Hi y'all--how many have seen the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie? What did you think about it? What did you love/hate/despise, even?

I'll wait to give my impressions until a few other people have written. But I will say one thing--it is AWESOME in 3D. Awesome.

eruheran

I saw it midnight Friday morning! I thought it was awesome, despite the changes made (which considering the plot of the book I can understand). I found Eustace incredibly annoying and all the character defects made sense for the story. The only thing I would really have liked to see changed in the movie was the Lone Islands bit. The governor scene was greatly missed.

I saw it! It was amazing and I saw it in 3D as well. Eustace was played by a brilliant actor who took him off really well and did a brilliant job. It's a must watch I read the books when I was younger and I don't remember the whole plot of the book, but my brother who has read the books said it had been changed a bit, I didn't notice anything had changed but I really liked it.

Okay, I saw VotDT opening day. Since we have a lot of new members who don't know me as well as all you old people, let me start out by saying that Lewis and Tolkien were my mentors, so I take their works seriously. They were not my mentors because I loved Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings (which I did), but because I decided to study the men behind the books. SO I've read lots of books about the men, as opposed to just their fantasy.


Unfortunately, I think they lost the essence of the book a lot in this film. The first two were really well done, I thought. While there were changes, I thought they still remained in keeping with the story. They still had the Lewis heartbeat. With this movie A LOT of creative license was taken. While that can be okay cinematically, I didn't think they made wise choices in their additions. The green mist? That wasn't Lewisish and in my opinion really corny. They skipped over all kinds of things in the book for the sake of telling their own story. I was really disappointed from the standpoint of a Lewis lover. This is my least favorite of the films.

That being said, I still think the movie is worth seeing, and I will buy it for my library.

Eustace was awesome! The kid playing him totally got the character. Incessant rambling, obnoxious, sciency nerd (not the good kind ). And the dragon was great! I loved the emotion in his eyes.

Reep, as always, was amazing! I love their portrayal of him. I think they continued to capture his essence beautifully. And he is so cute!

Edmund is my favorite. He always has been. His traitorous background drew me to him as a child. The fact that he carries that past with him and allows it to change and grow him makes him the most complex and thoroughly enjoyable character. Plus I could always imagine the back-story to the characters that Lewis never explored. I always could see Peter struggling back in the real world. He had once been a high king. Respected. His council sought. I was absolutely giddy when they portrayed this in the beginning of PC! I loved seeing the return of Jadis. I love that she constantly haunts Edmund. She is his greatest Demon.

And finally, I loved how they played up Lucy's struggle over her self image. That was a good addition and was still in keeping with the essence of Lewis's work. Those additions were very good. And I love her comment at the end to the little girl who wants to be just like her.

So, now that I have been the wet blanket, you all are free to stone the Martyr.

