First and foremost The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a family film. What’s unfortunate is that it is not a good or even a bad film, merely just a bland family film. That isn’t to
say that it’s awful and families won’t enjoy it, but that with all the other family films out there nothing in it really helps to set it apart other than the fact that it’s a Narnia film which has come to mean safe family fun with fantastical creatures and a thinly veiled spirituality. And spiritual references abound with the filmmakers leaving in several references of Aslan using another name in our world that make the books, and as a result the films, not necessarily Christian, but pretty darn close and all but labeling the big lion as a Christ figure/stand-in.

Disney Studios opted to let the series (along with producing partner Walden Media) sail away to new distributers after the flawed decision to move Prince Caspian to a summer release instead of the Christmas time box office hit of the previous Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe caused it to never quite make the same financial sums that studio executives live and die for. It also might have been that Disney
realized only the first two books are slightly different in story whereas the others somewhat retread the same story again and again only with slightly different plots.

Fox Studios has taken up the reins and the film retains much of the look, cast and musical themes of the first two films, but not their original director. Taking the captain’s chair this time around is Michael Apted, who does deliver a family film, but there really isn’t much going on under the surface of this bland adaptation. Granted, Apted and screenwriters Christopher Markus, Stephen McFreely and Michael Petroni do try to weave some heavier themes into the narrative
than in the books (as well as an appearance or two of the Witch played again by Tilda Swinton), but because the Lewis novels are light to begin with, they never quite reach the full potential the filmmakers set out for.

Now I will admit this may have been a conscious choice as the Narnia films core audiences aren’t looking for Tolstoy-esque depth and plot, but at the same time, without it the audience is left feeling like they saw another Narnia film indistinguishable from the other films. The kids magically come to Narnia, fight some evil, save the day and then return to their normal day to day lives. Again, the writers and directors do try to explore themes of children growing up and the fears that can result: Will I be a pretty woman? Will I be a brave man? Sadly, they become quickly solved plot points and then hurtle us
into the next special effect sequence. So that being

said, most families will take the kiddies regardless and there is enough to keep the little tikes still for an hour or two…

The special effects are decent, although Aslan still doesn’t look quite right or believable. Repicheep (voiced in this film by Simon Pegg) looks the best of the computer created characters with only a few obviously cgi moments here and there. His storyline in the film and especially his interaction with the new character Eustace (played to amusingly annoying perfection by Will Poulter) is an obvious point
where the writers and directors never quite give the emotional weight they could have to the relationship and again just makes the film watchable, but bland. The audience never really cares for these characters as much as they could and as a result we just watch them go through trials or events in the films and never really root for or despise them.

The film makes decent use of 3D but, several of the films handheld camera shots were headache inducing in 3D given the bouncing, frenetic movement of the scenes where it was utilized. A lesson all filmmakers
will hopefully realize and learn from…

All in all the film delivers on being a family friendly film, but sadly doesn’t bring much else to the table.

Synopsis:

Lucy (Henley) and Edmund (Keynes) Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace (Poulter) where they meet up with Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.