World of Narnia
There’s nothing wrong with watching a good fairy tale.
And the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” offers just that. It is also the third part of the Chronicles of Narnia series which began with the explosion of popularity with sword and sorcery stories which became popular when the Lord of the Rings movies hit the theaters.
How does it fare? I do like these films more than the Harry Potter series which are coming to the movie screens at breakneck speed. However, the Chronicles of Narnia has more imagination poured into them.
There have been mixed reviews on this film especially with some of the internet critics. I don’t understand why.
The film has many strong performances from all the child actors and remains true to the spirit of the previous films. The third film has become the subject of negative reviews from the Rotten Tomatoes website, a site I never cared for. I would rely more on the critical responses of Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel… both of them liked the film for all its worth.
It’s a nostalgic trip to the fantasy land where some animals talk and spirits come back to haunt. And there is also a dragon and a sea serpent to boot as well. But the movie really banks on the magnificent performance of the youngest children Lucy and Edmund Pevensie who are kings and queens in the Narnia world. And they tag along a snot-nosed brat cousin Eustace Scrubb.
The interesting thing is Eustace might be the most important character in this chapter. At first, he squeals, cries like a baby and thinks only of himself. No one likes him. Not a one considers himself part of the family except a talking, sword-wielding rat who serves as his good guide. But throughout the adventures the boy becomes all the stronger for it.
Much of the film is told through his own point of view as he writes in his dairy. He hates everything about Narnia at first. But after a time he begins to believe the fairy tales and myths. He starts to accept his imagination as real.
Apparently younger children who still believes in the old legends are magically transported to this world. The adults lose their faith of imagination and is no longer brought back to the tales of Narnia. The older children become embedded in reality. All you have to do is believe enough to find a doorway back to this fantasy world.
I have already mentioned that the children actors are strong in their leading performance because the story of Narnia is certainly told through their point of view. The strongest performance, however, belongs to one of the adults. It is Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie who offers a cameo. She shows a deeper sexuality and forceful personality in the cameo she is allowed in the film.
It is brilliant how they worked into the film how the younger sister Lucy wishes she was beautiful like her older sister Susan. And it becomes a very nice sub-plot that British actress Popplewell is involved in. Such scenes shows how she is becoming a very adult woman who is now interested in getting married and going to rich parties. It is this greed that shows a remarkable flaw in the character.
But it’s a shame that Popplewell won’t be any more films as her character appears only in a few books in the Narnia series. She is indeed a very beautiful woman. And her acting gives a great credibility to the film.
It is all the leading characters in the film are tested by temptation. And the evil is like the trailing snake in the garden of Eden that is seems to overshadow everything else.
The film offers a staggering glimpse of the end of the world with tall waves of waters and the brutal seas in which the Dawn Treader must cross. At the very same time, there is a storm of emotions between Edmund, Lucy and Prince Caspian. They become thrown into a soap opera of jealousy, rage and betrayal which becomes the centerpiece of the film’s pace.
Is it a worthy follow up to the other films in the series? Yes. It is a very enjoyable film which will gain interest from people in all age groups. The film maintains the same kind of innocence and grace reveals the illusion of fantasy.
It is this remarkable innocence that makes this film notable. The same kind of innocence that the Harry Potter films has lost so long ago. It feels like nothing has changed in the world of Narnia. There’s still the sweet nostalgia that lingers in the world between the doorways of reality. It’s a place you wouldn’t mind going to again. And that might be a good thing.
And the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” offers just that. It is also the third part of the Chronicles of Narnia series which began with the explosion of popularity with sword and sorcery stories which became popular when the Lord of the Rings movies hit the theaters.
How does it fare? I do like these films more than the Harry Potter series which are coming to the movie screens at breakneck speed. However, the Chronicles of Narnia has more imagination poured into them.
There have been mixed reviews on this film especially with some of the internet critics. I don’t understand why.
The film has many strong performances from all the child actors and remains true to the spirit of the previous films. The third film has become the subject of negative reviews from the Rotten Tomatoes website, a site I never cared for. I would rely more on the critical responses of Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel… both of them liked the film for all its worth.
It’s a nostalgic trip to the fantasy land where some animals talk and spirits come back to haunt. And there is also a dragon and a sea serpent to boot as well. But the movie really banks on the magnificent performance of the youngest children Lucy and Edmund Pevensie who are kings and queens in the Narnia world. And they tag along a snot-nosed brat cousin Eustace Scrubb.
The interesting thing is Eustace might be the most important character in this chapter. At first, he squeals, cries like a baby and thinks only of himself. No one likes him. Not a one considers himself part of the family except a talking, sword-wielding rat who serves as his good guide. But throughout the adventures the boy becomes all the stronger for it.
Much of the film is told through his own point of view as he writes in his dairy. He hates everything about Narnia at first. But after a time he begins to believe the fairy tales and myths. He starts to accept his imagination as real.
Apparently younger children who still believes in the old legends are magically transported to this world. The adults lose their faith of imagination and is no longer brought back to the tales of Narnia. The older children become embedded in reality. All you have to do is believe enough to find a doorway back to this fantasy world.
I have already mentioned that the children actors are strong in their leading performance because the story of Narnia is certainly told through their point of view. The strongest performance, however, belongs to one of the adults. It is Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie who offers a cameo. She shows a deeper sexuality and forceful personality in the cameo she is allowed in the film.
It is brilliant how they worked into the film how the younger sister Lucy wishes she was beautiful like her older sister Susan. And it becomes a very nice sub-plot that British actress Popplewell is involved in. Such scenes shows how she is becoming a very adult woman who is now interested in getting married and going to rich parties. It is this greed that shows a remarkable flaw in the character.
But it’s a shame that Popplewell won’t be any more films as her character appears only in a few books in the Narnia series. She is indeed a very beautiful woman. And her acting gives a great credibility to the film.
It is all the leading characters in the film are tested by temptation. And the evil is like the trailing snake in the garden of Eden that is seems to overshadow everything else.
The film offers a staggering glimpse of the end of the world with tall waves of waters and the brutal seas in which the Dawn Treader must cross. At the very same time, there is a storm of emotions between Edmund, Lucy and Prince Caspian. They become thrown into a soap opera of jealousy, rage and betrayal which becomes the centerpiece of the film’s pace.
Is it a worthy follow up to the other films in the series? Yes. It is a very enjoyable film which will gain interest from people in all age groups. The film maintains the same kind of innocence and grace reveals the illusion of fantasy.
It is this remarkable innocence that makes this film notable. The same kind of innocence that the Harry Potter films has lost so long ago. It feels like nothing has changed in the world of Narnia. There’s still the sweet nostalgia that lingers in the world between the doorways of reality. It’s a place you wouldn’t mind going to again. And that might be a good thing.
posted by K.M. Paters at 7:12 PM
2 Comments:
I've never understood why this film was panned by the critics ever. Granted I liked the first movie the best, but VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER was in no way a bad movie. I liked it very much, especially Reepicheep and his relationship with Eustace. I'd say this is my second favorite NARNIA movie. Not that I disliked PRINCE CASPIAN; but this is above that.
I think it might be due to the marketing. The Dawn Treader wasn't very well marketed unlike the Harry Potter movies in which you saw all kinds of commercial ads for. But I admit to enjoying Dawn Treader more than the recent Potter films. Chronicles of Narnia is still able to retain a sense of innocence.
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