I actually really disliked Edmund and Lucy. They were both so out of character!
Ed- Always my favorite character in the books. Because of his nobility, calm, and biting wit and sarcasm. In the movies before, he is this guy. In this one, he's a whiny little unmentionable name. The Goldwater scene was one of the few scenes that have ever made me consider walking out of a theatre. It was truly horrible. He looks Gollum-like, huddling over that gold shell. In the books, Ed is the teacher and C. is the student, and C. always defers to Ed., except for that one whiny "I want to go to the end of the world!" scene. In this, C. calls Ed "High King" (what?) but then acts like Ed is this little kid. I got excited when C. gave Ed the sword, until I realized that's not a sign of deference, that's a "Alright, student, you've earned this finally."
Lucy- This is her book. It's a love story, really, of Lucy and Narnia and Lucy and the Sea. In the movie, she does absolutely nothing of mention. Basically her only story is "I didn't think I was pretty, now I do." Yay. Woot. Valiant Queen indeed. Oh, and hugs Gael a few times. Yay. She did get to swing around a sword, but when the going got tough where was she?
Reep-Yay! I didn't like him in PC, but in this he was phenomenal.
Eustace-Yay!
Reep/Eustace relationship- "Old boy!" Almost mentoring relationship. Yay!
Visuals-Yay!
Green mist-Dumb. Really, really dumb. And inconsistent, why would it want the crew to be eaten by a sea serpent when they could be taken? Surely the current king of Narnia, Ancient King and Queen, and assorted creatures are more valuable alive and working for the Lady of the Green Kirtle (which was the point of the changes; to set it up for SC) than dead?
I'm tired of Jadis. So, so tired of her. Ed beat her in PC, why is she still freaking him out? He's had years to work this out. Let the kid grow up. Ed is the most logical and together, surely he knows that a) nothing truly bad happened b)guilt changes nothing and c) I've proved myself more than that little kid.
Liliandil- I didn't hate her as much as I thought I would, but why don't we see anything about her and C. getting together? What's the point of increasing her role if you're not going to add this in?
Last scene- I didn't care for it. Caspian's speech seemed to come out of nowhere, and I think they missed an amazing moment with Reep. The awesomeness of Reep leaving is that he doesn't know where he's going to end up, he just goes. He puts aside his sword and faces the wave, knowing full well he could be dead in less than a minute. Yet he goes. In the movie, he has surety, and it's not powerful.
I liked, however, that Ed chose to go back. It's cool, because, being a fanfic writer, I see so many "Pevensies are angsting about not being in Narnia until they die a fiery death." Yet it made no sense because Ed was so angsty and "I'm not in Narnia!" in the beginning.

Probably my biggest issue was the lack of Lucy/Sea love story. Where're the tales on deck at night? Where are the beautiful sunsets? Where's the excitement simply of an adventure? Absolutely nowhere.

Overall? Alright.
LWW= 9/10 PC=7/10 VoDT= 6/10

That is true--I hadn't thought of that. I should probably reread the books and I'd be shocked at how much they change. =) I thought Lucy did a pretty good job, personally, (Georgie Henley rocks! XD) but you're right--they should have had that.

Overall, though, I'm convinced that it is a movie, not a book. If I embrace the Narnia movies with no connection to the books then I actually find I can enjoy the movies better, just for their unique story. It does say 'based on' at the beginning...

eruheran

What else would it say?


Do you really think so? I thought they were really good. I think they did a good job of preserving the characters in a film with a completely different theme than the other two.



I really like Ed in the books as well, but I still think they did a pretty good job. If you think about it, all that 'unmentionable' stuff makes sense. In the other ones it had no mention of him having any skill as a sea captain, so naturally he wouldn't have the experience of Caspian. I liked the Goldwater scene. It shows SO well what the love of money and greed can do to people. And I think the actor did an AMAZING job in that scene. Amazing. About the teacher/mentor thing, if you really think about it,(as I said before) it doesn't make any sense whatsoever for Ed to be a really smart guy about this. He a) isn't fresh at all. He's just spent years in England. b) was never an outstanding sea captain...He led a kingdom, not a ship. I like what they did in the movies.

Yay! (To your comments.)
Yay again!

I guess I agree with all the rest you said.

But see, the Edmund thing is not only inconsistent with the books, it's inconsistent with the other movies. Ed was amazing in the PC movie. He and Lucy were really the rocks that kept everyone else together and sane, he was calm, collected, and mature. In this he's a little brat, like a little kid who unreasonably wants a puppy but has no idea how to take care of it, then gets mad when his mom won't get him one. He's not like that! And he does know how to take care of countries and govern people, he's amazing at that! You see it throughout the books, he's not afraid to tell Capsian he's wrong or being dumb when C needs someone to say that. Yet there's also a feel of him and Lucy letting C. spread his wings and become a king, but they never let him go so far as to endanger himself or others.
Also, in the Golden Age Narnia had an amazing navy. In HHB when they sail off, I think it'd be safe to say that Edmund had a part in the navigation and running of the ship; it's very Narnian for the rulers to be down working with everyone else. The Telmarines stomped out seafaring, and it's just starting up again. I actually think Edmund would have things to teach Caspian, both on seafaring and the running and upkeep of a proper navy.
But mainly what I was getting at was that Ed should've been the teacher of Caspian in regards to being a king, not a seafarer. Drinian and Rhince have got the ship taken care of pretty good; it's time for Caspian to learn how to be a king.

