Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader (2010)

Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are called back to Narnia by Aslan. Along with their cousin, Eustace, a spoiled rotten, selfish young boy, they arrive on the Dawn Treader, a ship captained by King Caspian.

Caspian, played by Ben Barnes, is searching for the seven lords his uncle sent out over the ocean. When they find the first lord, he gives them a magic sword. They soon discover that they must find the remaining swords and place them on Aslan's table in order to defeat the evil spreading over the islands.

They will be tempted in many ways. Can they overcome these temptations and find all the swords to dispel the mist?

From all the reviews I've read, it seems producer Andrew Adamson, and executive producers Douglas Gresham and Perry Moore opted to make The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the biggest departure from C.S. Lewis's classic children's books. The reviews, like those for the other two movies, are varied and conflicting. People who haven't read the books (like me) enjoy the beautiful settings, epic adventure, and special effects this movie provides. Lovers of Lewis's books, however, decry the departure from the books' storylines and the stripping away of the more Christian elements.

Our family saw The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the movie theater not long after it came out. In 3D, it is a spectacular addition to the series. While Peter (William Moseley) and Susan Pevensie (Anna Popplewell) only appear in cameos during one of Lucy's dreams, fans of the movies are treated to seeing Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Caspian (Barnes) again. Liam Neeson and Simon Pegg also return to offer their voices to Aslan and Reepicheep respectively.

I was disappointed that Peter and Susan's departure to America is never explained in the movie. We don't know why the Pevensie children were separated; though we know by the end of the second movie the older two will not be returning to Narnia. Also interesting, and a bit lazy, is that like Peter in Prince Caspian, Edmund is finding it hard to be an average kid in England after being a king in Narnia. Lucy reminds him he's not a king in England, just as Susan reminded Peter they would need to get used to the fact that they may never return to Narnia at the beginning of Prince Caspian.

Will Poulter's Eustace Scrubb is an annoying little brat--a character you love to hate. Poulter did a fine job of creating Eustace to be so unlikable in the beginning that you wish Reepicheep had thrown him back into the water instead of keeping him on the Dawn Treader.

Each character is tested while on the journey. Lucy desires to be beautiful like her older sister Susan. I never got the feeling from the first two movies that Lucy was jealous of her sister, so this is a bit of a surprise. It's also not part of the book if the reviews I've read are accurate. Edmund and Caspian are tempted by a pool that turns everything into gold. But the focus in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is definitely more on the transformation of Eustace.

Being the selfish little runt that he is, Eustace finds a stash of gold and treasure, and gives into the temptation. As a result, he is turned into a dragon. It is the lessons he learns while a flying dragon and his contribution to the battle to place the swords at the table of Aslan that bring about his amazing transformation. While the battle moves the plot forward, it is not the focus of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as it was in the previous two installments. Even Edmund is surprised that he and Lucy were called back to Narnia when there are no wars to fight.

The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe is definitely my favorite out of the three, but The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a close second. Eustace's transformation is a big reason for that. While my understanding is that his conversion back to a boy is handled much differently than it was in the book, I do feel, overall the movie captured Lewis's message. This is the only movie of the three that I felt a PG rating was okay.

While opening weekends for the second two movies were significantly less than for the first one, the movies still did well. The Silver Chair is listed on the IMDB as in development for release in 2015. A lot can happen in four years, so we'll see what happens.

Actors: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet
Directors: Michael Apted
Writers: C.S. Lewis, Christopher Markus, Michael Petroni, Stephen McFeely
Producers: Andrew Adamson, Cort Kristensen, Douglas Gresham
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: April 8, 2011
Run Time: 113 minutes
ASIN: B004M1A21K
SRP:  $29.98

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children are called back to Narnia to overthrow an evil king and restore the rightful heir, Prince Caspian, to the throne.

