Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Director: Michael Apted Staring: William Moseley, Georgie Henley Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Studio: 20th Century Fox Genre(s): Fantasy Rated:       (For some frightening images and sequences of fantasy action)   Buy From Amazon.com: a / a / a / a / a / a / a

CONSUMER ADVICE

Parents, this is much tamer then the previous film. Violence in minor and more fun than scary. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

If the last two installments of “Pirates of the Caribbean” left you feeling like you’d had your share of high sea adventures, I suggest you take a look at “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” This has everything a great fantasy film should have: Likable characters, a sense of wonder, lots of adventure, and a story that is gripping. It may not be perfect, but what it does well is more than enough to please most audiences. This is the third film in the Narnia franchise though newcomers will likely be able to pick up on it easily since C.S. Lewis tended to write his books to be largely self-contained. The story begins with two of the Pevensies (Lucy and Edmund) getting drawn back to Narnia through a portrait.

There they land on the Dawn Treader, where King Caspian (who you may remember was the title character of the previous film) is the captain and leader. His crew is looking for seven lords who have disappeared. They each have with them powerful swords when brought to the alter of Aslan the Lion (the Christ figure in this world) which will enable a power to defeat evil that lurks to overtake Narnia. Oh, and Lucy and Edmunds annoying cousin Eustance also managed to tag along on this journey, who is a royal pain in the butt until...well, let’s just say redemption and justice has rarely been so rewarding in a film before. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is yet another original fantasy that families can enjoy together.

Once being distributed by Disney, 20th Century Fox has picked up the rights to this film and the sequel. Here’s hoping more get made. Because unlike the previous film that got bogged down in it’s overblown action sequences, this film is a journey. An adventure. What’s more, it’s a fun film to boot. For me the best character was Reepicheep, a sword-swashing mouse who is loyal and funny, yet has no problems attacking a dragon to defend his friends. Yeah, that dragon is bigger than most of the humans on the boat, but with his spirit you’re willing to believe he CAN take down that dragon! The Christian themes are also back in full force after having been downgraded a bit in the previous film.

Whether this is a pro or con will depend on your personal beliefs I suppose. This is also the first Narnia film to be in Digital 3D. Unlike most 3D films being made this was up-converted rather then filmed in natural 3D. The effect is...well, as far as up-conversion goes this is pretty good, but it still looks a little weird at times. Hopefully the next film will be filmed with James Cameron’s 3D camera. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is at times slow but largely it’s a fun adventure. Since the new Harry Potter film is hostile to the family crowd, this is the easier recommendation for your fantasy fix. Just don’t be too surprised if come the films end your kids are bugging you all the way home for a Reepicheep doll.