Book Written by: C S Lewis
Film Released: 2010
Actors/ Characters: Georgie Henley/ Lucy Pevensie, Skandar Keynes/ Edmund Pevensie, Ben Barnes/ Caspian, Will Poulter/ Eustace Scrubb, Liam Neeson / Aslan (voice), Simon Pegg / Reepicheep (voice)
Director: Michael Apted
Summary: Lucy and Edmund, with their dreadful cousin Eustace, get magically pulled into a painting of a ship at sea. That ship is the Dawn Treader, and on board is Caspian, King of Narnia. He and his companions, including Reepicheep, the valiant warrior mouse, are searching for seven lost lords of Narnia, and their voyage will take them to the edge of the world. Their adventures include being captured by slave traders, a much-too-close encounter with a dragon, and visits to many enchanted islands, including the place where dreams come true.
Review
C S Lewis' 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' was one of my favourite books in the Chronicles of Narnia. The film was without a doubt the worst of the modern adaptations of the series. I was so disappointed with this movie. None of the book's excitement or adventure was mirrored in the film and I felt as if Apted was just dramatising the plot in order to provoke a reaction.
This film was astounding with regards to the plot and character changes. The whole green smoke plot point was awful in my opinion and pure rubbish- the film would've been much better if this pointless ploy to generate tension and drama had been neglected from the final script. Again the order of the islands being changed really frustrated me and it added nothing to the plot. After Eustace turned into a dragon he was not changed back until the near end of the film which was fairly irritating because his character development wasn't as clear as in the book. However , saying that, I didn't mind his altered storyline because having him remain in the dragon's body meant that he could be heroic and fight alongside the others.
For me one the best plot points of both the book and the film was Eustace. His character development is extraordinary and extremely touching to watch/ read. Will Poulter was phenomenal in the role of Eustace- he perfected the snotty and arrogant nature of the character at the beginning of the film and I particularly loved the voice over read by him upon his arrival in Narnia. Poulter made the Eustace's change of character seem effortless which should be applauded as it evidences his greatness as an actor- what's even more impressive is his age in this film and the talent he holds at such an age.
Some of the other character's personalty changes were not as appreciated by me notably Edmund and Lucy. Throughout all the film adaptations Edmund has been represented as a much more flawed character when contrasted to the books. This frustrated me to no end because Edmund is my favourite character especially because of his ability to overcome his weaknesses, the films constantly present him as a boy struggling with his inner demons. Edmund gets over his antagonistic ways in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe so why do the filmmakers insist on depicting Edmund as the 'bad boy of the Pevensie family'? Lucy is also changed in the film, in the book when she visits the magician's home and find the magic spell book she decides to learn what her friends truly think of her and although this was a selfish move it highlights her natural curiosity (a trait that she has had all her life and is what led her to discover Narnia in the first place). To contradict in the film, the now older Lucy is apparently jealous of her sister Susan's beauty and charm when it comes to attracting men and she longs to be like her. This is why she casts a spell to look like her sister. I hated this portrayal of Lucy as it completely took away from the innocence of her character and painted her in a spiteful and envious light that did not suit her character whatsoever.
The reason why the story in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favourite is purely to do with the thrilling adventure experienced. The Dawn Treader is a much different setting to the the other locations we've experienced in Narnia so far and I really enjoyed it. I thought the story was much more fast paced and actioned packed than the other stories and I really enjoyed it.
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