There are no spoilers in this review.
PLOT: With their older siblings in America, Lucy and Edmund Pevensie, along with their insufferable cousin Eustace, are swept back into the world of Narnia to help King Caspian find lost Narnians.
THE GOOD: Special effects. I was actually really impressed with the special effects in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Right from the beginning when the kids enter Narnia to the end with the constant ocean wave, the visuals impressed me. Walden Media seems to team up with some of the best visual effects studios. There are 1,400 special effects shots that were made for Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 800 more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe's and fewer than Prince Caspian’s 1,500. Angus Bickerton served as the lead visual effects supervisor of the film while Jim Rygiel, who supervised the effects on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, worked as the senior visual effects supervisor. I don't think Aslan has ever looked better. Oh, and the "creature" they battle at the end... super creepy looking.
CASPIAN: "Sooooooo... surfing contest?"
Message. We will be presented with many tests in our lives and this movie teaches kids how to overcome some of them. Fear, self-confidence, and beauty seem to be the main issues aimed at in Dawn Treader, so I really can't complain about the film's messages. There is a Christian tone to the film much like the previous two, but I don't think it's overbearing or off-putting. It's actually kind of refreshing to have in a film these days.
Simon Pegg. I say Simon Pegg does an equally good job as Eddie Izzard did with Reepicheep's voice. Probably the most memorable character of the whole film.
Will Poulter. You know, I actually liked Poulter's performance as the annoying cousin, Eustace. Compared to the other actors his age in the movie, he can actually act. You can tell that the director also knew this since there is quite a bit of narration by his character. Poulter has been seen before as Lee in the hit coming-of-age indie film, Son of Rambow.
Talking animals, a musketeering mouse, invisible Dufflepuds, and Lucy is amazed by freakin' snow!?
THE BAD: Boring. I found myself bored during a lot of the film. The wonder and magic of Narnia seems to be gone. Other than a couple moments, like the dragon and the aforementioned "creature", I just didn't think the movie was entertaining. I place a lot of the blame on director Michael Apted. When I look back at his filmography, I don't see a single movie I really liked. I think this movie might have just been a paycheck for Apted.
Acting. Other than Poulter, the acting is still pretty bad. Georgie Henley (who plays Lucy) has an unmemorable performance, as does Skandar Keynes (Edmund). Ben Barnes is actually not too bad and having him drop the Spanish accent was a good idea. But the Dawn Treader's captain, played by Gary Sweet, was pretty stale. All of the other performances are just as forgettable.
THE END: Voyage of the Dawn Treader might be the last Chronicles of Narnia movie we see in theatres. Though, I could be wrong since the movie has earned $372 million worldwide so far with a budget of $155 million. I hope I'm wrong as the series isn't terrible, but there's definitely a lack of creative storytelling. The movie is mostly on par with Prince Caspian, but not as good as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Dawn Treader isn't a movie you should rush out to see unless you are a C.S. Lewis addict or you have pre-teens. Also, the 3D is not worth it. I say wait to rent this one.
DISCUSS: What did you think of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader? How would you compare it to the other Narnia movies? What is your favorite Narnia book? Do you want them to continue making these movies?
CASPIAN: "Dibs." EDMUND: "Damn it."
I would like them to continue making the movies because of their value as a series. It's a brilliant story overall, but I don't think any of them, except perhaps The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, can stand on its own. The next book, The Silver Chair, is by far my least favorite, and I'm definitely not alone there. If they decide to make the next film, Will Poulter will be a big reason why.
ReplyDeleteIt made me sad to be so disappointed in The Voyage because it's my favorite book ever. It's written more like a series of short stories which makes it an excellent read, but a boring movie. It's climax wasn't very exciting because it wasn't written that way. They had to add the green Lost monster smoke to make the short stories more cohesive, which I understand. It seems to me they did the best they could with what they had.
If they continue the series, I'll be looking forward to The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle.
I'm with you, Sam. I loved the book and thought it could be great visually, which I think it was, but wasn't sure how they'd make it a good story. Silver Chair is also my least favorite Narnia book, The Horse and His Boy is ok, but Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle are definitely the ones I hope they get a chance to make. It would be so sad for them to not be able to finish the series!
ReplyDeleteDespite the very compressed nature of the film, and some of the other shortcomings you've pointed out, it was a good movie. I agree -- the 3D was unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI'm a HUGE fan of the books, and one who doesn't go to many movies. I didn't read the series until I was an adult.
I was inspired to write a song several years ago, after reading the book. The primary inspiration was Reepicheep's yearning to travel to Aslan's country at the end of the world, a main theme in the book that, unfortunately, was mostly absent from the movie.
I pitched the song, "Eastward," to Twentieth Century Fox hoping they would pick it up as a trailer for the movie... but alas it was not meant to be. And after seeing the movie, I realized that the song would have made little sense to viewers unfamiliar with the book.
If you’re interested, have a listen here: www.nickmilos.com/music.htm
Will Poulter was outstanding as Eustace!
Unfortunately I cannot comment on the differences from the book to the movie, but from what I hear, there are a few. I really hope they keep making them, and maybe they will. Like I said, it's not like the movie is not making the studio any money. It's just if it's enough money. In the scheme of things, the studio is going to ask itself if it's worth the risk. Let's look at the numbers and see why it's possible:
ReplyDelete*The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe cost about $180 million to make and grossed $745 million. Very successful.
*Which is why Prince Caspian was made with a bigger budget of $225 million, but only grossed $420 million. Ultimately why Disney decided to drop the series.
*Picked up by Fox and Dawn Treader was made on a budget of only $140 million, 40 million less than the first movie, and has grossed $372 million now.
If I were a studio exec, I would look at these numbers and encourage the continuation of the series at a lower big budget cost like Dawn Treader. Dawn Treader looked great, but just needed some better writing and direction. We'll see. Just pray that they don't turn it into a straight-to-DVD franchise. That would ruin it.
Nick, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I had a listen to "Eastward" and found it enjoyable. Keep up the good work and maybe I'll hear one of your songs in the movies one day.