The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Review
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Theatrical Release: December 10, 2010 / Running Time: 113 Minutes / Rating: PG Director: Michael Apted / Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Michael Petroni (screenplay); C.S. Lewis (book) Cast: Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie), Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie), Ben Barnes (King Caspian), Will Poulter (Eustace Scrubb), Liam Neeson (voice of Aslan), Simon Pegg (voice of Reepicheep), Tilda Swinton (Jadis the White Witch), Gary Sweet (Drinian), Terry Norris (Lord Bern), Bruce Spence (Lord Rhoop), Bille Browne (Coriakin), Laura Brent (Liliandil), Colin Moody (Auctioneer), Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie), William Moseley (Peter Pevensie), Shane Rangi (Tavros), Arthur Angel (Rhince), Arabella Morton (Gael), Roy Billing (Chief Dufflepud) |
Buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from Amazon.com:
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy • 1-Disc DVD • Double DVD Pack • Instant Video Download
Walt Disney Pictures chose to stop funding and distributing Walden Media's film adaptations of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia fantasy novel series, but the saga continues at 20th Century Fox. Taken from the third book published in the line, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader picks up three years after the events of Prince Caspian.
As World War II rages on, youngest Pevensie siblings Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) are now living with their snotty cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter), who dismisses their fanciful tales of Narnia as rubbish. In the middle of a small skirmish, a painting of the sea in the Scrubb house comes to life, pouring buckets of water into a bedroom. Caspian and his crew, which includes valiant mouse Reepicheep (now voiced by Simon Pegg, replacing Eddie Izzard) and bald captain Drinian (Gary Sweet), are looking for seven missing lords who were loyal to Caspian's father and banished by his evil uncle Miraz. The quest takes the group to an island, where they are briefly imprisoned and to be sold into slavery. After that is sorted out, Lucy is whisked away by illiterate invisible giants, who enlist her to enter an oppressor's house and read from a book of incantations. Here, not only does Lucy hear messianic lion Aslan (voiced as always by Liam Neeson), but the ship's plan gets some direction from the wise wizard Coriakin (Bille Brown).
Temptation and a related green mist loom around the Dawn Treader as it braves a tempest in search of a blue star and fateful Ramandu's Island, where the missing lords are believed to have disappeared and where their magic swords must be assembled to restore order.
While I consider The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe one of the finest films of its decade, I have mixed feelings about its franchise continuing. On the one hand, it's fun to check in on these characters, see the kids grow up, and return to the magic of Narnia. On the other, it's depressing to find the series becoming a mere shadow of its former self. Voyage boasts cinema-ready visual effects and the colossal budget required of them. Otherwise, though, it has the look and feel of a made-for-TV movie. This episode is shot, often handheld, on digital video, not film like its predecessors, and home video presents it, questionably, in the less cinematic 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The epic enchantment that made the original movie feel like a cousin of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter has been diluted to a point where you now expect a slightly more substantial alternative to Percy Jackson & the Olympians.
A major reason for that may lie in the source texts. The J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling fantasy novels are celebrated as series, each story closely related and comparably beloved. By contrast, Lewis' Narnia books are viewed more like one magnificent novel and six follow-ups set in largely the same universe. Though many readers feel strongly about several, if not all, of the Narnia tales, there isn't the uniformity or familiarity that the aforementioned blockbuster film franchise inspirations can claim. Moreover, it seems that it's not just audience awareness that takes a dive as Lewis' series progresses; the stories themselves feel less ambitious and relatable, with major characters fading from sights and subsequently dying prematurely.
The one individual who features in all seven novels is Aslan, who closely parallels Jesus Christ. Lewis claimed the Narnia books were not allegorical, calling Christian aspects suppositional. Either way, unless you are blissfully oblivious to the symbolism, it does feel a bit like what begins as a fantastic childhood adventure morphs into related one-off tales with the Christian faith at their heart, more of an exercise in devotion than literature.
That foundation and arc is much at odds with what is expected of a 21st century family film series whose every installment costs $150 million or more. Making and marketing the Narnia movies is a challenge. With the exception of the Narnia series and The Passion of the Christ, no other modern Christian movie has grossed more than $40 million in the US. So while Fox may tap into churchgoing audiences and encourage group sales, as Disney did before them, they must also ensure their film plays to a broad audience of all faiths and prevailing cinema tastes.