That all being said, I liked it as it's own stand-alone form of entertainment. I didn't have a huge problem with the plot being changed. Plot can change, but I do like my characters to stay the same. Especially because VoDT is such a character-driven book. I think when they added in so much plot, the characters suffered to try and accommodate the changes they were making, which is so sad. I enjoy a movie so much less when the characters are some random people I've never met or loved before.

I disliked the book immensely. I always thought that VotDT was C.S. Lewis's worst book. I thought the characters were out of their normal personalities, and it felt like it was hopping around all over the place.

That said. I loved the movie. I loved Edmund. The relationship between him and Caspian was SO much better than in the books. And I didn't have a problem with him and Caspian being "Gollum-like". They're being tempted and enchanted for crying out loud!

I loved how Lucy becomes a mentor and how Gael really helped her just as much as she helped Gael.

I also thought the green mist was an interesting play on the witch that will be in the next movie. This movie did a better representation of Lewis than his own book did.

That said--I was so looking forward to the fire birds! And they weren't in there! And I wanted them to spend so much more time with the Dufflepuds. *sniff*

The ending made me cry. The Christian message was still so strong. The sea monster was such an amazing, horrid picture of our sin, and Eustuce's redemption was just WOW.

And then when Aslan said, "I am known by another name in your world. And you must come to know me by it." WOW. Just WOW.

My mascara started running and then realizing that I was kind of saying goodbye to Edmund and Lucy to...

And Reepicheep. WOW. I loved the movie's interpretation. What I got was that, he knows that he may die. And he doesn't care. He's assured. He's trusting Aslan, and if he does die, he knows there's something afterwards that's worth it.

Amazing movie. I'm buying it when it comes out.

I'm loving reading this thread, because there are so many different opinions!

Griffin and I are going to see it sometime in the next few days, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!



Oh my goodness, they put that in? That's so exciting!!!

Remember, Caspian has been king for three years when this book opens. I think he knows what he's doing by then. Plus, he was a prince, trained to be a king. While Edmund could definitely have some 'tips' for him (that sounds strange) I don't think he'd have to 'teach him'.

I don't wear mascara, ever, but VotDT was the only movie I have EVER cried at. Others I've come close, but they finally cracked me =) That last part was just incredible--especially Lucy saying goodbye to Aslan.

eruheran

LOL! I would hope you didn't wear mascara. But yes, I completely agree with you. The only other two movies I've cried at have been Up, and Return of the King.

Question. Did anyone have a problem with Drinian and Rince? I didn't really like the way they were portrayed, but since they were minor characters it didn't matter so much to me.

I saw the movie on the second night (In 3-Dimensional Awesomeness) and I was rather pleased, actually.

I knew before hand that anyone who expected the movie to be like the book would be greatly mistaken. For-armed is for-warned, they say.

As far as I am concerned, the deviations from the plot were necessary and self-consistent, and therefore satisfying.

VotDT, in its written form, is impossible to interpret into a movie. It has no plot progression. There is only one significant character journey.

So, naturally, the movie needs some changes. Thus, we have a plot about defeating evil (which allows the writers to keep the Dark Island). This forces us to change other elements of the story.

Originally, VotDT was, yes, a love story. It was the essence of the quest, and a sample of what Narnia would have been like during the peace of the Golden Age.

The movie is, instead, a battle between good and evil. It is heavily metaphorical, as well. The sacrifices to appease evil, or the temptations, for example. Notice also that the characters do not defeat evil...Aslan does. Aslan gave the swords, Aslan intervenes in Lucy's temptation, and Aslan heals Eustace.

As with LotR, this is a case where we must accept that the movie is a different plot. Understanding that, the movie is a good watch.

There are some minor consistency issues between PC and Voyage, but as far as I'm concerned, PC was a terrible fail and later movies shouldn't be constrained by it.

