Pertaining To The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) Pevensie are miserable. Their parents went off to America, taking their older siblings with them and leaving Edmund and Lucy behind in England. To be more specific, leaving them behind at their aunt and uncle's house - to live with their cousin, Eustace Clarence Scrubb (Will Poulter), a boy who almost deserved his name. But when the painting in Lucy's room magically transports the siblings - and their cousin - into Narnia to join now-King Caspian's (Ben Barnes) adventuresome voyage, life suddenly looks a lot brighter.

Pros: They got Aslan right! In the first two movies, little line tweaks messed up his character a little, but in this one... he was perfect. I was very pleased with how much was similar to the book, and with how much was changed. I love a lot of the elements of the book, but it bothered me that there wasn't really a drive behind the voyage. In other words, I really wished there was a more urgent objective other than sailing around looking for the lost lords. And the movie added that. Will Poulter was an awesome Eustace, and was definitely the best part of the movie! Also, a pre-release trailer showed Peter and Susan back in Narnia - but that part never made it into the theater version of the movie. I could really go on and on about what I liked; just suffice it to say I liked everything that didn't make it into my "cons" list.

Cons: Georgie Henley isn't a real great actress, although she's great at screaming. Another thing that bothered me is the rating. Now, I love movies that are intense or creepy (well, to a certain point, anyway), but this movie deserved a PG-13 rating for scariness and creepiness. There were little kids in the theater I went to who were crying by the end of the sea serpent scene. I love the scene; I just don't think it's appropriate for little kids. Also, what about Caspian and Ramandu's daughter?! She was awesome, but there's supposed to be a bit more than "I hope I see you again!" Grr.

Note: Based on the book by C.S. Lewis.

My Rating: T (gross and scary sea serpent, battles)

Picture from impawards.com

On The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) is in trouble. His aunt has just had a baby boy, and his uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), who has been king in all but title since Caspian's father died, now has no use for Caspian. Where Miraz is concerned, that means there's no need for Caspian to remain alive. On the advice of his old tutor, Caspian flees into the woods, taking something called "Queen Susan's Horn" with him. When he is attacked by strange creatures, Caspian blows the horn, calling for the old kings and queens of Narnia - the Pevensie children from England - to return.

Pros: This is a really cool movie. The special effects are awesome, and it's really exciting. Despite what nearly everyone I know says, I really like Peter (William Moseley). Lucy (Georgie Henley) is very sweet, as always. Oh, and Reepicheep (Eddie Izzard) and Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) are hilarious. Also, the book, though filled with deeper meanings and stuff, is very much written for little kids - at least, as far as the style goes. This movie was definitely made to appeal to teenagers as well as kids. Finally, I believe the point of the book, which is faith, remained in the movie despite how much they changed things. (As a side note, Prince Caspian is downright gorgeous.)

Cons: The top of this list is definitely Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Caspian falling in love. I really can't stand Susan, so I can't stand that part of the story. Next comes the tweaking of a couple of Aslan's lines. Changing those took away from him as an image of Christ. Also, although Reepicheep and Trumpkin are funny, they're not really how they're supposed to be. Trumpkin doesn't believe in Aslan, and he's a glass half empty kind of guy, but he's not sullen, and Reepicheep is supposed to be ridiculously puffed up with dignity, not really sarcastic.

Note: Based on the book by C.S. Lewis.

My Rating: OK (frightening images, non-graphic battle scenes)

Picture from impawards.com

Update On Voyage of the Dawn Treader

New trailer for VODT! (Link goes to Ribbons of Light, a blog I follow.) Actually, it's an international trailer with subtitles in a foreign language (Polish, I think, but I'm not sure...). Anyway, this trailer scares me a bit. I had read that VODT was going to be closer to the book than PC was - and that bringing the White Witch back was going to be the only liberty the filmmakers would take. But this... this...! Aaaaah!

On the other hand, one of the problems I have with the book is that the story rambles all over the place without a set story arc. Instead of having a beginning, a few escalating problems that culminate in a big climax scene, and an ending, the book pretty much follows a nice gentle upslope of events that ends in a nice ending. There is no ultimate problem that has to be conquered or vanquished; just a goal that must be reached. The goal is reaching Aslan's Country, by which act the last lords (forgive me; I can't remember how many are asleep) will be woken up (another crucifixion analogy, maybe?). But no one tries to stop them from reaching that goal. And therein lies the problem.

So I can see why the filmmakers would want to change the story. (But they had better not have a rivalry over Ramandu's daughter between Edmund and Caspian!) Luckily, Eustace seems more or less correct, and Lucy is as Lucy should be. It should be very interesting to watch.

Pertaining To The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

In C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia), Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are sent to spend the summer with their aunt and uncle - and their horrid cousin Eustace Scrubb. But there's a magical picture on the wall in Lucy's room that sends the Pevensies and Eustace to the magical land of Narnia. Or, more accurately, sends them into a Narnian sea beside the Dawn Treader, a Narnian boat captained by the Pevensies' old friend King Caspian. Caspian has taken a vow to find out what happened to the seven lost lords of Narnia, friends of his father who sailed from Narnia when they were banished by Caspian's uncle, King Miraz, many years ago.

Pros: Lucy is one of my favorite recurring literary characters ever. Her simple trust in Aslan is beautiful. This book is quite exciting, although a very easy read. The imaginary places, creatures, and events are fantastic (if you'll pardon the pun.) The main theme of the book seems to be redemption, one of my favorite things.

Cons: It's a slightly too easy read.

My Rating: AGC

Picture from harpercollins.com

The Premier Trailer For The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The very first trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is now out!



I must admit that I haven't read the book in ages. But, for what they're worth, here are my reactions:

Annoyance:
At Edmund's going through the same thing Peter went through in Prince Caspian: "I'm a king!"
At Peter and Susan's reappearance. They're not supposed to come back to Narnia! Ever!
At Reepicheep's new voice. He sounds a lot like the other guy, but it isn't the same.

Happiness:
At the awesome special effects! This movie is going to be a real treat to watch!
At King Caspian - way to make him look older.

Trepidation:
How much will the White Witch be in the movie? Will she be the main bad person? I hope not.
Will they take the special effects overboard? Will the story become just a prop for all the cool stuff they can do?

In my opinion, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an easy one to adapt into a movie (I've heard it's just an "epic story" that isn't really "about" something like Prince Caspian is about faith). The interesting one will be The Silver Chair. Can Hollywood really make a movie aimed at teenagers that is about chastity? I doubt it.