The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

[Jeremy D. Scott]

The trailer is finally out:

[Kazimiera Fraley]

This is Mike's favorite book. We are wondering what they will do with the end. We are unsure if the end of the book will make a good end to a movie.

[Shea Zellweger]

since when does the White Witch come into play in Dawn Treader?

[Katelynn Scott]

oooooo this looks so exciting! I didn't realize they shot this one in 3D. I don't remember the white witch in Dawn Treader either. I'll have to re-read the book closer to when the movie comes out.

[Melissa DeBono]

I believe that the White Witch might be among the "voices" on the Island of the Voices. These were like sirens, right, that tempted them to follow. I don't think the book mentions the White Witch, but it seems a good use of imagery to use her voice to represent what would have tormented Edmund.

Right now, we are re-reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I look forward to reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader with my kids this Fall, in preparation for the movie.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

They are inviting pastors to pre-screen the movie. Register here. Of course...they don't think anyone knows who Jesus is in the Boston area, so there's no screening up here, but I thought I'd at least tell the rest of you...

[Steven Burton]

I am glad to see Liam Neeson as Aslan.

[Ryan Scott]

We went to one of the preview showings last night. This is Lewis' fifth Narnia book, but the third with the Pevensie children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It details the voyage of King Caspian as he explores the eastern seas in search of the seven lost Lords. I didn't post my comments in order to have a chance to re-read the book this morning.

My immediate thoughts upon leaving the theater were that it was a great movie. The special effects were fantastic and they did a really great job casting Eustace, although I would have liked to see his character developed a little more. His part was smaller than I expected. Overall, I felt like they rushed through the story; there was more of a focus on adventure and mission than on the journey. It had been a while since I'd read the book, so I knew that quite a bit of the details had been changed, but not so much that the story seemed different.

Upon reading the book again, I can make some further statements. One, we have to recognize that their budget was cut in half during shooting, so the fact that the movie should have been about half an hour longer (it is under two hours) really isn't their fault. The details of the story have been changed in places, although most everything is present and I don't think it takes away from the overall story. Obviously, this film would have seemed much better had I not read the book previously.

Some of the actors are better than others. Lucy is particularly weak, but she's a part of the story, so they sort of had to go with her. I don't think any of the performances were horrible, certainly not enough to detract from the whole. My major complaint was how rushed the film seems - they move from one event to the next quite quickly. You miss out on the feeling of voyage and journey that comes through strongly in the book. The movie has a more straightforward action plot - with a specific goal and obstacles in the way. The book conveys a stronger sense of discovery and journey, where the voyage itself is the goal.

They've also removed the more overt theological and biblical references. Eustace's transformation and even the final scene with Aslan are more fantastical than allegorical.

Still, I thought it was a solid film, especially for 10-12 year olds. The scene with the sea serpent is really scary for small children, much scarier than I would have expected for their target audience. The biggest regret is that they didn't have the money to make the film I suspect they wanted to make. The cuts were obvious and leave you wanting a bit more.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Thank you, Ryan! Hearing your review makes me all the more excited to see it. (They did add a showing in Boston, but it's for Monday night and I will be on the road then, perhaps even passing right by you just about that time.)

I have to know: Was Eustace's baptism scene done well (or at all?)?

[Ryan Scott]

I have to know: Was Eustace's baptism scene done well (or at all?)?

I put tis in white type to avoid unnecessary spoilers:

There's no water involved, so the very weak baptism analogy from the book is gone completely. Because they're condensing the book down so much, Eustace's transformation is much less of a big deal, although the effects are pretty cool.

I did forget to mention that Reepicheep is wonderful; everything you expect from everyone's favorite character. That's really the only thing they needed to get right for the movie to be enjoyable.

[Katelynn Scott]

I'll chime in too - there was more humor than I expected. I found myself chuckling at several parts. I was just thankful that Eustace's transformation BACK to human didn't look like the scene in Beauty and Beast when the beast becomes a man. There was a moment there when I thought that would happen - you'll know what I mean if you see it.

I disagree with Ryan a little bit in the pacing. I didn't feel like it was as rushed as he did. I thought the length was pretty good. At the moment when good triumphs over evil in the end, there is even a little quiet moment in the soundtrack. A small kid in the theatre said, "yay!" right in that moment and everyone chuckled. Very cute.

I thought it was good overall and would encourage others to see it!

[Patrick Russell]

This is Lewis' fifth Narnia book, but the third with the Pevensie children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

In chronological order this story is the fifth but in the original written order this book is third. Given that Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is also arguably the most well known book in the series filming in written order instead of chronological order makes much more sense for a film maker to ensure money is generated due to interest. As for having the books in chronological order that order was not standard before 1994 and the first page of Magician's Nephew presupposes the reader has knowledge of Narnia. So I guess it all depends on the reader in the end. Although I still wish the set was available in bookstores in the written order.

Also I saw a new trailer for the movie today on tv, it was wonderful
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2423167257/

[Kazimiera Fraley]

slightly OT but does anybody know which book they are planning on doing next?
To continue the "story" they would need to "skip" The Horse and His Boy and go straight to The Silver Chair but as far as "order" goes Horse and His Boy would come between Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair. Has an "offcial" decision been published? Opinions?

[Melissa DeBono]

There was a rumor in 2008 that they would dump the series after Dawn Treader, but I found a more recent post that The Silver Chair was scheduled next. But I didn't find anything official. As far as movies go, I think that seems like a good plan.

[Ryan Scott]

There was a rumor in 2008 that they would dump the series after Dawn Treader, but I found a more recent post that The Silver Chair was scheduled next. But I didn't find anything official. As far as movies go, I think that seems like a good plan.

I think they just need to find the right price point. They made a ton of money on the first one and green-lighted a huge budget for Prince Caspian. They barely broke even on it, so they slashed the budget for Dawn Treader. I think if they can figure out the size of their reliable audience and manage the budget accordingly, they can get all seven made. It will be tricky, though.

[Jon Twitchell]

slightly OT but does anybody know which book they are planning on doing next?
To continue the "story" they would need to "skip" The Horse and His Boy and go straight to The Silver Chair but as far as "order" goes Horse and His Boy would come between Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair. Has an "offcial" decision been published? Opinions?

I think that the primary issue the movie-makers have to consider is the age of the actors. If you perceive that the Kings & Queens are "adults" in "Horse and His Boy," then it gets made later on, so they can be made to be older. However, I doubt it would be made last (after the Last Battle). So... I'm curious to see what they will do.

I would suspect that it would go something like this:

1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. The Horse and His Boy
7. The Last Battle

My reasoning: Silver Chair should come next, since it features Eustace, only one school term after his appearance in Dawn Treader.

I think that they will end with the Last Battle. They need the children to age in order to bring them back for The Horse and His Boy... I'm curious how much they will age them... and how they'll make that relative to their ages in the Last Battle.

I also think that TMN, THaHB, and TLB are more about Narnian history than about the children... and I think that they would do them in their own chronological order. In other words, movies 1-4 would follow the chronology of the children... moves 5-7 would follow the chronology of Narnia.

[Patrick Russell]

From what little I know and also based in part off of the original written order The Silver Chair will come next after Dawn Treader and should they continue after that Horse and His Boy would follow The Silver Chair. At this point it looks like the future of the other three will be largely decided on the revenue generated from Dawn Treader and Silver Chair. Should all seven eventually get made (which is my hope) and written order continues they should go from Dawn Treader to Silver Chair to Magician's Nephew to Last Battle but again that will depend on the revenue of movies three and four

[Ryan Scott]

The kid who plays Eustace is like 17 years old already. He's got a baby face, but if they're going to use him again, they need to do it soon. Also, I think they're heading in that direction. The kid can act; I think he'll be able to carry his own movie without much problem.

[Charlotte 'Mercer' Burton]

I think that the primary issue the movie-makers have to consider is the age of the actors. If you perceive that the Kings & Queens are "adults" in "Horse and His Boy," then it gets made later on, so they can be made to be older. However, I doubt it would be made last (after the Last Battle). So... I'm curious to see what they will do.

I would suspect that it would go something like this:

1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. The Horse and His Boy
7. The Last Battle

My reasoning: Silver Chair should come next, since it features Eustace, only one school term after his appearance in Dawn Treader.

I think that they will end with the Last Battle. They need the children to age in order to bring them back for The Horse and His Boy... I'm curious how much they will age them... and how they'll make that relative to their ages in the Last Battle.

I also think that TMN, THaHB, and TLB are more about Narnian history than about the children... and I think that they would do them in their own chronological order. In other words, movies 1-4 would follow the chronology of the children... moves 5-7 would follow the chronology of Narnia.

From what little I know and also based in part off of the original written order The Silver Chair will come next after Dawn Treader and should they continue after that Horse and His Boy would follow The Silver Chair. At this point it looks like the future of the other three will be largely decided on the revenue generated from Dawn Treader and Silver Chair. Should all seven eventually get made (which is my hope) and written order continues they should go from Dawn Treader to Silver Chair to Magician's Nephew to Last Battle but again that will depend on the revenue of movies three and four

Horse and His Boy comes before Magician's Nephew in the written order (which, as was previously mentioned, they seem to be following for the movies). As for the age of the characters in The Horse and His Boy, I was expecting them to use the adult actors who played the four at the end of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. If you'll remember, they had four adults representing the kings and queens near the end of their first visit to Narnia. I was expecting these to be the ones to represent them in The Horse and His Boy and possibly also for their cameo in The Last Battle.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

I realized that I never actually posted after finally watching the film.

It's been a while, but I remember a couple of feelings that I had: once I got past the confusion of the order of things, I really did enjoy it. I thought the guy that played Eustace did a superb job - he was well-casted and then also did a wonderful job of bringing the character I remember from the book alive.

I do remember thinking that the story has so much movement that it seems like many things were missing. I'm not sure how much could be done about that. It's really not that long of a book, either.

Anyway, overall, I was pleased.

[Jon Twitchell]

WaldenMedia co-founder and president Michael Flaherty has revealed to The Christian Post that if there will be another "Narnia" movie, it will be The Magician's Nephew and not The Silver Chair as many fans has expected.

Read more: The Next Narnia Movie Would be The Magician's Nephew - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movie...#ixzz1HQFL0A3Y

[Ryan Scott]

Read more: The Next Narnia Movie Would be The Magician's Nephew - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movie...#ixzz1HQFL0A3Y

The Magician's Nephew will make for a cool movie and all, but I'd hate for the guy who played Eustace to age out of the role. He's already like 17. They could do some cool visuals with the Silver Chair as well.

[Jon Twitchell]

The Magician's Nephew will make for a cool movie and all, but I'd hate for the guy who played Eustace to age out of the role. He's already like 17. They could do some cool visuals with the Silver Chair as well.

I think that what they are leaving unsaid in that article is that they really need another financial success... and they think that Magician's Nephew has a better chance of doing that than Silver Chair.

Every film attempt at Narnia so far has suffered the same fate--dwindling numbers as the series continues. Most series pick up viewers as they progress... for some reason Narnia is unable to do that. There are a lot of people who LOVE LWW... and just don't care about the rest of the books. Many are church people who loved the allegory in LWW, but don't see that in the sequels.

By doing Magician's Nephew next, they can market the idea of "see how it all began" to the LWW fans who don't care much about the rest of the series. They're unlikely to attract that crowd to The Silver Chair. MN is also a bit heavier in the realm of biblical allegory--at least insofar as a creation and fall story.

[Scott Moseley]

We got the DVD the other night and watched it. I just really couldn't get into the movie. I think like Ryan posted it moved to quickly from one adventure to the next. We all liked Eustace's character. My son thought the "coolest" part was the opening scence of the painting coming to life and ocean water spilling into the bedroom for the transition.

[Bob Hunter]

I actually liked the movie and so did my kids. We have read the books, listened to the audio dramas and own all the movies. I personally liked Dawn Treader. I hate to see the series die a slow death, but I don't know as that trajectory can be stopped. I still think it is brilliant and I love each story. I don't view one as better than the other, I just see them as different and unique in their own way.

[Michael Flowers]

I watched this movie last week for the first time, and as someone who has read all of the books, I was disappointed. I liked most of the movie but two things stood out as disappointing. The first was the addition of a quest for seven swords that was not at all necessary and which I feel like made them have to speed up the movie and not focus upon the journey itself. The second was the use of Eustace as the dragon and his subsequent transformation back to himself. If I am not mistaken, Eustace as a dragon was used to help repair the ship following its engagement with the sea serpent, not as a way of combating it. Also, when he was used to pull the ship in the area of sea that was without wind, it undermined the reliance and necessity of Aslan. Lastly, by not showing the transformation Eustace became yet another literary character to be turned into a creature and then back, the significance was lost.

The movie was well done, and I think Fox did a great job picking up the series, but I wish that they would have allowed the story to stand more on its own and emphasized what Lewis was trying to convey in his own written imagery.