'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' Movie Review

The latest installment in Walden Media's "The Chronicles of Narnia" brings Edmund and Lucy Pevensie back to the magical land of Narnia for a new adventure. "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" opened in theaters on December 10 and it lived up to expectations to follow up the two previous Narnia movies ("The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian").

Going to the theater to watch the newest Narnia movie has become a tradition for myself and my three children since I first read the C.S. Lewis novel "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to them in early 2005. The newest movie, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" picks up three years after the end of "Prince Caspian." Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are living with an uncle and aunt while their parents and older brother and sister are staying in America.

What is the worst part of their lives? They both feel stifled by the dullness of "normal" life away from Narnia while dealing with their cousin Eustace Scrubb who enjoys their presence as much as they his (read--not at all). Eustace is a whiner and a complainer who has an attitude of superiority. He scoffs at the tales of Narnia his cousins have shared and looks for every opportunity to get them into trouble.

When all three are transported into Narnia through a painting of a sailing ship with a purple sail, their adventure aboard the Dawn Treader begins. They are pulled out of the sea by Caspian--now King of Narnia and the crew of the Dawn Treader--a gorgeous ship that looks like a dragon.

They set off to help King Caspian in his quest to find seven lords who possess seven swords of Narnia. The lords had been banished by Caspian's uncle Miraz when he seized power over Narnia and the swords had been given to the lords by Caspian's father before his death. These swords--when laid upon Aslan's table--will vanquish an evil presence that haunts the edges of Narnia.

Along the way, Edmund, Lucy and the crew of the Dawn Treader encounter slave traders, monopod dwarves, a nasty sea serpent, a dragon (with an unexpected identity), and more during this adventure in Narnia.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" was an adventure from beginning to end. Like all of the Lewis Narnia novels, this story is full of underlying Christian themes of morality and faith. Aslan the lion is an allegory for Jesus Christ and there are underlying themes about belief, faith, family, accepting and loving yourself, choosing to do the right thing and redemption.

The special effects are beautiful and the colors and action are vibrant. While the movie does veer some from the book (which is usually the case), the basic story is intact and we root for the heroes. Unlike previous Narnia movies, there is not a main "bad guy." The oily green mist that causes people to be tempted to follow their own selfish desires is the evil that Narnians must fight against. The green mist is tied into slave traders (who are of course, bad guys) and a deadly sea serpent. During this Dawn Treader voyage, Edmund, Lucy, Caspian and even Eustace must face themselves and choose to either overcome flaws or allows those flaws to consume and conquer them.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" was a great movie for the whole family. After leaving the theater, the moral lessons the story brought up or alluded to provided fodder for great conversation with my kids and this movie will definitely be added to our collection when it is released on DVD.

Source:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0980970/