NarniaFans Review: “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”

Hard to believe that just two years ago, the future of the Narnia franchise was in doubt.  In an utterly classless move, Disney announced on Christmas Eve 2008 that it would no longer co-produce films based on the best-selling novels written by C.S. Lewis.  A much happier holiday for fans awaited one month later, however, when Walden Media announced a partnership with 20^th Century Fox to bring the third book, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” to the silver screen.

So how did the studios do?

Overall, not bad – not bad at all.  My mostly spoiler-free review follows.

The source material for the film is better than “Prince Caspian,” and much of it translates on screen.  The adventurous “Dawn Treader” plot moves at an aggressive pace.  This trait has both good and bad consequences for the film; while it is hard to get bored because of the quick pace, audiences don’t have many opportunities to let breathtaking shots (and there are several) or poignant moments (ditto) sink in.  Will Poulter is perfect as Eustace Clarence Scrubb, the boy who almost deserved it, and the supporting cast is good, though something struck me as “off” about Bille Brown’s performance as the magician Coriakin.  And thankfully, Ben Barnes’ embarrassingly bad Mediterranean accent has been relegated to the heap of discarded bad filmmaking ideas, replaced with the actor’s natural English tongue.

Regretfully, the film is not above reproach.  A subplot involving a small girl in search of her missing mother, which does not appear in the novel, seemed both cliché and unnecessary to the film’s central narrative.  While the idea of making temptation a primary theme to “Dawn Treader” is a good one, it’s on-screen execution sometimes falters.  The worst is Coriakin’s line “You must defeat the darkness within.”  One would think a film with a budget north of $140 million, four screenwriters, and an excellent director could muster something, anything, better than that turkey.

Still, “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is one worth taking.  Some rough market research last week suggested the film had broad appeal (male and female, young and old), and it’s not hard to see why.  Essentially, there is something here for everyone: solid special effects, a battle with a sea serpent, better character development, and more than a few emotional scenes between key characters and Aslan, ruler of Narnia.

In the film’s closing moments, Lucy asks Aslan if he will visit her on Earth.  I shall not repeat his response here, but take the question in another direction.  Will Narnia fans see a fourth film in the franchise?  That will depend on the financial performance of entry number three.  The ingredients are certainly there for a sure-fire holiday hit, but moviegoers can be fickle.  As some of the best stories in Narnia have yet to be told, I hope audiences respond and are rewarded with a capable adaptation of “The Silver Chair.”

FINAL VERDICT: FIVE SHIELDS OUT OF SEVEN.  All things considered, “Dawn Treader” may be the best Narnia film yet.