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Visitors Review

Terry A 2012-05-23 13:09:14

True FAN Review

As a true fan of the series, I had very high hopes for this entry into the Narnia Chronicles. I was truly disappointed in just about every aspect of the movie outside of the Visuals. It terrible that the best characters in the entire file was the rodent and dragon. The film felt extremely rushed. It missed a lot of the action and adventuring that we are used to in the series. I recommend early matinee or DVD rental\ownership. Not worth the full price of admission.

2012-05-23 08:59:05

Great movie!

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD) The Narnia movies are fantastic! There are so many acting lines and life lessons that deserve repeating to both children and adults. I especially like how we see the actual actors as they age.

2012-05-23 07:09:08

Hilarious + Interesting action scenes + Beautiful scenery = A solid family movie

- This movie is halrious, especially because of the actions and voice of the mouse, Reepicheep. He made my friend and I laugh quite a few times. - The action scenes are enjoyable.- The scenery is beautiful.In short, it's a solid family film. We watched it in the theatre.

2012-05-23 03:42:57

Great family movie with obvious Biblical undertones!

My family watched this movie this past weekend (minus my 4-year old son), and we all really enjoyed it. Like the other Chronicles of Narnia movies (The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), this movie was high-quality in production and quite consistent with the original source material (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Narnia) Publisher: HarperCollins). The movie has all the hallmarks of a great fantasy movie: magical items, dragons, sea monsters, talking beasts, sword fights, magicians, and explorers venturing into unknown regions.Like the other Narnia movies, this movie has clear undertones of Biblical principles, the most prominent ones being warnings against selfishness, self-indulgence, and greed, and the inability of people to change their own condition without the transformative power of a savior.Some of the images in the movie could be pretty scary for young eyes, and I would not recommend this movie for kids younger than 8 years old, as such. Aside from this caveat, this movie is great for the whole family. It will be interesting to see where this series goes next, as this will be the last appearance of many of the central characters if the series stays true to the books they are based on. Hopefully we will continue to get a new Narnia movie every couple of years.

2012-05-21 03:32:54

well done

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) This movie would be my least favorite of the series, but still good. Very well done. Looking forward to the next and this was a good bridge.

Liam Johnston 2012-05-20 22:26:23

A real must see film. 10/10

We were invited to 20th Century Fox Offices in Soho Square London withPremier Christian Media to see a special private preview of the'Chronicles of Narnia; Voyage of the Dawn Treader' If you liked thefirst two by Disney you will LOVE this one by Walden Media.This classic story is often half heartedly retold by program makers,coming 3rd in the series of the Chronicles of Narnia.This adaptation was well filmed, well acted and well scripted. I wouldrecommend everyone see it. As a self contained story if you have neverread the books, or seen the first two stories in film, you can stillwatch this film and it would not spoil your enjoyment.

BigWhiskers 2012-05-18 20:02:05

Movie is good but too many lulls in the action

The movie does have some spectacular scenery but suffers from too muchbland storytelling . Lack of action and some stiff acting also hurtsit. We get to see the two younger pevensie kids return to Narnia, theirolder siblings are basically done with Narnia so we get introduced totheir annoying cousin. They travel this time to find 7 lost lords and 7swords to destroy an evil malignant entity that has take the form of anisland. Some of the action is good but there is far too much emphasison long drawn out scenes of boring chatter. Overall I give it a 7/10.The franchise could be running out of steam as more and more people aregoing to see Harry Potters finale and just are getting too stretchedout with all these franchise movie anthologies. I mean how many peopleare going to be into both.

2012-05-18 18:04:34

Great movie Great 3D

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray 3D] (Blu-ray) The Narnia series has been very well done throughout. The entry into the offerings of Dawn Treader in 3D has been excellent. It was actually the tipping point for us in purchasing a 3D TV and 3D Blu-Ray player when we upgraded our entertainment system. Unlike some 3D films, it does not throw things at you or poke them in your face just so that you can have a 3D experience, but it uses the technology to deepen and enrich the viewing experience.I look forward to the other additions to come in the Narnia saga, and hope they will also make best use of available technology to bring us further and further into the story.