I also think there have been some misinterpretations by some members of this forum (you know who you are ), especially of Caspian and Edmund's relationship. I am a young man, and I have a young man for a brother. I understand how the negative aspects of that relationship operate, and to me, Caspian and Edmund act like bickering brothers, both of whom are trying to live up to legends and standards that they cannot fulfill.

Incidentally, I thought that Drinian was well portrayed. Rince was missing something. Caspian using his cross-bow was a nice touch.

Who's Rhince?

I think it was the best movie yet. The first one felt tentative, like they were testing the waters and so felt forced. PC was, well, so changed and so different it didn't feel right. This one felt natural and flowing.

It is the only movie that's made me cry a little bit.

Eustace was brilliant. The other characters were really good.

The VotDT book really doesn't have an actual plot, just the minor goal of finding the lords.

I saw it today, and I loved it! It's the best one so far, in my opinion.

Even though they made some plot changes, I thought they kept with the spirit of the book. The mist wasn't a bad addition, and I didn't mind it, especially since I had been warned about it beforehand!

I was pretty much in awe when Aslan said that Lucy must know Him in her world, but by another name. That they even put that line in is a miracle in itself!

Eustace was incredible. He was exactly how I pictured him. The other characters were also very good. Reep is so amazing...

I didn't mind Drinian, Willow. Rhince was okay, not my favorite, but he was minor enough that it didn't bother me. (Varon, Rhince was a minor sailor in the book, and Gael's dad in the movie.)

Oh, that's who he was. For some reason I don't think I caught his name.

I haven't seen it yet, but really want to.

I got to see it Saturday.... it was beautiful
I haven't read the book in a while, so it isn't like LOTR where I can point out a bunch of things that are different. But I still thought the movie was very well done. Eustace's character was PERFECT.
It was one of those things that made me wish Narnia existed Of course, at that point I also told myself I might want to stop watching so many movies and reading so many books because too many times I wish there was another, more exciting world.
I nearly cried a few times.... buuut I was watching it with my brother, so I didn't XD It was really sad to think that the Pevensies are gone. It wasn't nearly this sad when I read the books until I got to the very end of the last one.

I guess I should stop now... Narnia sounds much more inviting than this schoolwork, and I need to finish it XD

Does anybody know if they are making 'The Horse and His Boy?' I heard somewhere that they weren't going to make it because it was so different from the other books. Fact or Fiction?

I've heard both Elanhil. My brother always says it's like an extra and it's not really part of the series, so maybe they won't. I always like the book though so I hope they put it in there!

I hope it is fiction! I loved this book, and would like to see it on the big screen.

I'm really hoping they end up making movies for all of the books.

The Silver Chair is next up on the movie list, but I believe they intend to make every movie, including Horse and His Boy and Magician's Nephew.

I think they're making each movie on a 'play-by-play' basis, sort of. Depending on how VDT does, then they'll make the next. I think they're already planning on doing the Silver Chair. Depending on how that one does they might do the Last Battle (that's not in order that he wrote them, but they need it to come next for the actors...) Then, I think they're doing The Magician's Nephew (again, this is depending on the performance of the previous movie), and then the Horse and His Boy last.

eruheran

Please let it be so.

It's all very tentative, Air. =)

* snuffles and weeps dramatically *

I loved it soooooo much. I would go and see it again. I thought they did a good job of keeping the action going.

I got to see VDT in 3D yesterday.

3D is so totally awesome. I could almost reach out and touch it! I really really enjoyed the 3D -- worth the extra $2.25 I paid for it.

However, my screenwriter brain was going nuts over all the disconnected pieces and shallowly developed characters. My verdict: they tried to do too much and therefore it moved too quickly. They would've been better off giving it another half hour.

Oh yeah, and they should've either developed the greenmist more or deleted it... or stopped having it show up every time there was a temptation. If the characters can't see it, the audience shouldn't see it (in a case like this). It loses impact.

I think they should make the Last Battle, the Magician's Nephew, and the Horse and His Boy all at once! What an awesome year that would be!

Good luck with that. They could do that, potentially. There aren't any of the same characters as any of the other movies, except for the Last Battle. But I don't think they'll do that.

Maximum would be one film a year.

