The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader Review by Matt

        I have always been late on taking trips to Narnia. I didn’t read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe until just two months before the release of the film my Sophomore Year of college in 2004. I didn’t even get a chance to see Prince Caspian in theaters four years later! So I just had to embark on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader before 2010 ended! I am so glad that I did!

               C.S. Lewis once said that he did not like the idea of any production of Narnia that required humans to dress up in the animal roles. I would like to take it a step further, all productions of Narnia should be in 3D. Now, I’m not a huge proponent to this tech-craze, but all I kept thinking about while watching Voyage in 3D was how we the audience we’re really being taken on this magical journey with the characters, whether being swept out to sea or flying on the back of a dragon. We were finally granted the opportunity to follow our heroes into Narnia as if we were standing right next to them.

      The movie opens while World War II rages on. Edmund and Lucy are trapped at their annoying cousin’s house while their parents and older siblings have escaped to America. While the two of them have grown up in the past few years, they still hold on to a few childish characteristics. Edmund still yearns for respect and responsibility of manhood, especially outside of the shadow of his older
brother. Lucy yearns to be as beautiful as her older sister.  Their cousin, Eustace, is just a know-it-all
pain in the butt. They are transported back to Narnia and reunite with King Caspian of Narnia who is on a voyage to locate the seven missing Lords of Narnia.

                This movie diverts from the source material more than the first two in the series. The changes are noticeable to Narnia fans, but do help those non-Narnia fans with the story. One of the major changes is that there is a villain in the film, which drives the adventure of the characters. They seem to have a purpose as soon as they step foot on the first island. What was in the book, which was more like a mixture between Homer’s Odyssey and the missionary travels of St. Paul
of the Bible, has become a quest to banish evil in Narnia.

               Much has been written about the Christology of Narnia. Like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Dawn Treader does not hide it’s Christian roots. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie and the book, Aslan reveals to Edmund and Lucy that he is known by another name in our world and that they should find him there. There are also the themes of redemption, forgiveness, temptation, and faith that run throughout the entire film.

                I thoroughly enjoyed the film. As soon as Edmund and Lucy stepped aboard The Dawn Treader my heart swelled up and the excitement of a new Narnia adventure encompassed me. That thrill did not let go until the last ten minutes. In those last ten minutes, I had the realization that this could possibly be the last time I would get to travel to Narnia. Ticket sales of the last two films have been below expectations, so much so that Disney, the company of “Faith, trust and pixie dust,” did not want to co-produce this film. It is a shame. The children (and adults) of this world need Narnia as much as the Pevensie children did in these first three films. It is an escape from the craziness of our world into one where faith is all you need. Faith in yourself. Faith in others. Faith in Aslan. Faith in Narnia.

                I rate this movie 3.5 voyages out of 5.