Latest DVD reviews

By Mike Polanyk

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (12)

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

3/5

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was stunning: a magical, mesmerising cinematic treat which entertained and enthralled despite the stilted acting of the young cast.

What about the sequel? Well, the magic here is more of a Paul Daniels quality.In this second adaptation of the CS Lewis series of fantasy books, the posh Pevensies – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – are once more whisked from Second World War England to the wondrous realm of Narnia.

For them, it’s just a year since their last adventure in the world beyond the duffel coats on hangers. But in Narnia, more than 1,300 years have elapsed.

The Golden Age they helped usher in has long since passed, and now the land is under the control of evil King Miraz, who rules without mercy. He’s so nasty that he killed his elder brother for his crown and now wants to slaughter the rightful heir, young Prince Caspian, to keep the throne for his new-born son.

With the help of a kindly dwarf, a badger and a talking mouse, the siblings set out on a remarkable journey to find the lion Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold and restore glory to the land.

If you cast your mind back to the first Harry Potter film, you’ll remember the kids couldn’t really act all that well, but the movie was so absorbing and fun, it didn’t really matter. They could only get better, I thought. And they did. Sort of.

But here, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell – who were so stilted in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – have actually got worse. They look blankly at the camera and stare in the vague direction of the bluescreen figures, which have been added later. And they make newcomer Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian look like a fine actor, which he isn’t.

The Forbidden Kingdom (PG)

Lionsgate UK

3/5

Teenage kung-fu fan Jason (Michael Angarano) finds the legendary weapon of Chinese warrior the Monkey King in a pawn shop.

With the lost relic in hand, Jason finds himself transported back to ancient China, where he meets a drunken kung fu master (Jacki Chan), an enigmatic and skilful monk (Jet Li) and a vengeful kung fu beauty, Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei).

They lead him on his quest to return the staff to its rightful owner – who’s been stuck in stone for half a millennium, thanks to the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou).

Along the way, you won’t be surprised to hear, there are any number of extravagant dust-ups.

You have to be a real fight-film fan to really enjoy this adventure yarn.

Kung Fu Panda (PG)

Dreamworks

3/5

This is the best family-oriented offering from DreamWorks Animation since the box-office smash Shrek.

Jack Black is perfectly cast as the voice of Po (nope, not that one), a bear with a passion for kung fu but, alas, no natural ability. Instead, he is destined to inherit the family shop run by his long-suffering father (James Wong).

Then, local sensei, Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) anoints Po as the next Dragon Warrior – to the chagrin of Oogway’s protege Shifu, (Dustin Hoffman), and loyal students Monkey (Jackie Chan), Tigress (Angelina Jolie) and Viper (Lucy Liu).

The hapless Po must now protect the village from the threat of escaped prisoner Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

For a film about a fat bear, Mark Osborne and John Stevenson’s lively movie is surprisingly lean, with quick-fire banter and fight sequences.

I Served the King of England (PG)

Arrow

3/5

This is a witty, playful, delightful film from masterful Czech director Jiri Menzel. It’s a darkly comic reflection on Czech 20th century history, as seen through the eyes of a sex-obsessed chancer.

The money-mad Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev) is a waiter in 1939 Prague, who falls in love with Liza (Julia Jentsch), a German proud of her pure Aryan blood.

They marry and Liza acquires a fortune in rare stamps that Jews "left behind" – and then dies. Jan gets three years to enjoy his money before the new Communist regime puts him behind bars.

On his release from jail, the aged Jan (Oldrich Kaiser) is sent to live in a decrepit border town, where he thinks back on how his life was shaped, and how he could have played it better.