Blu-ray.com reviews the Dawn Treader

April 3, 2011 Daniel James Narnia Film News, NarniaFans.com, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Movie News 30

Blu-Ray.com has reviewed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on both its content and its technical aspects!

Here’s an excerpt of their review of the story itself:

“…Nonetheless, Dawn Treader will probably capture kids’ attentions, which is what matters most for this kind of oversized production. The child-empowering action rarely ceases, there’s a cuddly animal sidekick in Simon Pegg’s furry pint-sized warrior Reepicheep, and there’s just enough of the scary stuff to keep wee ones on the edge of their seats. Presiding over it all is Liam Neeson’s Aslan, the King of the Jungle-slash-Lord of Lords who delivers the film’s parting, proselytizing message: ‘In your world I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.'”

 

There is also a quite lengthy but informative review about the technical aspects of the film. Here are the ratings they gave (for the Blu-ray):

-Video quality: 4/5

-Audio quality: 4.5/5

-Special Features and Extras: 3/5

-Overall Score and Recommendation: 3/5

 

There are some special notes covered in the review, particularly about the changed aspect ratio. Here’s what they had to say about it:

“Ever since fans noticed that Dawn Treader was advertised to have a 1.78:1 framed image on Blu-ray—instead of the “Scope” 2.39:1 ratio with which it was exhibited in theaters—there’s been a lot of heated internet speculation about the film’s 1080p/AVC encode. Some were espousing a worst-case scenario—that the sides of the picture had been unceremoniously lopped off, harkening back to the dark pan ‘n’ scan days of yore. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the situation. I’ve taken several screengrabs from the Scope theatrical trailer included on the disc, and when you compare them to the shots from the 1.78:1 film you can immediately see that no cropping has occurred. Rather, what we have here is another Avatar scenario, where the film was shot in 1.78:1, printed in Scope at 2.39:1 for its 35mm theatrical showings, and then re-opened up for Blu-ray. The key reason for this, from James Cameron’s perspective, was to make the most use of available screen real estate, and I’m assuming this is also the intent of Dawn Treader’s Blu-ray producers. If you take a look at the 19th and 20th screenshots in this review—the first from the film, the second from the trailer—you can make your own comparison.”

Below are the screenshots mentioned in the paragraph above. The first shows what the movie looked like in theaters (2.39:1), and the second shows what it looks like on Blu-ray (and, presumably, on DVD as well) (1.78:1).

 

 

Another special note: Although the film, while released in theaters, had 7.1 surround sound, the Blu-ray/DVD only has 5.1 surround sound.

“Voyage of the Dawn Treader featured a 7.1 surround mix in theaters, but on Blu-ray 20th Century Fox has—for reasons unknown—stuck with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Granted, the percentage of viewers who have 7.1 home theater set-ups is probably a small slice of the film’s potential audience, but if you have a ready-made 7.1 mix, why not use it? Still, I don’t feel too cheated; two missing channels aside, this is a strong and almost constantly active lossless audio track, one that—cranked loud enough—will certainly put your speakers through the paces. From the start we get WWII-era Spitfires roaring through the rear channels, rushing, gurgling water filling the surrounds during the painting-come-to-life scene, and enough windy, oceanic ambience to convince you that you’re at the beach. From here, the sonic insanity only escalates; one-footed Dufflepuds hop around us, their voices circling ominously; storms rage on the open seas, sending rain and spray in every direction; the dragon fight is filled with zipping, cross-channel arrows, leathery fluttering wings, and gut-throbbing LFE undertones. It all sounds wonderful, with rock-solid low-end response, punchy engagement, and clarity throughout the dynamic range. David Arnold’s score has similar presence— and sets an appropriately adventurous tone—and the dialogue crests cleanly over these wild aural waves, always clean and intelligible. Even without the extra surround channels, I’m tempted to give this track full marks.”

 

Below is a list of all the special features and extras that come on the Blu-ray disc.

 

Goldwater Island

  • Explore Goldwater Island (1080p, 00:50)
  • Dragon Discovery (1080p, 00:56)
  • Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:12)

Lone Islands

  • Explore Narrowhaven (1080p, 00:42)
  • Minotaur Discovery (1080p, 00:51)
  • Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:27): Includes four short deleted scenes.
  • The Epic Continues (1080p, 2:15): The director, producers, and stars briefly discuss this entry in the series.

