The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Were it not for the fact that it's based on a piece of literature, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader could easily be mistaken for an uninspired cash-in sequel. There's a weariness to this recent return to Narnia. The plot and special effects are strictly by the numbers, the characters are mere hollow shells of who they once were, and the whole film in general feels unnecessary, especially when we discover there's so little behind it all.

The central weakness is that the film lacks any real reason to exist. Granted, it's well made. The actors certainly do their best. And it's kind of nice to see the old familiar faces of the past films again. But that's about it. What we get stuck with is an overly structured and familiar plot that drags these familiar faces from Point A to Point B, with little time for any character building, or personal moments that may have helped them grow. Just as in the previous films, the action kicks off in England during World War II. The four Pevensie children have been reduced to two, as the two eldest children, Peter and Susan, have been sent off to live and study in the U.S. This leaves the younger siblings, Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skander Keynes) behind to have to put up with their insufferable and bratty young relative, Eustace (Will Poulter), who they are now living with.

The movie seems to be in a rush during these early scenes. We're quickly re-introduced to Lucy and Edmund, get some rapid fire exposition about what happened to Peter and Susan, have a quick run in with Eustace, and then we're whisked off to the land of Narnia in a rather confusing manner. As Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace stand in a bedroom and argue, a painting of a ship at sea on the wall suddenly comes to life, and starts filling the room with water. Before they, or we the audience, know what has happened, the three children are floating in the middle of the ocean, face-to-face with the great ship, The Dawn Treader, captained by the noble King Caspian (Ben Barnes) from the previous story. Why have the children been summoned back to this magical land? The characters ask the question, but never really get an answer. Because of this, it is way too easy to give the cynical answer - They are back because the studio that finances the films needed more money.

There are some reunions on the ship, most notably with the noble mouse knight, Reepicheep (voice by Simon Pegg), who is just as brave and cute as ever. But before we can get comfortable with the reunion, the creaky old plot kicks in. It seems that Caspian is searching for seven mythical swords that hold the power to save the land from a mysterious green mist that is appearing throughout Narnia, and devouring anyone who comes in contact with it. While this sounds dire in theory, the movie takes a rather lethargic tone. There's never the sense of danger that the earlier films achieved, such as when the children were facing down the cruel White Witch in the original. (Tilda Swinton does make a brief cameo return as the Witch, making us miss her presence all the more.) The heroes set sail to find the legendary swords, and their adventure is surprisingly mundane as fantasy stories go. There's a run-in with some greedy slave traders early on, someone gets turned into a dragon at one point, and a sea monster shows up for the climactic battle. Kind of feels like small potatoes when you consider the kind of stuff Harry Potter and his friends are going up against in their latest adventure, which is probably playing in the same building as this movie.

Dawn Treader seems curiously small in scope. It's limited in just about every area, and never gives us the sense that we're exploring a living, breathing world. It's shot well, and yeah, the CG effects are effective and clean. Maybe that's the problem. Everything looks a little too polished. We get a sense that we're looking at some very well realized sets, not a lived-in world. We also never get a sense for the creatures that inhabit Narnia. We get massive minotaurs and swashbuckling mice, but that's all they are. Just impressive effects. There's nothing behind them. In one curious scene, the group of heroes come across some invisible troll-like creatures who hop around on one foot. They show up, do some comic relief antics, and then are never seen or heard from again. The humor these creatures provide doesn't even seem right for the movie they're in. It's like they wandered in from a bad Monty Python sketch.

The film is directed by Michael Apted, a filmmaker who has made some great dramas and documentaries, but seems to be going strictly by the book here in the fantasy adventure genre. He checks off all the mandatory scenes and characters, but there's no emotion behind anything. When Aslan the lion (once again voiced by Liam Neeson) finally makes his appearance toward the end, there's no sense of majesty and awe. Maybe that's what the movie needed more of. More wonder. More danger for the heroes to find themselves in. As it is, the kids who act as the heroes have been through a lot worse than this, and it's going to take more to raise the excitement level of the audience.

One final note: The film is being shown in 3D in most areas, but ticket buyer beware. It was a last minute conversion, meaning the 3D was added in as an afterthought. The screening I saw was in 2D, so I cannot comment on how good or bad the effects are. I will say that, having seen the film, there was nothing up there that made me think 3D would be necessary, nor did I miss wearing those dumb glasses. The choice is up to you, but I would beg that you ask yourself - Is it really worth paying extra money to watch a movie you probably will have forgotten two months from now?

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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