2012-05-17 23:47:57

I enjoyed it

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) OK, so maybe it did not follow the book the way it should have, and for that I'd rate it lower than the 5 stars, but, if you never read the book, and were looking for a good family story, with some morals and some action/adventure to it, this movie hits the spot. And for that I did give it the 5 stars. I would not want someone to shy away because of a bunch of low reviews. I did not see it in the theaters, because I rarely bother going to the movies. I normally buy the DVD or Blu Ray when they come out if it looked interesting. I had a chance to read teh reviews here before it was shipped, so I knew what to expect as far as storyline vs. book. It's easier to accept it won't match if you know up front. I say, enjoy.

2012-05-17 10:40:33

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

This movie I really enjoyed seeing in theaters, and it was the last time that it would be in theaters when I went to go see it on New Years Day (2011). I am proud to say I own it on DVD and is apart of my collection of the other two Narnia movies. I am heart broke however that Disney did not continue the series, but was glad when I read in an article that Fox 2000 pictures in collaboration with Walden Media, would continue the Franchise. Now interestingly when you think back To The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe, Andrew Adamson decided to come out with a extended edition of LWW. However what I would have liked to have known before I ever purchased this project was Will there be an extended edition be made for this particular movie? See this is a mistake that Disney and Walden Media made with Prince Caspian, and a mistake Fox and Walden have now made with Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I have no clue where that might go and if they ever do. But all I can say for this movie is I enjoyed every moment of it despite the fact of the mistakes they have made to market this Franchise, as well as only think that making money was more important, than telling the story. Overall I still love this movie. Hopefully another one will be made in a year or so. I pray for the franchise.

Bruce Terrill 2012-05-15 09:03:08

Worth Waiting For

Went to see the non-3D version because our theater was already using their 3D projectors for two other movies. VoDT has the essence of the book. The movie had to be changed from the book in a number of ways in order to keep it short enough and to actually give the story a connected flow. At first I was a bit disappointed in the changes, but in reflecting I think is quite ok because I think it will help younger children follow it better. Great visuals and great story with Lucy and Aslan, and with Reepicheep and Eustace.

JoshuaH 2012-05-14 15:23:38

Don't Understand The Complaints?

My wife and I are huge fans of C.S. Lewis and of the Narnia series. We both watched the film and absolutely loved it. In fact, I don't feel that the film is being given the credit it deserves. It has an excellent storyline, excellent acting, great special effects, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and will definitely purchase it on DVD/Blu-Ray. I hope the series continues and is concluded with the final book.

reyna 2012-05-12 13:40:07

it was great

just like the bookI wanted the movie to continue some scenes I was wondering how they make it look so realbetter than Pirates of the CaribbeanI cannot wait for the next one!

stitch-99 2012-05-11 21:12:04

Overall, I'd say it was just...okay.

Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoyed Prince Caspian. However, Iwas less satisfied with this entry. Before you get your pitchforks andtorches, allow me to explain.First, let me explain what worked with this movie. Before it came out,I concluded that the only way that it could work is if the filmmakersfocused on the character development, since that's what holds the storytogether and prevents it from becoming a series of unrelated events.Thankfully, this is exactly what they did. All of the main charactersgo through a wonderfully portrayed arc that really drags one into theirexperiences. Almost all of the actors did a very good job.Now, let me say what I did not like. Before I get into this, let meclarify: I used to be the kind of fan that can't stand to see changesto the source material. Now my philosophy is that changes are okay aslong as the story is good. On that note, this movie strayed quite farfrom the book. Most of it was simple chronology. However, the biggestchange (and the only one that irritated me) was making the Dark Island(where all of one's worst nightmares come true) into essentially theantagonist of the film. Nearly all of the aforementioned characterdevelopment was forcibly orchestrated to be either caused by or inreaction to the work of the Dark Island. Mind you, I would actually beokay with this idea if that Island was simply the place where all ofthe characters' dark sides manifested themselves. But no, it had to becoercing their inner demons all along. Also, this change caused a reinterpretation of the main mission whichwas to find the seven Narnian Lords. Apparently, these Lords wereseeking a way to destroy the Evil and they had magic swords from Aslan.As much as I tried to buy this subplot, I couldn't see it as anythingelse but ripping off The Omen. It also changed the seven Lords intosimply means to an end, which irked me. There was also a small girl andher father who joined the Dawn Treader crew to find the girl's motherwho had been taken by the Evil. While this added "cute points," whichsome might care for, it mainly just gave us two more characters onwhich to focus. This was especially difficult given that they weren'tgiven names throughout the movie. I spent the entire thing thinking ofthem as "Little Girl" and "Little Girl's Father."For one final qualm, the introduction of the seven swords created a fewplot holes. It is mentioned how the swords were given to Narnia byAslan during the Golden Age. The Golden Age was when Peter, Susan,Edmund, and Lucy were ruling, so why didn't they know about theseswords? Additionally, how did the swords make the transition from OldNarnian hands into those of seven Telmarine lords in the midst of awar? Why would these lords who don't believe in Aslan hold the swordsin such high regard as to try to use them to defeat the Evil? None ofthese ideas are explained. While possible answers could be given, it isthe job of the movie to convey necessary information such as this,whether explicitly or implicitly.*tired sigh* Anyway, the film was a pretty good follow-up to theprevious installments, though the shift in production made itselfapparent. I don't know if anyone else will share my sentiments aboutthe Dark Island's enhanced role, but this is simply my opinion.