Voyage aims to do less than Prince Caspian and is a little better for it. This third chapter runs nearly 40 minutes shorter than its immediate predecessor, despite its book numbering 28 pages more. The pacing is considerably improved. Voyage is nimble, moving from one stop to the next without much belaboring. There is nothing like that nighttime battle invented for Caspian. In fact, there is only one sequence that could truly be considered a battle and while it definitely slows things down more than anything else in Voyage, it doesn't feel forced or misjudged. Britain's Michael Apted, who helmed the 1999 James Bond movie The World is Not Enough, but is more known for his work on the septennial Up TV documentary series and character dramas like Amazing Grace, Gorillas in the Mist, and Nell, fills the director's chair vacated by Andrew Adamson. Apted is less compelled to embellish the story with set pieces. The one exception, which pits a dragon (one of the human characters transformed) against a sea serpent, provides the feel of a climax without the runtime padding. Other bits, like a corporeal appearance by that blue star (Laura Brent) or a cavern with a King Midas-like water source, seem closer to Lewis' manners, supplying a low-key mix of wit, moral, and imagination.
Out of respect to fans of this film series (and deference to continuity), Voyage invents some cameos for characters not in the books: elder Pevensie children Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley) and the memorable villain Jadis the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who shows up thrice but only adding up to about as little screentime as she had in Prince Caspian. Others are mostly unseen and unmentioned. Out of respect to fans of this film series (and defiance to continuity), Ben Barnes does not reprise his Inigo Montoya accent for Caspian, the ill-conceived Spanish ancestry of the Telmarines evidently forgotten. Unhindered by that, Barnes raises our estimation of the character, helping us forget that the heartthrob hopes which doubtlessly inspired his casting never quite panned out.
The rest of the cast is admirable as well. Wielding less youthful cuteness than they did five years earlier, Henley and Keynes work harder for our sympathy and earn it. Will Poulter is just right for Eustace, making him annoying in an entertaining way and simply looking the part. Neeson is, as usual, pitch-perfect as the authoritative voice of reason. Pegg more than fills Izzard's shoes, though it's interesting to hear him extol the virtues of faith and optimism here just days after seeing Paul's vitriolic stance toward religion.
Disney exited this franchise after Prince Caspian grossed less than half domestically of what Wardrobe earned two and a half years earlier. As such, there was greater than usual attention on how Voyage would perform at the box office. Its $24 million opening weekend sum was none too encouraging, less than half of underperformer Caspian's debut and barely a third of what Wardrobe did in the same weekend five years earlier, ignoring ticket price inflation and the premium prices of 3D exhibition. Fox looked foolish for second-guessing Disney's reluctance to extend the series and it didn't help that the studio was already conspicuously without a 2010 blockbuster.
Fortunately for them, Voyage would recover, at least somewhat. Although three big subsequent holiday season releases made plays for similar family audiences (Tron: Legacy, Yogi Bear, and Fox's own Gulliver's Travels), Voyage found its sea legs and ended up crossing the $100 M domestic mark that plenty a bigger opener did not. The final North American gross will wrap up south of $105 M, a significant drop-off from Caspian's $141.6 M and massive decline from Wardrobe's $291.7 M (Disney's 5th highest-earner ever at the time). Overseas, earnings actually improved upon Caspian, with Voyage's $306.6 M (and counting) international returns comprising nearly three-fourths of the sequel's worldwide tally (which is just $8 million and change shy of Caspian's $419.7 M).
The global appeal was not lost on Fox, who, in comments made last month by Walden Media co-founder and president Michael Flaherty, sounded receptive to the idea that, departing from both publication and chronological order, the fourth Narnia movie made will be The Magician's Nephew, the series' penultimate published prequel to Wardrobe. Should the studios move forward, it seems inevitable that more costs be cut (Voyage's production budget was reported at $155 M, itself $70 M below Caspian). Writing in familiar cast members may be a greater challenge; only the White Witch is a pre-established from the book's leads, with other major characters being Digory Kirke (a childhood version of Jim Broadbent's Wardrobe professor) and his friend Polly Plummer. Magician's Nephew isn't expected to reach theaters until 2014 and that is assuming it even gets a greenlight (which it hasn't yet).
You needn't wait anywhere near that long to return to Narnia, however. Last Friday, Fox released The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to 1-Disc and 2-Disc DVD as well as the 3-Disc Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo pack we review here.
