The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the third-published book in C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles book series finds Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) dreaming of returning to Narnia where they were a queen and king. In England, they are stuck living with their aunt and uncle during World War II. Instead of battling mythical creatures, they’re stuck fighting with their annoying cousin Eustace (Will Poulter). Then one day a painting in their room comes to life and transports them back to Narnia and onto the Dawn Treader, the sailing vessel of King Caspian (Ben Barnes). At first they are unsure why they have been called back, but soon learn of the evil of Dark Island, which has been trapping people in its seductive green mist and set out on a quest to find the Seven Lost Lords in order to stop the evil.
As I walked into the screening I can honestly say I was not anticipating much from the film because it’s predecessor; PRINCE CASPIAN was a major let down but I was pleasantly pleased. DAWN TREADER kept my attention all the way through and with its fun characters; actions sequences and shorter viewing time made it less of chore to sit through. The budget was cut back significantly for this film due to the underwhelming performance of PRINCE CASPIAN and sadly in the visual effects it shows at certain points. For performances the standout in particular is Poulter, who is remarkably clever for an actor of his age. While it doesn’t come close to creating the fantastic adventure and magic that was established in THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, but it does improve on PRINCE CASPIAN. With all that said it is a perfect film for ‘tweens and the adults who accompany them have the pleasure of knowing they can sit back and enjoy the adventure as well.
Grade Scale: B
Number Scale: 2 ½ Stars
Released: December 9, 2010
Hey Narnia fans, don’t forget that Dawn Treader releases on Blu Ray DVD on April 8th. Help spread the word to your friends by retweeting this reminder with #narniavoyage