Since Dinner Time
People Don't Just Stop and Stare When We Do the News

Buried, but not forgotten OPINIONs

Movie Review:‘Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ keeps books' magic alive
By Ezra Mann (Editor in Spoof)

Let me start off by doing something I rarely get to do when it comes to discussing the practices of Hollywood, thanking a studio for picking up a good idea another one dropped for reasons of greed. I give my respects to 20th Century Fox for picking up the Chronicles of Narnia series at least for this film and not letting it die while in mid project, as Disney seemed perfectly fine to do despite the amount of work already accomplished.
That said, despite what happened to delay this motion picture project, it was an effort that was well worth the wait. There were some hard feelings over how Prince Caspian had departed too much from the books, but this does not have that problem, it may in fact be in some ways better than even the first film. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” only further showed the potential these stories by C.S. Lewis have in other forms of media and gave me reason to want to experience them all over again.
For those who have not read through the stories that inspired the adaptations, this particular adventure picks up during the third book (or fourth if you start chronologically), set a few years after the previous tale. Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) has taken the peacetime he has been given in his kingdom to set sail on the Dawn Treader to try and find seven lords who fled during his uncle’s crazed rise to power.
While out at sea he is joined by two unexpected guests, his former comrades in battle, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) as well as one not so welcomed guest, their cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter). The latter cast member seems to want nothing, but to disrupt the enjoyment of everyone around him, but his stubbornness may have a match in a return of another beloved character, Reepicheep (Simon Pegg). What follows is an adventure the whole family should enjoy, especially those who can’t get enough Aslan (Liam Neeson).
I’m not going to get my hopes up too high that the studios will do the right thing and keep the epic going, but it at least leaves things on a positive footing. I highly recommend this to both fans and casual moviegoers alike because it won’t leave you feeling empty after paying theater price.
The visual world makes want to visit these places as well and the only thing I might have changed would have been to spend even more time to appreciate the majesty. Though it may escape notice from the higher awards this year, I’m glad I chose this over the more popular box office mush earning “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” four out of five roars.

Images are copyright of Walden Media and 20th Century Fox.

 

Previous Opinion: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 review.

 
1031 B.C. - 2010 A.D., Really Pathetic, LLC.