The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray]

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It’s no secret that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not at all a cinematic book. There’s no real antagonist and everything happens in generally self-contained episodes. That makes great reading, but not-so-great viewing.

Because of that, it should come as no surprise that something had to be changed to make things flow a little better as a movie. The key here, of course, is if the changes are so vast that the movie is no longer The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Please note that this review will contain spoilers, so stop reading now if you want to go into the film completely spoiler-free.

The Plot

Although the film starts out almost exactly like the book with a quest to find the seven lost lords that Caspian’s usurping uncle Miraz banished, it quickly settles down into a totally tacked-on plot involving a people-eating evil green mist.

Once the crew lands on the Lone Islands, Caspian and Edmund are shown a boat of islanders being taken by the green mist. Lord Bern tells them that the mist is threatening Narnia and that the other six lords had set out to destroy it. They never returned.

So, of course, Caspian decides to do find out what happened to them and stop the mist.

Once the boat gets to stop number two, Magician’s Island, our heroes learn that this evil mist comes from Dark Island and can only be stopped by laying seven swords (conveniently carried by the seven lords) at Aslan’s Table.

So, of course, Caspian jumps on his ship and sets off to do just that.

Now, I agree fully with the filmmakers that the movie needed something to tie it together. And, cheesy as it sounds when I write it down, this evil mist does work. For the most part. More on that later.

The Characters

This is the reason the movie is worth seeing. All of the main characters (that’d be Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, Reepicheep, and Caspian) are very true to the book. Though the story has been changed, the characters are still very much intact.

Eustace, in particular, is completely, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt right smack bang on perfect. Just like the book, he struts around all self-important, being bratty to everybody. And he gets what he deserves in exactly the surprising way he does in the book.

Plus, the filmmakers left in what I thought would be cut: Eustace’s diary. Yes, it’s there! And it provides some of the more hilarious parts of the movie.

Reepicheep has been recast and put back together into his book self. A very welcome change from Prince Caspian. This Reep is truly noble and no longer wishes that everyone would shut up.

When we get to the two lords with actual parts (Bern and Rhoop), it’s a mixed bag. Bern has been changed to a cowering old prisoner, which is a complete turnaround from his book self. Rhoop is the raving maniac straight from the pages of the book.

Coriakin the magician has sadly been turned into an exposition machine. He has one good line that feels like his book self, but other than that, all he’s there for is to tell the crew of the Dawn Treader all about the evil mist.

Aslan has his dialogue lifted right out of the book at a very important part at the end. You can’t get much closer than that.

And no review of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader would be complete without mentioning the Dufflepuds. They are pretty much right. Though, sadly, they never said, “You never said a truer word, Chief!”

The Two Problems

Out of an entire movie full of changes from the book, I basically have two major complaints.

Number one: The movie is very fast-paced, sometimes to its detriment. Especially during the first half of the film (covering the Lone Islands and Magician’s Island), it would have been nice if there had been an extra five or ten minutes of scenes to connect the dots.

Both of the islands I mentioned above just plain feel rushed. Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided not to linger on the revolt at the Lone Islands, the funny Dufflepuds, or Lucy’s creepy journey through the magician’s mansion. A few extra scenes would have improved the film greatly.

Number two: In the book, C. S. Lewis subtly weaves a theme of resisting temptation throughout the story. For whatever reason, the filmmakers decided to bring this theme out of the subtext and into full-scale THIS IS THE THEME mode.

Rather than letting the intelligent audience figure out when temptation is occurring, the film resorts to hitting them over the head with the theme whenever a character is tempted.

Coriakin warns our heroes that they will be tempted by the green mist. So every time someone is being tempted, we see evil green mist creeping around in the scene somewhere.

And then there’s the dialogue about temptation. At one point, we’re given a groan-inducing line from Lucy as Edmund and Caspian prepare to go at it hammer and tongs over a gold-transforming pool. “Stop! The mist is tempting you! This is exactly what we were warned about!”

That’s being hit on the head with a theme. Luckily, it doesn’t last long anywhere and the movie quickly goes back to the story.

Overall

I walked out of the theater grinning over my third voyage to Narnia. Were there disappointments? Yes. Was it still fun? Absolutely.

And that’s the thing. The book, really, is C. S. Lewis having fun with his characters sailing around and having adventures on strange islands. As long as the movie stuck with that idea (which was often) and just had fun, it was good. When it started taking itself a little too seriously and loses the fun, it suffers.

If you’re going to be a book purist, you will probably enjoy the first and last twenty minutes of the movie. The rest, well… You’ll have to pick and choose. I will say, though, that when the movie is good, it is good.

But if you can live with the changes and just enjoy the ride, this is a journey to Narnia you won’t want to miss. It looks fantastic, is funny, and hits the mark a lot (see above).

(By the way, book fans should stick around for the credits. They are a treat!)

Hopefully, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will do well enough that the filmmakers can do the other four, much-more-cinematic Narnia books. I want to see them, especially after the fun I had with this third Narnia movie.

Part of our Read-a-Thon 2010 highlight posts.

Narnia. It almost doesn’t seem possible that there are people who still haven’t read the books, but I know that good books get lost in the shuffle sometimes. If you’ve never read this seven book series, you’ve missed a real treat. The storylines are beautifully written, the characters fun, and some of the symbolism is really incredible.

If you’re interested in reading these amazing books (which are a nice, small, easily readable size), I’d recommend that you begin with either The Magician’s Nephew, or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Personally, I’d say start with The Magician’s Nephew. It comes first in chronological order, and is also my second favorite.

