The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opens with a castle in all its magnificent glory – giving the impression that one is in Narnia until the camera pans upwards to reveal a grim picture of England circa World War II, where the grey skies are dominated by aeroplanes.

This subtle change of subject invokes a sense of disappointment and it is a feeling that continues to plague the viewers throughout the film; even when characters finally do re-enter Narnia afterwards.

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The oldest Pevensie siblings, Susan and Peter, are out of the country, leaving Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) in the company of their loathsome cousin, Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter). A painting of a ship that Lucy remarks as looking “Narnian” starts to leak water and eventually engulfs the trio. Swimming to the surface, they find themselves aboard the Dawn Treader, the titular ship built by their old friend, King Caspian (Ben Barnes).

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While Lucy and Edmund are glad to be back, Eustace gets a rude shock as he comes into terms with the authenticity of the Narnia his cousins often speak of. Once again, they embark on another mission to save Narnia and they join King Caspian on an island-hopping quest to find the 7 banished lords of Narnia and defeat the mysterious green mist plaguing its fantastical creatures.

One is then introduced to the myriad of characters as the ship advances, with familiar faces like the swashbucking mouse, Reepicheep (Simon Pegg) and not so familiar ones like the one-legged Dufflepuds and Krakens, the sea monsters.

This third installation of the beloved tale by C.S. Lewis sees the change of director, from Andrew Adamson (Shrek and Shrek 2) to Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough) and the replacement of long-time studio partner, Disney to 20th Century Fox.

The result is a slightly nostalgic and much more compact film, compared to its high-budget predecessors, where the creators try to emulate the epic Tolkienesque world but end up with nothing more than an inadequate caricature of the whimsical world described in the books.

However, where Apted has suceeded in visual effects, he failed in storytelling. It feels as if there’s too much shoehorned in the kids’ “Hallows-like” search for the 7 lords – the movie is choppy and hurtles along at a breathless pace as the characters get whisked off from island to island, confronting invisible enemies or their inner demons.

Every kid’s movie must have a coming-of-age subplot, of course, and each of the characters slowly find themselves having to face the temptations of their deepest desires due to the green mist. As a character shedding light on the origin of the mist puts it, “To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness within yourself.”

It is thus disappointing that Keynes’ Edmund and Barnes’ Caspian performances were less than convincing and they fail to portray alpha males rivals (with a secret penchant for power). Instead, their renditions were slightly exaggerated, with hints of self-consciousness.

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Fortunately, the other two actors put in a commendable performance that is well beyond their age. Henley gives a restrained, yet powerful performance as the adolescent Lucy, who struggles to find her own identity and appearance. The newcomer, Poulter, steals the show as the obnoxious Eustace and he aptly sums up the maturing and transformational journey (literally from a dragon to human) in one sentence, “It sort of hurt but it was a good pain.”

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Ultimately, the emphasis of this film is on action and special effects, leaving little time for matters of the deep and meaningful variety to develop. Dawn Treader lacks in soul and emotion and merely entertains the youngest of all audience; leaving other demographics feeling disenchanted from the undeniable magic of Lewis’ imaginative tale.

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Rating: ★★✩✩✩

Opens: 10 Dec 2010 (Worldwide)
Duration: 112 minutes
Language: English
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure

Director: Michael Apted
Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter, Ben Barnes, Liam Nees w