Voyage of the Dawn Treader Review

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is probably one of the most epic books in the series, since it takes the form of a heroic quest for the seven lords, friends of King Caspian's father who were banished by his usurper uncle. It follows a classic fantasy model, since it involves traveling (except instead of trekking over land in the vein of Lord of the Rings, the Narnians and the Pevensies are embarking on a sea voyage). It also involves the internal (and external) transformation of a main character so necessary to epic journeys.Yet it never falls back on melodrama or wearying tactics. The story keeps moving, as do the characters, moving from one island to the next and encountering new wonders and trials at each one. They hope, eventually, to sail beyond the known world; to chart the waters that lie far to the east, and to seek Aslan's country, which no man has ever seen. It has more in common with the Odyssey than with Lord of the Rings. Yet one can read it without perceiving the epic sweep of events. It is, essentially, a children's story, as children's stories ought to be; lighthearted without resorting to farce, earnest without taking itself too seriously. Their series of adventures, each of which take place on a different island, include some beautiful imagery and hushed allegory. C.S. Lewis instructs the reader without having to force his lessons upon us.

This story is of such a dynamic and well-crafted nature, it is very difficult to adapt to the screen. A faithful rendering would require patience of both the creator and the viewer, since there are occasional lulls in the action. Of course, in the recent adaptation, the movie makers took it upon themselves to correct these inconsistencies, so I have more than a few bones to pick with regards to being faithful to the original story.

One of the most compelling individual stories in the book is Eustace's transformation, from a self-important complainer to a humble and valiant comrade. This echoes the journey of Edmund from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and signifies one of the main differences between fiction and reality. In books (and often in movies) there is allowed to be a complete transformation, and personalities are shed like clothing. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader gives us a literal view of this process, when Eustace, who has been transformed into a dragon due to his stubbornness and greed, is turned back into a boy by Aslan, who literally rips through the grotesque layers of his skin and his former persona. The movie, however, allows him a quick and painless transformation, after making the most of his action potential. It also cuts out his heart-to-heart talk with Aslan, which to me is the point of the whole process.

Movies are blind to any virtues that stray beyond the strictly personal; there is no vice beyond selfishness or, paradoxically, the failure to be true to one's self. The latter is Lucy's crime. Georgie Henley has made the transition from little girl to young woman remarkably well, and she is believable in both the strengths and vulnerabilities of her character. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the first book in which Lucy truly becomes a culprit; but her impulses are directed towards herself, and she is the only one to suffer the consequences. Growing up, it seems, is not necessarily progress. 

Skandar Keynes continues to do a remarkable job of portraying Edmund, one of the series' only truly ambivalent characters. He still has some of his old nastiness remaining; it comes forth in his treatment of Eustace, which is exaggerated in the movie to emphasize his immaturity. He also quarrels with Caspian, which would have been unthinkable in the carefully crafted world of the novel. Edmund is still power hungry, this informs us, and struggling with a repressed urge to assert himself over his brethren. The White Witch puts in several appearances as a symbol of temptation, which seemed a bit unneccessary to me. His unavoidable redemption also comes in the form of defeating a Sea Serpent. This scene was drawn from the book, but it was misplaced in the sequence of events, and stretched to the point of melodrama. The movie makers like to milk action for all it's worth, and this was evident in the beginning of the film, when a detour to the Lone Islands was transformed into a grand battle scene and a quest that seemed drawn right out of Star Trek.

However, in spite of everything, I must admit that I adore this film. There is something uplifting about witnessing a voyage, and their depiction of the sea, no matter how computer-generated, was convincing enough to be breathtaking. The latter part of the film proved its saving grace, since they did a good job of representing the various islands and the journey to Aslan's country. Aslan was imbued with all the dignity and grace befitting him, and I was ecstatic at the fact that they included a paraphrase of some of his most significant words from the story: "In your world I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."