The Magician’s Nephew

The Magician’s Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471101

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The story of the wonderful events leading to the creation of Narnia.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471047

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Four children find their way into Narnia and must help defeat the White Witch who has all of Narnia under her thumb.

The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471063

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A great “side” tale that fits chronologically while the four children are ruling Narnia as adults. The tale takes place in Calormen, a neighboring country, and features a slave named Shasta and a talking horse who are escaping to Narnia.

Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian (Narnia) (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471055

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After a long absence, the children return to Narnia to help overthrow a tyrant and restore the true king to his throne.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader”(The Chronicls of Narnia, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471071

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Two of the children are allowed to revisit Narnia, bringing with them their obnoxious cousin. They sail on a quest to recover some of the banished lords who stood by the true king during the tyrant’s rule.

The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471098

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The cousin, now not nearly as obnoxious, escapes with his friend from boarding school and finds himself in Narnia. The two children are charged with the task of finding a long lost prince for the dying king.

The Last Battle

The Last Battle (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 006447108X

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The final book in the Narnia series. The two children from The Silver Chair must help Narnia during its final hours.

Several of these books were made into movies by BBC, and they are now being remade by Walden Media. Two are already finished, and the third Voyage of The Dawn Treader is slotted for release on December 10th of this year.

The Magician’s Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471101

Price: USD 6.99
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While Digory and Polly, two friends, are exploring their London homes, they accidentally get into the study of Digory’s Uncle Andrew. Uncle Andrew is (or what he fondly imagines himself to be) a magician and he sends first Polly and then Digory into the woods between the worlds. Where they enter yet another world and find a witch, who they accidentally take back to London. In the scramble that ensues, they manage to get the witch, Uncle Andrew and several other people into a world that is just being created. The world that contains Narnia.

This is one of my favorite Narnian books. The tale of Narnia’s creation is definitely a classic. Good friends, Aslan, interesting adventures and some very funny parts. Definitely a must read.

The Silver Chair (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471098

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Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb are called to Narnia for a special purpose. King Caspian, now old and nearing death, has no heir to the royal throne. His only son, Rilian, disappeared years ago. Aslan assures Jill and Eustace that the prince is still alive and must be found. Guided by signs from Aslan, Jill and Eustace join Puddleglum, the gloomy marshwiggle, to embark on a quest to rescue Prince Rilian from the evil witch who is holding him captive.

The Narnia stories are more than books, they’re old friends. Every time I re-read them it’s like visiting a very dear friend. The Silver Chair is one of my favorites.

The Horse and His Boy (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471063

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When Shasta, a slave in Calormen tries to escape to Narnia, he is shown the way by a Narnian horse, Breehy-Hinny-Brinny-Hoohy-Hah. Bree for short. Traveling with them are Aravis and her horse, Hwin. On their way, Shasta is mistaken for a runaway prince, and Aravis uncovers a plot against Narnia and its neighbor, Archenland. In the race to save Archenland, Shasta and Aravis must cross the desert and alert King Lune to the threat of invasion.

This is one of my favorite Narnia books. I like it a little better than The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe, but not as well as The Magician’s Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Plenty of action, enough tense moments to allow you to enjoy it, (but not enough to scare you silly) and some great characters.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0060764899

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Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are four English children who are sent to live with an old professor during World War II. When Lucy finds a world called Narnia, where animals can talk, in a magic wardrobe, nobody believes her. Then all four children hide in the wardrobe from the house’s grumpy mistress and find that Narnia is real. Now they must join Aslan, the son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea, to drive the White Witch from Narnia and put the rightful rulers on the throne.

This book is a favorite of mine. I like it as much when I read it now as I did when it was read to me. Narnia is something that never gets old, but as you get older you enjoy it even more. The characters and places are very real and well described. Once you read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you will feel that you must read the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Prince Caspian (Narnia) (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471055

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Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are suddenly called back to Narnia, and they find that Narnia is suffering under the reign of the cruel King Miraz. The king’s nephew, (and son of the murdered rightful king) Caspian, has learned the truth about Old Narnia and has fled the palace. He discovers a group of Old Narnians in hiding who agree to help Caspian regain his rightful throne and save the remaining Old Narnians from certain death.

The Narnia series is one of my favorites. I think C. S. Lewis has a wonderful writing style that really makes the characters come alive.

The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader”(The Chronicls of Narnia, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 0064471071

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Edmund and Lucy aren’t pleased when they have to visit their bratty cousin Eustace, but things brighten up considerably when they find their way into Narnia once more. Caspian, now a king, has embarked on a quest to find the seven lords his evil uncle banished. The good ship Dawn Treader takes them far in their search, but some of them, Reepicheep particularly, desire to sail on to the End of the World.

A good book, if not my favorite in the chronicles. Eustace’s story adds a nice touch.

The Last Battle (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 006447108X

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Eustace and Jill return to Narnia! This time, Aslan has been absent for a long while, but reports have come to King Tirian and his unicorn Jewel that Aslan has returned. Then a wise centuar tells them that this Aslan is a fake! Tirian tries to stop him, but ends up captured by the Calormens. Eustace and Jill must rescue the king and his unicorn and expose the false Aslan before it’s too late.

Sad to say, this book ends The Chronicles of Narnia. The battle at the end is great (it goes on for a few chapters). There are several sad parts, but of course, all comes right in the end. I think that this is a fitting end to the series, but I wish that C. S. Lewis had written more.