Anyone who grew up with dreams of helming their own vessel on the open sea will identify strongly with “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” book in the Chronicles of Narnia. The third installment from the beloved fantasy series is now in theaters, just in time for Christmas. Directed by the prolific British director Michael Apted, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” continues the classic tale of the Pevensie family and their heroic deeds in the land of Narnia, as originally told by C.S. Lewis.
The story starts much in the same way as previous adventures, when the children find themselves magically transported from the dangerous world of German U-boats to the equally dangerous world of sea serpents. It’s the same Narnia we all know and love — complete with talking animals, evil witches and, of course, Aslan the Lion.
The book
The Narnia series is known for its use of allegory and deep moral lessons. In the “Dawn Treader,” there’s enough metaphor and underlying messages to make your head spin. Like the famous sea odysseys of the past, the story is best defined as a voyage into the unknown. This concept works well enough as a literary device, but doesn’t seem to translate well to film. The plot is merely a string of confusing episodes tied together as the children journey from island to island on “the finest ship in the Narnian Navy.”
The purpose of their quest remains ambiguous as they go in search of magic swords and lost lords. Danger manifests itself in many ways, with the ultimate nemesis being a big cloud of green smoke. With this kind of original, it seems like “Dawn Treader” might actually play better as a video game than a movie, but I digress.
The movie
The film takes a darker tone than previous pictures, addressing such topics as slavery, jealousy and greed — but it’s still a kid’s movie, and the kids take center stage throughout the film. There is regrettably sparse scene-stealing to be found from the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), or any other adult for that matter. Edmund (Skandar Kenes) and Caspian (Ben Barnes) desperately try to prove to each other who the bigger grownup is, while Lucy (Georgie Hensley) loses a little of her childlike innocence, temporarily giving into the temptation of the dreaded green mist.
The “Dawn Treader” famously introduces the character of Eustace Scrubb played adequately by Will Polter, known for his role in the quirky comedy “Son of Rambow”. Eustace is annoying — but that’s the point. Still, it is a welcome relief when he becomes a speechless dragon. In fact, most of the digital characters are more enchanting than the live ones. The valiant Reepicheep (Simon Pegg) is the highlight of the movie, just as in the books, and Liam Neeson returns as Aslan, of course.
The real reason why anyone pays money to see these kinds of films is for the special effects wizardry we’ve all come to expect. It would be a mistake not to see the “Dawn Treader” in 3D. It’s fun to watch audiences flinch as splashes of water come out of the screen.
Sailing into the franchise future
“The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” was a movie perhaps as beloved as the books. Box office and DVD sales testify to that. But after the disappointing performance of the fine sequel “Prince Caspian,” the future of the Narnia series on screen has since been a little murky.
Ultimately, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is not as good as the first two films, but is a decent addition to the franchise. Time will tell if it will indeed be the last voyage for the film series. If there’s any future hope of seeing “The Silver Chair” in a theater near you, the “Dawn Treader” will have to at least meet studio expectations, if not exceed them.
