Directed by: Michael Apted
Based upon the novel "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis
Synopsis: Edmond and Lucy Pevensie return to Narnia with their emotionally immature cousin Eustace to help King Caspian find the Seven Lords and their enchanted swords in order to bring peace to all of Narnia. Old characters reemerge to help tell C.S. Lewis' classic tale of redemption and above all else love.
Review: I personally enjoyed it. Other reviews have not been as kind, and I can see where they are coming from. As a longtime fan of this beloved book series, I think this particular series is hard to capture on film. The first film (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) was filled will spells, magical creatures, and an all around magical feel to it. Prince Caspian and Now Dawn Treader were both books that were not as immersed in the magical aspects of Narnia as the first and also the last book were. That being said, I thought the filmmakers did a great job with what they had.
Number one: I thought the film did justice to the book. Along with that, the character development was really on point. Each major character had something that they were wrestling with (Lucy coming into terms of her own beauty, Edmond with becoming a man, Eustace with trying not to be so insufferable, and Caspian coming to terms with being the King he knows he must be). You could really feel with each of the characters' plight, and it doesn't come across being whiny or preachy.
What I really love about these stories is that Love is the most prominent theme. I don't mean falling in love, but learning to love one another despite your differences, and to love your family no matter what kind of mistakes they make. No relationship is perfect, but they love each other despite their upsets.
My favorite part was Reepicheep, the noble mouse. He is SO cute, but also very open to forging new relationships, mainly with Eustace. He was the only one to see Eustace's potential, and stuck by him when he was having a hard time. The end was my favorite part of Reepicheep's journey (but I'm not going to say what it is here!!!).
I don't know what is it about this series, but every time I see Aslan or hear his voice I cry (Liam Neeson does it. If his badass status wasn't solidified before, it definitely is now). Maybe it's something about these books that realy bring be back to my inner child, or I'm just a sally. Either way, these films are so touching. Dawn Treader was no exception to this! I looked like a psycho sitting in the theatre by myself, crying. But what else is new?
One thing I was not a fan of was how Apted opted to change Caspian's accent. In the previous film, Caspian had a Mediterranean accent, but in this it was Ben Barnes' normal English accent. The director said he wanted it to sound a bit more natural for Barnes, but that's a pretty big thing to just change up in following films. Viewers need the contintuity, not to mention kids will actually notice that change.
All in all, I really enjoyed this film. However, I think this will be the last adaptation of the books that we see. The next installment, "The Silver Chair," has only Eustace and his friend Jill return to Narnia. The Pevensie children don't make another appearance until "The Horse and his Boy," and it's a pretty brief reappearance. Prince Caspian didn't perform too well at the box office (so much so that Disney dropped the following film production), and when I went there were only about 20 people in the theater. Guess those of us who love these movies will just have to read the books instead!
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