Yeah, I liked that too. Of course it gave the movie the flavor of The Godfather in Narnia.
Our pastor said that the Italian accent distracted him throughout. I never thought twice about it, but now that you mention it, the accent does strike me as much more Spanish; perhaps even Portugese. And, too, being Spanish would jibe better with the Telmarines' having been seafaring brigands before their accidental arrival in Narnia.
Whether Spanish, Italian, Portugese, or otherwise, 'twas good moviemaking all the way 'round, that's certain.
Italians were seagoing brigands, too - especially Venetians. Several of the actors were Italian, but the one was Spanish (or Mexican, or something) and the character was definitely Spanish :-).
I spent the whole film grinning at the young men, because they were so cute and brave and noble and dopey and teenaged, just like I’d like my sons to be. They did well with the girls, too. I think the whole group was a little older than I figured they’d be from the book, but I liked it better.
I saw elements from “Snow White,” “300 Spartans,” “Harry Potter,” and at least one Civil War movie. And the sets were great, with that wonderful Mediterranean scenery. The religious element was downplayed, but it wasn’t really strong in the book, either. Bits of young King Solomon, and general spiritual elements that one could find in any fiction. The movie almost entirely skipped the neo-pagan syncretistic frou-frou, which left out some fun stuff ... but on the whole, I’d rather have had the battles and the Sicilian dons.