the assortment of talking creatures from the initial story take a backseat to a power struggle that makes Prince Caspian a much darker offering.

The Hollywood Reporter described it as more sombre than the first and "shares elements with the second Lord of the Rings instalment, The Two Towers, as well as the later, moodier Harry Potter editions."

Tilda Swinton returns to her role as the White Witch, but like the first film it is the special effects, many by Wellington's Weta Digital, which take centre-stage.

Variety praises the "overall feel of timeless, untouched natural surroundings" provided by location shooting in New Zealand and Eastern Europe, while the Hollywood Reporter hails its "gorgeous special effects and grand-scale battle sequences".

Both magazines expect the film to closely match its predecessor in box- office revenues.