Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter and Gary Sweet
Year of Release: 2010
Running Time: 113 minutes
The third installment of the Chronicles of Narnia films was shorter and therefore by default more enjoyable than the preceding film - I am not a fan of blockbuster films that stretch on and on, often unnecessarily. Moreover, I enjoyed the spectacular scenery and interesting characters inhabiting each of the new Narnian locations. The Pevensies' annoying cousin Eustace (played perfectly by a very young Will Poulter) is a welcome addition to the cast and his character development over the course of the film is both amusing and endearing. Indeed, Andrew Pulver from The Guardian argues that Poulter "pretty much steals the show, evincing laudable snottiness as Eustace".
The film starts with Britain in the throes of World War 2. The younger Pevensie siblings, Edmund and Lucy, are staying with their brat of a cousin, Eustace, in the UK while Susan and Peter are in America. Edmund, Lucy and Eustace are in the middle of an argument when they notice a painting of a ship at sea comes to life. The children are swept under the waves that crash into their room and resurface in the ocean in Narnia. They are rescued by the swoonworthy Prince Caspian who is sailing, along with a crew, on the Dawn Treader. Once on board, Eustace loses his shit before fainting, only to come face-to-face with a centaur when he regains consciousness. Meanwhile, Lucy coyly asks Caspian if he has found himself a queen (side note: I know this is Narnia but isn't she like 14?).
The ship sails to the Lone Islands where they notice an absence of Narnian flags. It turns out the islands are a hub for slave trade. Caspian and Edmund are imprisoned and meet one of the lost lords in the dungeon. He tells them that the captured slaves are sacrificed to the ominous "green mist". Before Lucy and Edmund can be sold into slavery/sacrificed, the Dawn Treader crew kicks some oppressor ass and rescues everyone. They all head back to the ship with the goal of finding the missing citizens of the Lone Islands. And so the real adventure of the movie begins as they set sail on a voyage that includes:
- a comical duel between Ripicheep and Eustace
- a not-so-deserted island inhabited by a group of invisible and illiterate one-footed creatures
- a magician and a book of spells
- a dark island, "a place where ee-val lurks" and in order "to defeat the darkness...you must defeat the darkness in yourself" (#deep)
- stormy seas
- gold treasure
- temptations
- a dragon with a secret
- a brief appearance by the White Witch (it seems you can't keep a bad witch down)
- the return of Aslan (of course)
It's an action-packed adventure filled with impressive special effects (which had obviously come a long way since the first film), endearing character development and a Tolkien-meets-Homer plot that made it a most enjoyable viewing experience.
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