2012-05-09 14:34:06

A third display of extraordinary fantasy

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia The Voyage of The Dawn Treader - Blu-Ray Disc (Blu-ray) "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (third film of "The Chronicles of Narnia") continues the outstanding rendering of the masterful septology for children by Professor C. S. Lewis (1898-1963). Actually these beautiful stories can be enjoyed by anyone who likes fantasy, regardless of age --and many adults enjoy them even more that most children, as they may capture better the fine artistic and dramatic nuances of the film. Although "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" surpasses the visual beauty of the two previous films, it essentially continues their great work in screenplay, cinematography and acting.

2012-05-09 01:18:22

A hard book to make into a movie

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD) Honestly, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian have interesting and compelling story arch in the books. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not an easy book. Unfortunately when the screenwriters were taking a stab at it... there was too much that CS Lewis put in the book that was iconic and important to the story that they had to make mention to in the movie or the movie wouldn't make sense. Of the whole Chronicle of Narnia series, The Magicians Nephew, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Last Battle are all the most "magical" of the books which means most people won't get them. So I tip my hat to the movie company for trying. But they didn't quite get it. From my arm chair, here are a few suggestions I would have encouraged them to do to make the story more palatable. First, Eustace's character didn't quite convey the snobbiness or brattiness of that character and how completely out of touch that character was with the realities around him in the book. So I would have dropped all of the emotional stuff that they tried to do with Edmond's character and made him the straight man to Eustace's emotional story arc. Also Lucy should have taken more of a supporting role and the story should have focused on Eustace. Eustace is the main character in Silver Chair, the next book, so this movie should have been more or less a backstory on Eustace, setting him up for Silver Chair. Next, they should have started the movie explaining to the viewer all about the Lost Isles, the banished Lords, and the "evil" that was taking people. I mean literally start this movie in Narnia. Caspian then becomes more of the narrator, explaining to the viewer what has transpired since the last movie and then cut to England and Edmond and Lucy at their cousin's. Spend a bit more time showing us why Eustace is such a snobby brat, and make Edmond more honorable and respectable. Honestly, Lucy and Edmond both lived full lives as King and Queen of Narnia in the first movie/book so in essence they are adults in children's bodies. For goodness sake, the narrative tells us they took spouses in the middle book "A Horse and His Boy" (which btw would make an excellent movie, but nobody makes it cause it doesn't focus on the Pevensie kids or the magical stuff in Narnia... but it is still a good story), so they have had sex and lost their childhood innocence long ago. They remember all of Narnia and fought in battles and killed people. So embrace that a bit and make Edmond and Lucy (and Peter and Susan) unique people in Mother Earth in that they have aged experience and wisdom in young bodies.And drop the White Witch. They keep bringing her back and I understand CS Lewis also brings her back in one form or another in the books, but really it is just distracting to this story in the movie. Evil is the enemy, not the White Witch. She is defeated. End of story.Post note: I do realize that they are making these movies in publication order, but CS Lewis laid out the chronological order of the books and it is "Magician's Nephew, LWW, A Horse and his Boy, Caspian, Voyage, Silver Chair, The Last Battle. I just think chronological order to the movies makes more sense to the story arc of the real main character, which is Narnia, not the Pevensies.

