Jason KingThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (7/10)
January 3rd 2011 07:32
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Best in the Series
Category: Reviews
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (7/10)
It has been a long time coming but now that my financial woes of Xmas have departed and the clouds of New Years eve have lifted it is time to get into 2011 with gusto.
This year I vow to climb the Orble heirarchy as far as possible and to make this a steady part time job.
The radio gig on 91.3FM has come to an end as Mike Goldman moves on to other adventures but this year I am hoping to get in with the new crew on 91.3FM and also there are some pending gigs on 2DayFM and I am open to any other avenues to promote myself and my love for movies
This film, the third in the Narnia series was released way back one month ago on the 2nd of December but it is still holding strong at the box office. There is so much celluloid holiday stocking filler this year and most of it does not interest me. I can wait for Fockers, Love and Other Drugs and Gulliver until a DVD release and still have some interest in The Tourist and The King's Speech.
But this film thoroughly impressed me and I think it has held on because it actually is a decent film for the holidays. It is also in 3D, although it's that horrible post production 3D that occasionally throws out the depth of field and balance of an image, however it is much better to look at than the horrible Clash of the Titans.
Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince (now King) Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.
This was always my favourite story out of the books and to be honest I cannot think of why. Maybe it is because when I first read it back at age 12 I was on a boat and I could picture myself on The Dawn Treader sailing into the unknown and battling sea serpents and horrible other creatures. But it's visuals far outweigh the other films and the high sea adventures always appeal to young wanna be pirates.
When I re read the entire series a few years ago I was shocked at how much the books are all about faith and religion. A lot of people spin out when they realise that Alsan is actually Jesus in another world, more commonly known as ours, Earth. The movie avoids most of the preaching until the very end when Aslan parts the ocean and then it gets a bit too preachy with comments like "by learning to have faith in me in this world I have hopes you can continue that faith in your own world". Those words may not be exact but you get my drift. I have no problems with religion and am myself agnostic and a non practicing Catholic (mostly because my own faith believes I will burn in hell for eternity due to my sexual vocation). But the film can become a little ABC like with it's simple sermon messages.
My problems with all the Narnia films is that they are all so glossy and simple - it is very much like they are made for people under the age of 10 - why they could not maintain telling the story and grow some balls and make them similar to Harry Potter I will never know - one thing for sure - if they did do that from the start then they could have made a motza.
But bitching aside - this is by far the most enjoyable film out of the series. I am glad we have lost the two older kids, William Mosely as Peter, just drove me nuts - horrible acting. Him and his older onscreen sister, Anna Popplewell as Susan, only have cameos in this one and it makes the film much more enjoyable. I always liked Skander Keynes as Edmund and Georgie Henly as Lucy is tolerable and still quite cute and innocent. In my opinion the more screentime Ben Barnes gets in a film the better, he is just like.....wow I can't keep my eyes off him.
And two standouts for me in this film are (the voice of) Simon Pegg as Reepicheep. Easily my favourite character in the film and Will Poulter as Cousin Eustace Scrubb. He is such a superb young actor that blows his counterparts out of the water. He will always remain a favourite after his knockout performance as Lee Carter in Son of Rambow - I just LOVED that film and he made it what it was. Other notable performances are Tilda Swinton yet again making an appearance as The White Witch and Australia's own Gary Sweet as Drinian - the Captain of the Dawn Treader.
Surprisingly Disney dumped the Narnia franchise after the failure of Prince Caspian and lucky for 20th Century Fox and Walden Media as this one looks set to equal Narnia's takings but made for about $70MIL cheaper and looking a hell of a lot slicker - Dawn Treader will also bring in a few more bucks thanks to 3D and its added costs to view.
The film also looks a lot more spectacular after it was mostly filmed in QLD Australia. It was originally meant to be filmed in Mexico in the same giant tank that Titanic was filmed in but at the time Disney got a bit concerned over safety in Mexico and Roadshow stepped in and offerred for the whole thing to move to Australia.
And while the Pevensie kids are gone I think we may find Eustace back for the remainder of the series. At the end of the film, we hear Eustace's mother announce that Jill Pole has come by for a visit. Jill becomes Eustace's companion on his two subsequent adventures in Narnia in the books 'The Silver Chair' and 'The Last Battle'.
I hope they can improve the story and its deployment a little more for The Silver Chair - and bring on my favourite band SILVERCHAIR to do the music for this one.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still out now and is easily my fave in the series so far - you could do much worse in choosing a film these holidays, worth 7/10.
It has been a long time coming but now that my financial woes of Xmas have departed and the clouds of New Years eve have lifted it is time to get into 2011 with gusto.
This year I vow to climb the Orble heirarchy as far as possible and to make this a steady part time job.