Magician’s Island

  • Explore Magician’s Island (1080p, 00:42)
  • Dufflepud Discovery (1080p, 1:01)
  • Commentary by Director Michael Apted and Producer Mark Johnson

Dawn Treader

  • King Caspian’s Guide to the Dawn Treader (1080p, 4:13): A guided tour through each section of the ship, from the State Room, Map Room, and Oar Room, to the Main Deck and, of course, the Poop Deck.
  • The Secret Islands: Untold Adventures of the Dawn Treader (1080p, 7:20): An animated epilogue of sorts.
  • In Character with Liam Neeson (SD, 5:06): Neeson talks about the character of Aslan and the process of doing the voice recording.
  • In Character with Georgie Henley and Will Poulter (SD, 5:20): Eustace and Lucy discuss their approach to the characters.
  • Direct Effect: Michael Apted (SD, 6:27): Director Michael Apted discusses the particular challenges of working on the third entry in the series.
  • Making a Scene (SD, 9:11): A featurette about the filming of the transition-to-Narnia scene.

The Dark Island

  • Explore the Dark Island (1080p, 00:57)
  • White Witch Discovery (1080p, 00:36)
  • Serpent Discovery (1080p, 00:42)
  • Portal to Narnia: A Painting Comes to Life (1080p, 7:22): Another visual FX featurette exploring the creation of the watery transition to Narnia scene.
  • Good vs. Evil: Battle on the Sea (1080p, 10:55): An on-set look at the filming of the sea battle.

Ramandu’s Island

     

  • Explore Ramandu’s Island (1080p, 00:59)

  • Reepicheep Discovery (1080p, 1:10)

  • Aslan Discovery (1080p, 1:02)

  • Liliandil Discovery (1080p, 00:52)

  • Search for the Seven Swords Match Game (1080p): A simple matching game that tasks you with memorizing the locations of the seven swords.

  • VFX Progression (1080p, 13:00): Visual effects breakdowns of several shots, showing various passes, all leading to the final finished scene. With optional commentary by director Michael Apted and producer Mark Johnson.

BD-Live Exclusives

  • Enchanted Tour of the Narnia Islands (720p, 4:24): A quick tour of the locales featured in the film.
  • Return to Magic (720p, 4:33): A talking head fluff piece promo.

 

 

You can read the entire article (which also contains several more details which are worth reading, as well as 19 high quality screenshots from the Blu-ray) HERE.

Also, you can buy any version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on the Family Christian Stores site HERE.

 

 

 

About Daniel James 31 Articles
First of all, I'm a Christian. Second, I love Narnia! I've been reading the books ever since I was little, and I've been following the Narnia fansites ever since the LWW movie came out. You might know me as The Bulgy Bear. I'm homeschooled, and I'm the oldest of five children.
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30 Comments

  1. anyone know the difference between the regular 2 disc and the special 2 disc?

  2. The film is amazing so the DVD will be great also. I like DVD extras but I’ll be buying the film to watch over and over again – saw it at the cinemas twice and loved it both times. In a typically disappointingly, unsurprising, anti-Christian and almost amusing manner, the ‘Blu-Ray.com’ article ‘exposes’ the ‘scandal’ that the film has a Christian message. Was there ever any doubt that C.S. Lewis’ faith inspired the stories? Can anyone, of any faith community, enjoy these films without feeling preached at? Of course they can! Is there an encouraging message that anyone can relate to and is this an inspiring film? Of course it is!

    • I find the VDT film to be anything but Christian. In the book, the problem is internal (character flaws) and the solution is external (Aslan). In the movie, it is flipped around: The problem is external (the mist) and the solution is internal (“don’t run from who you are”).

      The book is a noble quest to find the lost seven lords. The movie is a video game about trying to find their swords to blow up some green smoke that is doing…something. They don’t even seem to care about the lords in the movie. Whenever they find a lord, it’s just “Look! Get the sword!”

      Not only does the film fail to capture the essence of VDT, it’s almost an anti-VDT and anti-Lewis film in many ways. It’s about the opposite ideas Lewis was conveying.

      • It’s ironic, isn’t it? They get the hate from many atheists and they get the hate from many deep thinking Christians. These filmmakers don’t understand subtly at all, and it seems they don’t understand Lewis either. I wouldn’t say they’re anti-Lewis; after all they’re “adapting” his books, if you could call it that.

