The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader review

So I saw The Voyage of the Dawn Treader last night, and I came away very impressed. The acting was very solid and the special effects were solid as well. It may not have been as action oriented as the previous two movies in the series, especially Prince Caspian, but it was a treat to watch.

Moving away from the previous two movies in the Chronicles of Narnia series, TVotDT focused on Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, as both Susan and Peter Pevensie were "too old" to return to Narnia. Personally, I liked this more because it got to focus more on Edmund and Lucy's characters more, instead of glancing over them in the last two movies. And I was surprised, as I liked both of their characters, and Caspian as well; I don't know what it was, but they all were very likable characters that you were rooting for them from the very outset. A new character that was introduced in the movie was the Pevensie's obnoxious cousin Eustace. Eustace is a kid who, to put it very bluntly, is a tool. He complained a TON and was greedy; I wanted to smack him several times. But the beauty of it was that the actor totally brought his personality out and was highly successful at making him be an asshole. Though at the end of the movie, he went through a personality change (more on that later). The acting was great throughout, and I thought that it was one of the best parts of the movie! You felt connected to the actors, you felt like you were there with the characters, and you felt happy/sad when their journey was over (literally).

The thing that I thought brought the movie down a bit, but not too much, was the plot. While yes, it is based on C.S. Lewis' books, I felt that the course of the movie was a bit odd; the end was a bit anticlimactic in my opinion (but again, that's just my opinion) while the beginning and middle parts started off rather fast. And come to think of it, it's a bit vague why the Dawn Treader was sailing around, and why Lucy and Edmund were summoned there in the first place; these questions were asked in the very beginning, and unless I missed something, I don't think they were ever answered. Thankfully, these minor faults do not get in the way of your enjoyment whatsoever!

Overall I really enjoyed the movie. It has action, beautiful CGI, and great acting. What more can you want from a movie? I give this, 4.25 out of 5 stars.