The movie opens with Peter (William Moseley) in the middle of a fight. He's frustrated they haven't been called back to Narnia. While it's only been a year in their world, hundreds of years have passed in Narnia. During that time, Aslan has left. The Telmarines have risen to power, led by Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and a newborn heir to the throne means that Prince Caspian's (Ben Barnes) life is in danger. He blows on the horn belonging to Susan (Anna Poppelwell), calling the kings and queens of old to return to Narnia.

The Pevensies aren't prepared for what they find. The Narnians had been attacked, and they now hide underground. The Telmarines have spread the word that the Narnians are extinct. When the Narnians care for Prince Caspian, who was injured while trying to escape Miraz's soldiers, he decides to help them take back what is theirs, with a promise of peace to follow. This puts him at odds with Peter, who upon learning what has happened to Narnia, plans to lead the charge.

Again, I went to the reviews on Amazon of this movie to see what people who had read the books said about The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Amazingly, I already agreed with them even though I had no idea these things were different between the movie and the books. Out of the three movies, Caspian is my least favorite. They turned Peter into an egotistical jerk. Suddenly, he has a big head and expects to be treated like a king outside of Narnia. He picks a fight with a guy who bumped him because the guy expected him to apologize. We find out this is a regular thing for him lately when Susan asks, "What was it this time?" The practical Susan says they need to realize that it's possible they will never return to Narnia.

Prince Caspian blowing on Susan's horn calls them back to the magical world of Narnia. Though the Narnians had pledged their swords and lives to Caspian, Peter decides to take charge. While this creates necessary conflict for the film, I didn't enjoy seeing him at odds with Caspian. We now realize why they had to make him an egotistical jerk.

Lucy spies Aslan, but no one believes her; especially Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage), a sullen, sarcastic dwarf whose life they save soon after entering Narnia. He feels betrayed by Aslan's disappearance and all he allowed to happen to the Narnians. Lucy, played by the talented Georgie Henley, delivers another winning performance. The youngest Pevensie sibling, her insight and opinions are often disregarded. It is her strong faith in Aslan that allows her to see him; though Aslan does give her what's for when they finally meet. She tells him she wanted to come to him earlier, but the others didn't believe her. He asks, "And why would that stop you from coming to me?"

Edmund, played by Skandar Keynes, has changed since his first visit to Narnia. He seems to have grown up more than his older brother. Though the sibling rivalry is still there between the boys, it's Peter's actions that dictate the moments of tension between them.

The other thing I wasn't keen on is the romantic element between Susan and Caspian. It led to some serious looks and a humorous moment at the end, but overall, it seemed an unnecessary part of the film.

The stunning setting and superb special effects make The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian an amazing film, even if the content left a bit to be desired. My Christian friends have been disappointed in how the books have been brought to life on the big screen, but I can't imagine Hollywood producing this movie without stripping away some of the Christian elements. It's a shame that's the case, but if a viewer hadn't read the books, then they would take the movie at face value. I still wish the rating on this movie (and the first) would have been PG-13. The violent battles warrant it. Though the books are geared toward a younger audience, this movie is even darker than the first, and should be rated as such.

DVD Product Details:

Actors: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes
Directors: Andrew Adamson
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: Unknown (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
DVD Release Date: December 2, 2008
Run Time: 149 minutes
ASIN: B00005JPH2
SRP:  $19.99

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The first book of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia was brought to the big screen in 2005 by Disney. While this is not the first production adapted from Lewis's classic books, it is the only one I've seen that left me excited enough to wish to explore the books.

The Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) are evacuated from London during the Blitz and sent to live with a professor and his housekeeper. While playing hide-and-seek, Lucy steps into a wardrobe and discovers Narnia, a magical land filled with mythical creatures and talking animals. She befriends Mr. Tumnus, a timid faun. Tumnus explains about Narnia, and how it is always cold because of the White Witch. Though he is supposed to turn Lucy over to the White Witch, he can't do this to his new friend, so he guides her back to the lamppost where they first met so she can return home.