        What concerns me is how many of us buy into the “believe in yourself” mania. Should we “be ourselves” or should we try to be like our Savior? That’s the biggest problem with having Narnia done on the big screen. No one, it seems, in that business understands Christian theology, and those who do aren’t allowed to use that understanding. What we get is a progressively twisted Narnia. I can’t wait to see what they do next…

        • Yeah,me too!

          But the thing is ;at least i think so; that people don’t want to give God credit for anything. So they ‘twist’ it a little. And somtimes i get upset that some people don’t see the purpose of Lewis’ books. Like they think it is all romance,magic,adventure and action, but it is more than that.It is a story of creation,God and salvation.
          (those are just a few things anyway.)

          I really wish people would dig deeper and not just watch the surface,if you know what i mean.

          • That’s a problem with our society; we don’t WANT to dig deeper. We like to leave things as they are, and we usually only scratch the surface. That’s one reason why so few Christians (especially young Christians) study the Bible, and why books and movies often seem to have no deeper meaning.

  3. More from their review of the film itself: “None of this has much weight or consequence. The script, by series newcomer Michael Petroni—with help from regulars Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely—plays out like a series of fetch-quests from a particularly repetitive RPG. The video game-like plot structure—go here, get that item, go there, use item—leaves little room for genuine character development. The three penitent children learn their lessons quickly and dutifully, and off we go to find the next sword. […] This is the weakest entry in the series, in my opinion; its story is more diffuse and it even looks cheaper than its lavish predecessors.”

  4. Ok..I’m confused..Which DVD should I buy? Blu-ray,special edition etc ?Does all editions have same features?
    Also,Does the VDT movie edition of the book set contain movie editions of LWW and PC too?
    Can anyone help me please ?

    • Here’s a rundown:
      -3-disk version: It contains the movie (as well as all the extras mentioned in the original post) on a Blu-ray disk; it also contains the movie on a normal DVD (with deleted scenes and an audio commentary); finally, the third disk is a digital copy (which allows you to put the movie on a device such as a video-compatible iPod or other devices).

      -2-disk version: 1 disk has the movie, deleted scenes, and audio commentary; the second disk has several extra features.

      -Single disk: Just the movie, deleted scenes, and audio commentary (note, the commentary is just Director Michael Apted and Producer Mark Johnson, and all three versions have the same commentary)

      • Thanks for the info..Can Blu-ray be played on any computer? And is the special features in the 2-disk same as that in the 3-disk?

        • No, Blu-ray can only be played on special Blu-ray players. Some computers (newer ones) have a Blu-ray player built in, so check if yours can play blu-ray as well.

          And to the best of my knowledge, yes, the special features should be the same. Although I am pretty sure that there are a few extra features in the Blu-ray.

          • OK..Guess I’ll get the 2 disk and watch the extra features in Blu-ray on youtube if someone puts it there 🙂 Thanks a LOT for your help 🙂
            Can u answer this one too 🙂 ?Does the VDT movie edition of the book set contain movie editions of LWW and PC too?

    • If you take a look at the title of the post (as well as several other parts of the post itself), you’ll see that it’s just an April Fools’ joke. =)

    • ooh, it’s georgeous, KL, i love it! I have the “goodness triumphs” leaf 🙂
      Um…you MIGHT want to check the date for that article….
      I can’t imagine how awful it would be to actually BELIVE it… *shudders* 😛

  7. I got the dvd (im in brazil) here just sold the single dvd version, that was nothing special really with dvd features. There are no other movie trailers when we put dvd on (good i expect). To introduce the menu, we see the painting, it starts blowing water, we get in it and see dawn treader during storm on fast motion, and finally opens coriakings map and see aslan there.

  9. What?! It’s not a childcare’s film! It would scare little kids!!!! I would recommend you have to be 9 years old or older, so if there was such thing I would rate it PG 9!!!!

    • Many of the little kids of today have watched Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Spider-man, so I doubt that VDT would scare them very much.

  10. My dad installed a complete surround sound system, as annoying as it normally is, i can’t wait to watch VDT on it!!!! 😀

  12. Heheheeee! Tomorrow is the big day people! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!!!! All in favor of watching it 5 times in a row say “I”!

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