This isn’t one of those cases where the book isn’t as good as the movie. In fact, the latest flick in the series of adaptations of C.S. Lewis’ books, “The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader,” does an adequate job of
This isn’t one of those cases where the book isn’t as good as the movie.
In fact, the latest flick in the series of adaptations of C.S. Lewis’ books, “The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader,” does an adequate job of portraying the predictable, formulaic book, albeit in a somewhat superfluously scary fashion. The problem is it’s not really sweet enough for children, and it’s definitely not interesting enough for adults.
Worse, Treader is little more than a gimmicky set of scenes molded together arbitrarily and without shape, an amorphous blob without much of a plot beyond a ship transporting English-accented children with overly dramatized reactions to odd, contrived situations.
Though it lacks any fable-esque luster, it’s not completely devoid of inspiration, however. The episodic journey of youthful actors does offer a few laughs, and, though not to the same extent of the other books about the magical land of Narnia-it is still enchanting enough to captivate those looking for mediocre entertainment on a rainy afternoon.
And perhaps we should make a few excuses for Director Michael Apted, (Gorillas in the Mist, Nell) who wasn’t given a clean canvas with which to work. Apted was faced with a similar challenge directing “007: The World is Not Enough,” in that, as in the Narnia series, he was coming in after the rules and mood had been established by other directors and producers, and was charged with the task of keeping the magic alive.
Unfortunately, the magic falls flat, though it does hiccup along sporadically, never quite offering the fantastic quality exuded from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” or “Prince Caspian.”
In Treader, the characters are on the hunt for seven swords so they can place them on Aslan’s table to save the world from all that is evil. Of course, there are a few obstacles in the way from this mission, including the fact that Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund Pevensie (Skandar Keynes) will have to overcome their worst fears (unleashed by a giant centipede-like sea serpent) and most ignoble of temptations.
For Lucy, that temptation is coveting the beauty of her sister. For Edmund, that temptation is wanting to be king, and wanting power of his own. Oddly, one can’t help but shake the feeling that these aspects of the story have stolen their plotlines directly from the Bible, though, despite Lewis’ outspoken Christian beliefs, they seem to be misguided and more cliché and empty than relevant.
This is case-in-point when Lucy and Edmund’s younger cousin, Eustace (Will Poulter) an annoying little pipsqueak with a grating attitude, is tempted by a treasure of gold. Unbelievable as it seems, (he just appears too young and haughty to be the type to be lured into temptation by jewelry) it’s a trite fall-from-grace scene in which (spoiler alert) Eustace becomes cursed.
Besides the aforementioned scene and the scene with the sea serpent, however, it’s mostly smooth sailing alongside Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) across a mostly placid Narnian sea. Mermaids, magicians, and dragons all make appearances during the sojourn before the ship reaches the end of the world.
Though there are plenty of CGI-scapes to help this movie pass the muster of a PG-rated franchise, Treader seems like it wants to be sitting at the big-boy table with the likes of Lord of the Rings series, which, quite simply, is laughable.
Best to view it on an airplane or DVD, when other distractions make its lack of coherency and intrigue less obvious.