VIDEO and AUDIO On Blu-ray and DVD, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is presented in 1.78:1, rather than the 2.39:1 aspect ratio of its theatrical exhibition. Early on in the audio commentary, director Michael Apted explains his preference for the more intimate aspect ratio on home viewing, but I'm not sure his decision will be met warmly by all. The presumably open matte framing does seem compromised (edges are avoided and effects shots must be cropped), though nothing is awkwardly positioned in the relatively minor change. Still, at a time when most films are shot in the wider ratio (including both of Voyage's predecessors), it's a bit unfortunate that viewers aren't even given the choice to watch the movie the way it was shown in theaters. Beyond that questionable decision, the Blu-ray delivers outstanding picture and sound. The digital visuals are appropriately flawless and, though I prefer the more classical look of the first two movies, it's impossible to deny the impact of this stunningly clear and vibrant presentation. The 5.1 DTS-HD master audio is also supremely potent, surrounding you with action and music tastefully and effectively. There's plenty of good demo material found here. The DVD delivers its own notion of perfection. Naturally, the picture doesn't have the sharpness and detail of Blu-ray, but it provides a comparable experience: spotless and with colors that practically leap off the screen. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack can similarly be compared to the Blu-ray's mix. It is perceivably less compressed, but hits the same notes with nearly the same amount of force. The Chronicles of Narnia Flower Show:
BONUS FEATURES, MENUS and PACKAGING The Blu-ray's extras are divided into six different locales, most of which get briefly profiled in an "Explore..." short comprised of film clips and original narration. On Goldwater Island, we get "Explore Goldwater Island" (0:46). "Dragon Discovery" (0:56) discusses that creature's condition in Narnia. Rounding out that section, we get Voyage's original theatrical trailer (2:12), Magician's Island holds "Explore Magician's Island" (0:42), and "Dufflepud Discovery" (1:01) on Lucy's amusing invisible kidnappers. That section also houses the disc's most substantial bonus, a feature audio commentary by director Michael Apted and producer Mark Johnson. This unusually engaging track benefits from having two complementary perspectives, Apted coming to the series with fresh eyes and Johnson having produced all three installments. They cover a lot of interesting ground candidly, speaking without lull over the entire film and halfway into the end credits. Among the more interesting topics: Caspian's accent change and Ben Barnes' feelings on it, aiming to make something more like the first movie than the second, filming on a boat but never going to sea, diverging from the book (they defend the invention of conflict, a villain, and a snow scene), and working with digital characters added later. It's well worth a listen.
Dawn Treader is home to the bulk of the bonus features, starting with "King Caspian's Guide to the Dawn Treader", a tour of the titular ship narrated in character by Ben Barnes. In five sectional shorts (4:13), he describes life on the vessel over film clips and photos, turning our attentions to some notable details. Mildly animating the storybook illustrations of Pauline Baynes (who died in 2008 and to whom this and the film are dedicated), the short "The Secret Islands: Untold Adventures of the Dawn Treader" (7:20) has Caspian regaling Lucy and Edmund with voiceover on what has happened since they were last in Narnia. It turns Caspian into a bit of a blowhard and feels like a collection of passages cut in the adaptation and not missed. Still, it fills in some of the timeline's blanks for those wondering what was missed (or wishing it was dramatized in the film).
Next come four promotional but reasonably substantial Fox Movie Channel original television specials, presented in 1.33:1 standard definition (with 2.35:1 clips letterboxed). "In Character with...Liam Neeson" (5:05) gathers some of the actor's thoughts on his safari research into lions, Aslan's sound, and the process of recording his lines (glimpses of which we are shown). "In Character with...Georgie Henley & Will Poulter" (5:20) hears about the two child actors' experiences on the film while snow falls upon a festive backdrop behind them. "Direct Effect: Michael Apted" (6:25) places the director behind that same backdrop (minus the snow) as he sounds off on his entry to the series, further defending his adjustments to the text and explaining his motivations. "Making a Scene" (9:10) turns our attentions to the children's entry into Narnia. Cast and crew describe that critical sequence and what went into it creatively and technically, complemented by clips and revealing behind-the-scenes footage.
On The Dark Island, there is the standard "Explore Dark Island" (0:56). "White Witch Discovery" (0:33) and "Serpent Discovery" (0:42) detail the nature of those characters. "Portal to Narnia: A Painting Comes to Life" (7:22) gives us the home video-oriented version of the painting set piece; repetitive, yes, but more insightful and in high-definition. "Good vs. Evil: Battle on the Sea" (10:55) does something similar for the set piece at the other end of the film, delving into the Dawn Treader's production design and gimbal motion, with looks at it getting sprayed with water and jostled around against blue screen. The Lone Islands, beyond the routine "Explore Narrowhaven" (0:40) and "Minotaur Discovery" (0:50) on Tavros, supply deleted scenes. Looking polished in 2.35:1 HD, the four brief cuts (4:27) can be viewed individually or collectively and depict the Pevensie kids adjusting to their ship wear, a sick Eustace fantasizing, a near-mutiny aboard the Dawn Treader, and Caspian speculation. The section concludes with "The Epic Continues" (2:15), a short EPK-type promo which sprinkles enthusiastic cast and crew remarks among clips and behind-the-scenes footage. Finally, Ramandu's Island deals out the unremarkable "Explore Ramandu's Island" (0:58), "Reepicheep Discovery" (1:10), "Aslan Discovery" (1:00), and (on the embodiment of the blue star) "Lilliandil Discovery" (0:52).