The radio gig on 91.3FM has come to an end as Mike Goldman moves on to other adventures but this year I am hoping to get in with the new crew on 91.3FM and also there are some pending gigs on 2DayFM and I am open to any other avenues to promote myself and my love for movies
This film, the third in the Narnia series was released way back one month ago on the 2nd of December but it is still holding strong at the box office. There is so much celluloid holiday stocking filler this year and most of it does not interest me. I can wait for Fockers, Love and Other Drugs and Gulliver until a DVD release and still have some interest in The Tourist and The King's Speech.
But this film thoroughly impressed me and I think it has held on because it actually is a decent film for the holidays. It is also in 3D, although it's that horrible post production 3D that occasionally throws out the depth of field and balance of an image, however it is much better to look at than the horrible Clash of the Titans.
Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince (now King) Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.
This was always my favourite story out of the books and to be honest I cannot think of why. Maybe it is because when I first read it back at age 12 I was on a boat and I could picture myself on The Dawn Treader sailing into the unknown and battling sea serpents and horrible other creatures. But it's visuals far outweigh the other films and the high sea adventures always appeal to young wanna be pirates.
When I re read the entire series a few years ago I was shocked at how much the books are all about faith and religion. A lot of people spin out when they realise that Alsan is actually Jesus in another world, more commonly known as ours, Earth. The movie avoids most of the preaching until the very end when Aslan parts the ocean and then it gets a bit too preachy with comments like "by learning to have faith in me in this world I have hopes you can continue that faith in your own world". Those words may not be exact but you get my drift. I have no problems with religion and am myself agnostic and a non practicing Catholic (mostly because my own faith believes I will burn in hell for eternity due to my sexual vocation
). But the film can become a little ABC like with it's simple sermon messages.
My problems with all the Narnia films is that they are all so glossy and simple - it is very much like they are made for people under the age of 10 - why they could not maintain telling the story and grow some balls and make them similar to Harry Potter I will never know - one thing for sure - if they did do that from the start then they could have made a motza.
But bitching aside - this is by far the most enjoyable film out of the series. I am glad we have lost the two older kids, William Mosely as Peter, just drove me nuts - horrible acting. Him and his older onscreen sister, Anna Popplewell as Susan, only have cameos in this one and it makes the film much more enjoyable. I always liked Skander Keynes as Edmund and Georgie Henly as Lucy is tolerable and still quite cute and innocent. In my opinion the more screentime Ben Barnes gets in a film the better, he is just like.....wow
I can't keep my eyes off him.
And two standouts for me in this film are (the voice of) Simon Pegg as Reepicheep. Easily my favourite character in the film and Will Poulter as Cousin Eustace Scrubb. He is such a superb young actor that blows his counterparts out of the water. He will always remain a favourite after his knockout performance as Lee Carter in Son of Rambow - I just LOVED that film and he made it what it was. Other notable performances are Tilda Swinton yet again making an appearance as The White Witch and Australia's own Gary Sweet as Drinian - the Captain of the Dawn Treader.
Surprisingly Disney dumped the Narnia franchise after the failure of Prince Caspian and lucky for 20th Century Fox and Walden Media as this one looks set to equal Narnia's takings but made for about $70MIL cheaper and looking a hell of a lot slicker - Dawn Treader will also bring in a few more bucks thanks to 3D and its added costs to view.
The film also looks a lot more spectacular after it was mostly filmed in QLD Australia
. It was originally meant to be filmed in Mexico in the same giant tank that Titanic was filmed in but at the time Disney got a bit concerned over safety in Mexico and Roadshow stepped in and offerred for the whole thing to move to Australia.
And while the Pevensie kids are gone I think we may find Eustace back for the remainder of the series. At the end of the film, we hear Eustace's mother announce that Jill Pole has come by for a visit. Jill becomes Eustace's companion on his two subsequent adventures in Narnia in the books 'The Silver Chair' and 'The Last Battle'.
I hope they can improve the story and its deployment a little more for The Silver Chair - and bring on my favourite band SILVERCHAIR to do the music for this one
.The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still out now and is easily my fave in the series so far - you could do much worse in choosing a film these holidays, worth 7/10.
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Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
(as it seems, most good movies have effects that cause motion sickness in me!)
Good luck with the pending gigs!
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Thanks
Comment by AmyHuang
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Comment by K @ the Lair
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Irene
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
You need to ask why?! Because it has the greatest story line of all--a meandering series of adventures, returning friends (esp. Reepicheep!), a majestic boat, and oh yeah, Eustace turns into a dragon, cries, and redeems himself.
Even the method by which they entered Narnia is the best of the series. A painting that comes to life! Ever since childhood, paintings of lone tall ships on a sea would always make me think of Narnia with a twinge of longing.
BTW I hope they continue with at least one more movie. Eustace and Jill are so much more interesting than those snotty Pevensies, lol.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
And on the movie front - The Silver Chair is listed as "In Development"" on IMDB.com so highly possible but I am thinking they may place any plans on hold to see if the Treader makes money. Fingers crossed.