Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
Is there any doubt that the Narnia franchise is the absolute cream of the modern day crop of childrenâs movies? Featuring positive, life-affirming themes, Christian-based allegories of strength, faith, and good will, and likable characters (both animal and human) that kids of all ages can relate to, the stories certainly carry a more moving and emotional weight than say, the empty platitudes of the Harry Potter series. This third entry in the series suffers a bit for not including the gorgeous presence of Anna Popplewellâs Susan Pevensie (save for a brief cameo) but Georgie Henley as younger sister Lucy has matured quite well into an appealing female lead in her own right and overcomes many of the annoying little girl clichĂ©s she had in the earlier films, alongside Skandar Keynes returning also as younger brother Edmund and Ben Barnes bringing the rugged hero back into vogue coming back as Prince (now King) Caspian. In addition, a major new character is brought into the fold in the form of Pevensie cousin Eustace (who would basically inherit the mantle as the main character in the series), and young Will Poulter in the part is actually quite good, with Eustace being portrayed first as a complete prick who whines and complains about everything in this new world he encounters (and Polter deftly playing him off as funny rather than irritating) up to the realization of his destiny and the full extent of his character arc which is very well handled in both the acting AND writing departments. The story this time involves Caspian sailing across the ocean in search of the âseven lordsâ who had fled when his father was murdered, to find out about their well being as well as retrieving seven magical swords they possess which can set right the current evil plaguing Narnia, all the while picking up his two old friends along with their cousin on the way. As a result, the movie becomes more episodic and less focused, as the ship stops at various islands where a sort of mini-story is played out on each one, including a slave revolt, an encounter with a magician who advises them on their path, and a desolate place with little food or shelter but LOTS of gold and other valuable treasures. The main theme this time is that for the heroes to overcome the darkness they face, they must overcome the darkness within themselves, with Lucy struggling to come to terms with her emerging beauty and envy of her ravishing older sister, Caspian trying to find a balance between wanting to be reunited with his father and accepting the responsibility of being King of Narnia, and Edmund overcoming his own insecurities which seem to manifest themselves in the form of the still chilling White Witch known as Jadis (Tilda Swinton). The character of the warrior mouse Reepicheep returns, with a little too much emphasis placed on his swashbuckling wiseacre personality, and of course Liam Neeson comes along again to voice the role of Aslan The Lion, still after all this time a character who has lost none of his magnitude, giving the viewer goosebumps just from his saintly, majestic presence. It all leads up to a well done confrontation on a âdark islandâ, and another textbook emotional closing scene as well which is a standard for the series. Overall, more good work adapted from the writings of C.S. Lewis, and the hope that the series can continue for the good of childrenâs cinemaâŠ
8/10