The latest trip to Narnia follows a combination of old and new characters as they return to help fight a faceless enemy. Based on CS Lewis’ classic fantasy series, it’s baffling as to why these films garner less admiration then other similar stories. It could be the obviously allegorical storyline or maybe the presence of animals as lead characters, but no matter what the reason is, the Narnia films consistently hold a level of prestige that is directly correlated to the growth of the characters.
In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third release in the series, Edmund and Lucy return with their cousin Eustace to help King Caspian investigate some mysterious disappearances. With the majority of the storyline taking place on the Dawn Treader, an old-fashioned wooden navy ship, this is basically Pirates of Caribbean: Narnia. Don’t take that as a slight. Since this story was written before the Pirates films, the replication can only be aesthetic.
The two youngest of the four original Narnia children take lead in this chapter, which makes for a strong audience connection. Though some other main players lack any significant development. Voyage is thick in parable, possibly more so than its predecessors. This often slows the pace making clumsy dream sequences and repetitive exchanges.
Since The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the first Narnia film, the use of CGI animals has decreased significantly, but the two who survived the purge are very well voiced. Liam Neeson reprises his role as the divine lion Aslan and Simon Pegg replaces Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep. Less is more in this aspect as the two animals are well done and play important roles to the film. If this is to be the last of this current run of Narnia films, Voyage provides a strong ending to a casually linked trilogy. Though if more are to be made, a rethinking in marketing is needed because they provide more entertainment than their box office numbers state. (7.8 out of 10)
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