Review of film: “THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER”

Review of film:  

“THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: 

THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER”

Well, the kids are “at” it again in this 3^rd “NARNIA” film …  Susan Pevensie (ANNA POPPLEWELL) & her brother Peter (WILLIAM MOSELEY) are seen just in “passing” (probably because they’ve aged a lot for the story-telling).  Lucy (GEORGIE HENLEY) seems almost obsessed with her sister, & Edmund (SKANDAR KEYNES) is the only character regularly emitting sort of “common-sense” thru much of the movie…

…  The “new” main person in the group is their cousin Eustace Scrubb (WILL POULTER) --  an obnoxious sort of “hater” who denies the existence of Narnia, regularly “puts down” Georgie & Skandar, & is a deceptive lying troublemaker thru much of the film…

…  In looking at a painting of the “Dawn Treader” Narnian ship, the three cousins are transported back to the world of Narnia, and rescued from the ocean by a scruffy-ish Prince Caspian (BEN BARNES) who was traveling on the boat they’d been looking at…

…  The talking mouse Reepicheep (voiced by SIMON PEGG) works to try to teach valuable lessons to Will…  In time, the ship ends up at what appears to be a deserted island--  but the inhabitants are really being held under the control of a series of SLAVERS who are selling people into bondage.  Georgie, Skandar, Will & Ben are captured by the evil-doers, & need to be rescued by their shipmates… 

…  That starts a “quest” by the Treaders to find where Narnian Lords have been taken by the “baddies”, involving the questers having to gather a series of seven special SWORDS to effect control over “dark” elements that are causing problems in the area…

…  The “Treader” group deals with Drinian (GARY SWEET) & Coriakin (BILLE BROWN), & meet various bizarre characters that have 1 leg, or fly thru the air as dragons or live in the sea (as an evil serpent), & those interactions (& clashes) cause the main characters to eventually “GROW” as people…

…  Naturally, there will be appearances by lion Aslan (voiced by LIAM NEESON) and the seductive evil White Witch (TILDA SWINTON) as temptations “roar” & “fly” over the group…

…  Will the kids be able to triumph over the “baddies”?...  Will they succeed in gathering the necessary swords?...  Will one or more of them go off with Aslan?...  Who will be set-up to be left OFF as major characters in the potential “next” Narnia film, & who will be set-up as the likely “main” character in it?...

…  It’s an “involved” story--  but the “Treader” movie sadly comes across as sort of a “RE-Tread” of the previous two.  There are some very good SPECIAL EFFECTS (even in “2-D”, which is the version I saw); but the story & script are weak, with a bunch of “wasted” scenes & certain boring stretches… 

…  Kids may enjoy the “fantastical” nature of the story, but I doubt if they’ll be very “excited” by the final product.  It’s sort of an “Ehh—” (nothing-“special”) movie, & thus I’m rating it as just 7.25 stars out of 10…