The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Directed by Michael Apted
Starring Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley
Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media
Release Date: December 10, 2010

With the holidays quickly approaching, what better way to spend a night with the family than by going out and catching a movie. This weekend marks for right now, the final release in the Narnia series with The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Out of these three movies, the second one is the only one without a December release date. I have never read the books, but I have always been fascinated with the concept of these tales of faraway lands filled with both mythical and mystical creatures, and the variety of everything else as well. It makes me wonder the differences between the books and the movies. (Maybe one day I will get around to reading them, there is seven total).

This movie begins with us seeing Britain enlisting men for World War II, and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) wanting to enlist. His younger sister Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds him and gets him out of there so they can head home.

They are now staying with their Aunt and Uncle, and their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) temporarily until they can join up with their older two siblings and their parents in the U.S. Nobody is too thrilled with the living arrangements as we are quickly shown, especially for Eustace who is always trying to act like he is much more than he really is. In truth he is a spoiled brat. And he does not believe it when Edmund and Lucy mention Narnia, or as he calls it “their fairytales.” He is soon shown a world even he can’t deny the more he experiences of it.

As the three of them are transported back to Narnia, this time there adventures are on the ship The Dawn Treader. Adventure ensues as they must sail with now King Caspian (Ben Barnes) in search of the Seven Lords from his father’s kingdom and figure out what happened to them. This causes them to sail into uncharted waters and makes not only them, but the entire crew of the ship face dangers and evil both within themselves and others who threaten them. Will Edmund, Lucy, and Caspian be able to face all of their obstacles and deal with Eustace at the same time, or will he drive them all mad? There’s only one way to find out.

Out of the three movies this was my least favorite. While I did enjoy it, it seemed to lack the spark that the first two had on me when I first saw them. Whether it is due to different directors or the fact that Fox 2000 pictures picked this up after Disney was no longer going to fund the movie, I don’t know. But what I do know is that it is still an enjoyable movie and it is one worth checking out. Even if it is only for the kids or the big kid inside all of us.