It takes usually about 6 months to shoot a Narnia film, and then another....hmm, 9-12 months? in post.

Even the Lord of the Rings films (which I believe were shot all at once with pickups over the next few years -- something impossible to do with children as actors) were only 1 a year.

I wish they would do it one a year, it'd keep the hype up better... but it takes so long for each one to get greenlit.

I saw the Voyage of the Dawn Trader with my family. I loved it! I thought it was very good. I have never read the Narnia books before, but have seen all three movies. This summer, though, I plan to read the entire series.

Anyways, I found that I thought the Voyage of the Dawn Trader was my favorite out of all the movies, even though Susan and Peter were not in it. The movie was full of adventure, I thought. There was nothing I could find that I did not like about it. Eustace was an interesting character, although I also liked him as a dragon. Overall, I would say the movie was great all the way through.

I thought not having Susan was an improvement.

*applauds*

I know what you mean.

I didn't like the movie. I loved the first two and they seemed to stick with the books well. Now, I haven't read the Voyage of the Dawn Treader book but I still didn't like the movie. I thought there were too many special effects and that it just didn't feel like Narnia to me, what with the green mist and the sea serpent. I also think it would've been better to have a real villain and not just "the mist". I've only seen the movie once and don't really want to again

Someone who agrees with me!!!!

Well, there really was a sea-serpent in the book, and the book doesn't have a villain. They were all killed or exiled in Prince Caspian.

I really, really, really liked it. I watched the making of. It was so interesting to see how they did the scene when the kids get pulled into Narnia.

I liked it. It had a more realistic portrayal than the slightly corny parts the book consisted of. The theme was great and every Narnia movie has a resonant theme that can be recognizable with the books (and C.S. Lewis) themselves. The additions and removals were I would not say spot on but nothing major to complain or rant about on my part. Good portrayal of Eustace and Reepicheep.
I absolutely abhor him (Eustace that is) in the books and in the film. That is the mark of good writing and film making if you can get a reader to want to squeeze the life out of a character (being hyperbolic of course).

I don't think it should have stuck to the books as well since this book was a more of a different turn for the Narnia books. However, that is just my opinion and I don't really feel so strongly about it. If we were talking about a movie about the Silmarllion then I would have a much more extensive post I assure you.

I think that had the movie stuck to the books people would have disliked it even more. The only major changes, as I can make out, is that they added the mist. This was because really, VotDT (the book) is just a collection of short stories loosely tied together by a voyage/quest. If they were to do that as a movie? Yawn. They needed something to keep it cohesive, and I thought an impersonal villain like the mist was excellent (although the White Witch was lame; seriously, how many times are they going to bring her back?!). Plus, this green mist, I am told, will also have some representation in the Silver Chair, with the Lady of the Green Kirtle, which helps bring the books together, I think.

Overall, VotDT is possibly my favorite of the three. . .although it was hard to beat LWW.

eru

I still hate the green mist, and think it was a stupid move on the creator's part, but I'll be nice and not rant. (may have already ranted elsewhere).

And while the green mist excuse is, as Andrew said, that it represents the Lady of the Green Kirtle, if that were so, they should have tightened that parallel, and perhaps even shown us she was the true villain here.

*scoots out since she is still ranting and said she was leaving to spare everyone the bore *

But you must acknowledge it could have been much worse.

The green mist? No, I don't think so. It was about as bad as could be.

Now, while I have a few bones to pick about the rest of the movie, I think they did pretty well, on the whole. And Eustace was, I will say again, amazing! But ya’ll have heard my gritches before.

*tosses head* Well, I loved it. So there!

eru

You loved the green mist, Andrew? Really?

I would not go as far as saying I loved it. There was not really a point to it really, though I understand them trying to make the antagonist one force in this movie.

Yes, I did love it, but the part where they brought in the White Witch was dumb, to say the least. I guess Tilda Swinton just wants appearances I can also see why people would dislike it, but personally I felt it added to the movie a lot.

eru

I agree with Sire Eru on the white witch appearance. I think two movies was quite enough. She should just stay dead. However, you know we shall see her again in Magician's Nephew.