Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Ian)

OK....Religious films tend to be a tricky subject for critics, since their impact and entertainment value largely depend on what faith lies behind the eyes viewing them. If you believe in the message of Easter, then Passion Of The Christ would be a revelation.  If not, it may very well come across as a glorified gorefest.

The C.S. Lewis-penned Narnia series strikes a similar Christian note, albeit one not nearly as gory. These films in themselves are an example of resurrection, being dropped by Disney only to be picked up by Fox soon afterwards (apparently, 400 million dollars and a message of moral sacrifice is not enough for the House of Mouse).  The irony is that these films tend to seem pale in comparison to the angst-ridden stories of Potter and Cullen, despite the fact that the books served as an essential influence for today's fantasy storytelling.

This time around, we see the third (and supposedly most beloved) part of the series, where Lucy and Edmund find themselves longing to return for another spin in Narnia.  This is not helped by their need to live temporaily with their obnoxious cousin Eustace, whose insecurity lies in every bit of bitterness he speaks or writes. A painting of a ship at sea grants the wishes of two and sparks the nightmare of the stowaway.  Narnia is is the sea, the Dawn Treader is the ship.

You get the basic plot elements here for a classic fantasy story.  The ship is seeking seven legendary swords that need to be placed on Aslan's table, as they sail east into what seems like eternity (and sometimes the audience feels it too).  Naturally, the evil "Stephen King-esque" green mist doesn't want that to happen, so in a clever twist, it tries warping our heroes' deepest desires to corrupt their natures.  Lucy and Edmund deal with their young-sibling insecurities, a dragon makes an appearance, the message is laid on fairly thick.

That being said, the magnificent special effects carry the plot when it feels disjointed, and the overall message helps tie the film together for a pretty effective ending - depending on whether such a message resonates with you.  For me, personally, what got me was not the Christian theme alone (though that helped), but the simple idea that messengers do not need to be perfect.  Whatever you feel you are meant to do, it can feel very overwhelming to live up to images of perfection, and Heaven forbid if we take a step out of line.

The actors in this film do their job, especially Will Poulter as the strongly-developed Eustace and Simon Pegg as the rivaling noble mouse Reepicheep.  The plot is adequate, the cinematogeaphy a good compensation. It is simply a solid family film from a critical standpoint, but in the end, it's refreshing to see a film that has a traditionally optimistic and hopeful message for those mortals in the theatre struggling to find a voice - namely, that it is not about who the messenger is, but what the message is and whether you are willing to deliver it.  These ears listened.  I give it a range of 3-4 dragon-headed ships out of 5, depending on whether the message resonates for you.

Score: