The third in the series of novels from CS Lewis’s epic fantasy classics finally comes to the big screen after hitting troubled waters because of the performance of Prince Caspian. Caspian made a ton of money but ultimately just wasn’t as popular as the original Narnia movie. People grumbled that it was too dark and violent, and lacked the magic of the original, not to mention the fact that it lacked Tilda Swinton’s memorable and menacing White Witch. Her cameo was the highlight of the second movie. Being a fan of Prince Caspian, but understanding the reasons for going back to the drawing board, I’m happy to say that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a delightful treat. More leisurely paced and brighter than the LOTR-inspired Prince Caspian, it also features a more assured acting performance from Caspian himself Ben Barnes, some nifty special effects, and a new addition to Narnia named Eustace (played by Will Poulter, from the indie movie Son of Rambow). The obnoxious, and spoiled Eustace has a story arc similiar to Edmund’s as he goes from zero to hero.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader involves Edmund and Lucy’s return to Narnia (Susan and Peter are too old to go back) and their mission is to help the macho Caspian find the fated “seven swords” of the seven Lords of Narnia and place them at Aslan’s table. Eventually taking their ship right to the end of the world or “Aslan’s Country” as it’s called in the movie. The Christian allegory is pretty easy to spot as Jesus The Lion once again returns at the right moment to save the day for our heroes. The final battle involving a massive sea serpent is also cool and reminded me of the old-school Sinbad movies I used to watch as a kid. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a lot of fun, and has a surpisingly emotional climax and a terrific scene where a dragon has a change of heart and realizes that greed has its consequences. A good lesson for people of all ages.

Grade: B+

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