2012-05-04 22:31:18

Not like the first two

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD) I didn't enjoy this movie as much as the first two. It felt like the plot was rushed and ended abruptly. The quality of the acting was great as usual. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

Anthony Monaghan 2012-05-04 05:01:57

Voyage of the Foolish Screenwriters

For those who grew up with the Narnia stories, as I did, this version of the voyage of the Dawn Treader was an awful shock to the system. Simply put, they butchered the story. In the minds of the screenplay writers, it turns out the adventures of the Dawn Treader were, as realized in the mind of CS Lewis, were simply not good enough. And so we have added to the story an evil green mist which hisses its way through the plot, and seven swords which must be gathered to magically overcome evil. Given Lewis' background and intent on creating a story which included Christian parable, it was interesting, and and frankly saddening, to see the battle against the evil within transformed into a battle against evil without, to be overcome by stacking seven swords on a table. I had enjoyed the first two installments of this series, despite their own wanderings from Lewis' plot, and was looking forward to my children growing old enough to handle the intensity of the violence and action of them. And when this movie came out I was looking forward to it, and actually spent money in a theater on opening night with my wife to see it. Well when it comes to the Narnia series you can be assured that that won't happen again. I expect many others won't write this review, but will simply vote with their wallets, as I also plan to. Simply put, there would have been a lot more truth in advertising if the movie had been called "The voyage of a Dawn Treader as imagined by screenwriters who have one third the talent and twice the ego as CS Lewis, and who are vastly too enamored of Harry Potterish musings." I expect it would not have fit on a poster though.

2012-05-01 15:13:30

Begin a Wondrous Voyage that Goes Beyond Dawn Treader

This review is from: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) As have many others, I too have enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia series and have read the books more than once. I'm a devotee of following the story timeline chronology instead of the writing chronology. If you're not aware of the significance of that distinction I'll freely admit I wasn't aware of it either until after I'd read the series the first time following the timeline of the story. I had purchased a guide to Narnia book and discovered there were two distinct camps of Narnia followers, one who felt the books should be read in the order written, and the other who felt the proper order was to follow the story timeline. Having read all seven stories in the story timeline order I felt following that sequence made the most sense; for example where did the light post in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" come from and did it have any significance. That's all explained in the first book in the story timeline order, "The Magician's Nephew."Following the story timeline order "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is book two; "Prince Caspian" is book 4, and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is book five. Book six is called "The Silver Chair" and book seven is called "The Last Battle." To complete the series, book three is called "The Horse and His Boy."This Blu-ray version of the movie has first class sound and video and tells an exciting version of C. S. Lewis's story; the movie is enjoyable and easy to watch and goes by very quickly. On it's own it is entertaining although it has departures from the written story.I must confess that the first Narnia movie out was the catalyst that prompted me to buy the series in book form. Amazon offers the volume I bought and it is called "The Complete Chronicles of Narnia" and is a beautifully done volume for children or adults with pictures and maps; I recommend it highly for personal use or as a gift. I'm looking at my copy as I write this.I am a dedicated science fiction fan and only occasionally delve into fantasy; the exceptions to my science fiction have been "The Chronicle of Narnia," The Harry Potter books, "The Lord of the Rings" and related books, and "The Sword of Truth" books. All four of these fantasy series have been worthwhile and have provided hours of entertaining reading.The very best I could hope for you is to discover the books if you have not already done so; as is always the case, the books are rich with detail which must be eliminated with movie time constraints. I'll be one of the first to admit that the books are much more interesting than the movies; the movies have done a good job of hinting at what the books contain but that is all.I believe the Narnia stories would be outstanding for children who enjoy reading as they present high ethical and moral ideals at a time when children are more open to suggestion. The distinction between good and evil is clearly drawn.Should there be no more Narnia movies I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to whet a child's appetite for reading and help them discover how these adventures started and how they ended.

