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patentdragonFilm Review: The Chronicles of Narnia - Voyage Of The Dawn Treader Boy, did I need this.
Prince Caspian was a fairly substantial disappointment, full of sound and fury signifying "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe: The Deleted Scenes", and not a lot else. Under the wing of a new studio, the franchise has been refreshed in splendid fashion, producing a really first-rate Christmas family movie, with some very well executed 3D scenes. A good deal of that Avatar-esque immersion is in evidence, balancing out the more blatant "in your face" moments - bows certainly seem to be the 3D weapon of choice. There were scenes of invisible characters that gained real depth from 3D, and other scenes involving water, of which there are many, come across really well - this was a good choice for a 3D presentation.
Performances by the young cast continue to be strong, but the real stand-out actually comes from the newest addition, Will Poulter, as thoroughly obnoxious cousin Eustace. He's utterly horrid in the book, and that comes out loud and clear here, even more so than the Edmund of the first movie, but as we come to the final scenes, he's been thoroughly redeemed, emerging as a hero for the future. I will be very interested to see how he fares in The Silver Chair, as the lead child hero.
As in "Caspian" we bid farewell to two of our heroes, and this is where the film is somewhat lacking, as this momentous occasion doesn't quite have the emotional clout of the previous goodbye to Narnia - and it doesn't really help that we get the biggest nod yet that Aslan Is In Fact God in the process. It's not a fatal flaw - far from it, and in all honesty, you'd really have to go to town to screw this up.
The Low-Down: The Chronicles of Narnia, saved from the chop, get another strong showing more than justifying the continuation of the series. Score: 9/10
Bliss. Two hours of escapism to wash away the aggravation of the week - and next week, I get to do it all again as 2010's swan-song, Tron Legacy, hits the big screen!
Prince Caspian was a fairly substantial disappointment, full of sound and fury signifying "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe: The Deleted Scenes", and not a lot else. Under the wing of a new studio, the franchise has been refreshed in splendid fashion, producing a really first-rate Christmas family movie, with some very well executed 3D scenes. A good deal of that Avatar-esque immersion is in evidence, balancing out the more blatant "in your face" moments - bows certainly seem to be the 3D weapon of choice. There were scenes of invisible characters that gained real depth from 3D, and other scenes involving water, of which there are many, come across really well - this was a good choice for a 3D presentation.
Performances by the young cast continue to be strong, but the real stand-out actually comes from the newest addition, Will Poulter, as thoroughly obnoxious cousin Eustace. He's utterly horrid in the book, and that comes out loud and clear here, even more so than the Edmund of the first movie, but as we come to the final scenes, he's been thoroughly redeemed, emerging as a hero for the future. I will be very interested to see how he fares in The Silver Chair, as the lead child hero.
As in "Caspian" we bid farewell to two of our heroes, and this is where the film is somewhat lacking, as this momentous occasion doesn't quite have the emotional clout of the previous goodbye to Narnia - and it doesn't really help that we get the biggest nod yet that Aslan Is In Fact God in the process. It's not a fatal flaw - far from it, and in all honesty, you'd really have to go to town to screw this up.
The Low-Down: The Chronicles of Narnia, saved from the chop, get another strong showing more than justifying the continuation of the series. Score: 9/10
Bliss. Two hours of escapism to wash away the aggravation of the week - and next week, I get to do it all again as 2010's swan-song, Tron Legacy, hits the big screen!