Lucy's siblings don't believe her story. It isn't until they are all forced to hide in the wardrobe to escape the professor's mean housekeeper, that they enter Narnia together. This sets them on an adventure that none of them would ever have believed if they hadn't experienced it for themselves.

I made a point to read some of the Amazon reviews of this DVD prior to writing my review. As someone who hasn't read the books yet, my opinion is bound to be different from many of them.  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe impressed me with its special effects, the lush landscape, and action scenes. We first meet the Pevensies as they are rushing to the shelter during the bombing of London.

William Moseley plays the oldest brother, Peter. With their father fighting in the war, Peter is trying to act like the man of the house. He instantly clashes with his younger brother, Edmund (Skandar Keynes), who is missing his father and not thrilled about Peter trying to take his place--especially when he tells Edmund what to do.  Susan (Anna Popplewell) is a beautiful, smart girl and the second oldest Pevensie child. As her character moves along, we see that Susan appreciates logic and has a gentle heart. She seems to be the peacemaker when the siblings fight, but she tends to be a bit hard on Peter.  Lucy, played so well by Georgie Henley, is innocent and open to new experiences. She is more curious than afraid when she enters Narnia for the first time and immediately befriends Mr. Tumnus. She is seeking for what she, as such a young girl, can contribute to help Aslan and Narnia. Her youth leads her to easily believe all that Aslan tells her.

After reading some of the Amazon reviews--many that compared the book to the movie--I can say it doesn't surprise me if Hollywood dealt with the Christian aspects of the book  in a more subtle way; but a Christian viewer would be hard pressed to miss the allegories. One thing I felt was missing, however, is an explanation as to why the Pevensies were sent to Professor Kirke's house. It bothered me throughout the movie, and in the times since, when I watched the DVD at home. Who is this professor? What link does he have to the children? A simple few words at the train station between the children and their mother would have explained why they were being sent there instead of somewhere else.

The DVD contains extras like bloopers and commentaries, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Close to the books or not, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my favorite contemporary films. While I thought a PG-13 rating would have been better considering all the fight scenes and the epic battle at the end, my girls who are younger than that enjoyed the film too.

DVD Product Details:

Actors: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell
Directors: Andrew Adamson
Writers: Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Producers: Andrew Adamson, David Minkowski
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), French (Unknown), Spanish (Unknown)
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
DVD Release Date: April 4, 2006
Run Time: 143 minutes
ASIN: B000E8M0VA
SRP:  $19.99

April 2011 A to Z Blogging Challange

What is the A to Z Challenge? It’s blogging a letter of the alphabet every day the month of April (with Sundays off for good behavior.) It began April 1st, with the letter A and ends April 30th, with the letter Z. You can click here to see who else is participating in this challenge.




Today's post is for the letter:

When I was younger--much younger--I went through a fascination with unicorns. I had a blanket with a huge picture of a unicorn on it. I had glass plates bought at fairs with beautiful unicorns on them surrounded by striking backgrounds. When my son was born I put together a nursery filled with unicorns. Yes, it was an obsession.

I sometimes wonder why this love of unicorns never expanded to fantasy books. Fantasy is not a genre I read often. While I enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia movies based upon the books by C.S. Lewis, I've never read the books. The books aren't even all that big--a personal pet peeve I have with fantasy novels since so many of them are  heavy enough to be used as doorstops.

One would think I would at least have read The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Since the book first came out in 1968, it has been made into a stage play and a film. But no, I'm okay with having not explored this piece of my fascination with the one-horned mythical being.

There are a few fantasy novels I've enjoyed:

Magic, Mensa & Mayhem by Karina Fabian
Rast by Christopher Hoare
First Night and The Elf of Luxembourg by Tom Weston
The Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Larkin

I have the next book by C.S. Larkin in my TBR pile. Other than that, though, I would much rather explore my favorite genres: historicals, mysteries, Christian fiction, and romantic suspense.

Did you ever have a fascination with unicorns? Do you enjoy fantasy novels? If you do, what is the best fantasy novel you've ever read?