RichardSRussell-1 2012-04-30 16:00:49

Not a bad movie, just not very good

The Chronicles of Narnia [3, 3-D]: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader(1:52, PG) — other: talking animals, biggie, sequelThe Chronicles of Narnia have been ruffly contemporary with the HarryPotter saga but nowhere near as successful. Even tho the same 4 actorshave portrayed the Pevensie siblings in all 3 films so far, none ofthem is as memorable as the 10th-billed supporting character from anyPotter movie. And, while the names Harry, Ron, and Hermione tripreadily off the tongue, most people who didn't grow up with C. S.Lewis's novels would have to scratch their heads awhile to come up withthe equivalent Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.In this 3rd in the series, Peter and Susan get maybe 2 minutes screentime combined, as they take refuge from WW2 in America, leaving Edmund(the bland and forgettable Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) inthe care of unseen geonklos and under the withering judgment of theirresentful younger cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter). In the samedisplaced-British-cousin tradition depicted in Nanny McPhee Returns,Eustace is torn between snottiness and snobbery and settles for adouble dose of each. He is easily the most irritating character sinceJar-Jar Binks, except without the redeeming competence.It was probably a conscious decision on the part of director MichaelApted to have Poulter oversell the obnoxity, since that puts into evenstarker contrast his supposed reformation (which, in any Lewis work,carries the subtext of "redemption") after having been turned into adragon and back. Apted probably also told Henley that humans alwaysrespond favorably to a smile, so when in doubt, smile like crazy.* Andthis kid is in doubt a lot, calling up the old expression "When allaround you are losing their heads, maybe they know something youdon't."Edmund once again finds himself playing 2nd fiddle, this time to BenBarnes, reprising his role as Caspian from the eponymous 2nd film,except that now he's the king, not merely a prince. He and the 3 kids,plus the voice of Simon Pegg as the valiant mouse Reepicheep, carry theplot, such as it is.This is essentially a picaresque adventure, a quest in search of anill-explained mcguffin, the 7 swords of the 7 lords, which, if crossedupon the banquet table of Aslan, will fend off the latest threat to therealm, a green fog which apparently is able to teleport itself hundredsof miles away from its home base on Dark Island to abscond withboatloads of sacrificial peasants. The titular ship, the Dawn Treader,hops from island to island, with a different adventure at each stopalong the way until the grand climactic battle with a giant seaserpent, conjured into existence by Edmund's imagination in much thesame way as the giant Sta-Puft marshmallow man in Ghostbusters.Had the stupidest of the crew been blessed with even a single game'sexperience at D&D, they would have known enuf to set somebody on watchevery night, but they don't even learn from their failure to do so the1st couple of times, giving rise to what Roger Ebert calls the "idiotplot", one in which the entire story would fall apart if even 1character did something sensible or reasonable.For me, the most irritating aspect of these films is something endemicto Lewis's source novels, namely the mincing around the Christianapologetics. I always find myself wondering why everybody always fawnsall over Aslan (the king of beasts as avatar of the king of kings),since he hardly ever does much except show up at the end to take thecredit. And if he really IS such hot stuff, why does he need all theseother guys? Perhaps more to the point, why did he let things get so badin the 1st place? But that starts us down the Theodicy Thruway, whichleads to the part of Mere Christianity City that the Lewis Visitors'Bureau fervently hopes the tourists never discover.Trying nervously to strike a balance, screenwriters Christopher Markus,Stephen McFeely, and Michael Petroni leave us with such incongruitiesas Aslan telling the kids that he goes by another name in their world,but then they don't ask the obvious questions, like "What is it?" or"Can I get your e-mail address?".So, after having trashed the film up to this point, what led me to rateit a 5 (average)? Well, it's handsomely mounted, the effects are quitegood (aside from the improbably slow-developing sandy footprints fromthe 1-footed hoppers, tech apparently unchanged since 1956's ForbiddenPlanet**), and the score by David Arnold is effective if not memorable.It is seldom dreary, and the cinematography is not afraid of color. Iwasn't able to see it in 3-D, but I could readily imagine places whereit would have enhanced the experience, particularly during the waterytransits to and from Narnia.So it's partly *ahem* redeemed from its sins.–––––*much the same advice handed out by Morena Baccarin on V, I'm sure**starring Leslie Nielsen, RIP