The "Search for the Seven Swords" match game offers something different. It asks you to memorize the placement of the seven color-coded swords, which you'll then need to locate in the requested order. It is very easy to not know what it's looking for, but once you figure that out, it's kind of a fun memory challenge. This last island concludes with a "VFX Progression Reel" (13:00), which deconstructs freeze frames of CGI-heavy bits with optional audio commentary by director Apted (and bookended by producer Johnson) describing the various elements. The main menu's final listing is for "Live Extras", which with an Internet connection takes you to Fox's BD-Live offerings. The centerpiece there is the music video for Carrie Underwood's Golden Globe-nominated end credits theme "There's a Place for Us" (1:01). It's not much of a music video, playing maybe one verse with recording studio footage of Underwood secondary to promotional clips from the movie. Even so, it really ought to have been included on the disc itself, since neither lo-fi streaming nor sluggish downloading is a sufficient substitute for that. The BD-Live offerings also include a lip service featurette called "Return to the Magic" (4:33), as well as current Fox theatrical and video trailers and Blu-ray bonus feature clips, each of which gives you the same options to stream or download. I checked out a 3½-minute Gulliver's Travels dance featurette which easily took twice that long to download. The combo pack's second disc is a DVD, presumably the same one sold on its own and the first of two in the Double DVD Pack. Its only bonus features are the audio commentary and collection of 4 deleted scenes. Kindly, Fox doesn't completely neglect the portion of the widely prevailing standard DVD market which enjoys bonus features. The Double DVD Pack contains most of the Blu-ray extras. Apparently, it does, however, drop the VFX Progression Reel, "Portal to Narnia", and "Good vs. Evil: Battle on the Sea", which are among the leading, longest making-of features. It may or may not lose the trailer, which the press release didn't mention. The set's third and final platter is the digital copy disc, useless to standard DVD players and good only to transfer the film in Windows Media or iTunes formats to computers and portable devices. If I was mastering this set, I would have combined the contents of the digital copy disc with the Double DVD Pack's not particularly loaded second disc. That way, DVD customers intending to upgrade to Blu-ray could buy this set without missing anything from the 2-disc DVD, the digital copy could have also been offered to those still satisfied by DVD on Disc 2 of the Double DVD Pack, and this disc wouldn't be useless after redemption. As is, the digital copy and DVD, included at no premium over Fox's standard Blu-ray price point, are generous additions. Both the Blu-ray and DVD open with promos for Fox Digital Copies, Rio, and Marley & Me: The Puppy Years. Neither has a menu to access these or additional trailers.
This marks my first experience with a Fox Blu-ray, which differs from other studio's BDs in some ways. The bad? The disc takes quite a bit longer to load than most. The good? Doing that seems to enable it with resuming powers more like DVD. No matter when you press "stop", the disc comes back offering you the chance to resume playback of the movie, bonus feature, or menu. In addition, the disc makes nice use of bookmarks on the film. The Blu-ray main menu journeys into the painting and then plays clips inside a rotating bordered map. Extras get their own menu, which here is a topographical map of the film's settings. The DVD's main menu follows suit, but its sparse extra pages are static and silent. The abnormal packaging will divide customers. It begins with a standard embossed, holographic cardboard slipcover. Below it, we find another slipcover out of which slides the six-sided classy fold-out main compartment modeled after the Dawn Treader. On opposite end pockets, it holds the Blu-ray and DVD discs loosely against nothing but cardboard. A flap featuring the ship's wheel folds down to reveal the digital copy disc, clasped tightly on a makeshift spindle. Tucked away are your digital copy activation code and an easily-missed book of 10 color photo postcards depicting scenes from the movie on front and a character quote and writable areas on back. While I doubt you'll want to pull them out at the perforations to use as postcards, they're nice high quality photos all the same, fit for displaying if you really like the movie.
CLOSING THOUGHTS The Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn't return the Narnia franchise to the high heights of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but it does offer some improvement over the disappointing lows of Prince Caspian. While it lacks some of the technical luster of its predecessors, its tauter storytelling is easy to enjoy and consistently diverting. As long as they can retain this kind of quality, I wouldn't mind Fox and Walden adapting more of the series' novels. The film's modified home video framing is fortunately at the director's wishes, though I don't think that will suffice all those wanting to recreate the theatrical experience. The Blu-ray's extras are numerous, but not all that significant, with the exception of the very fine audio commentary. If you are the proud owner of the first two Narnia films, you'll probably be happy adding this to your collection, with the importance you place on bonus features, audio/video, and photo postcards steering you to the edition best suited to you. Buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from Amazon.com:
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian • The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Theatrical, Extended
New: Tron & Tron: Legacy • Yogi Bear • Tangled • Black Swan • The Incredibles (Blu-ray) • The Ten Commandments
Walden Media: Journey to the Center of the Earth • Ramona and Beezus • The Water Horse • Bridge to Terabithia
Third Movies: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban • Toy Story 3 • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Family Adaptations: Fantastic Mr. Fox • The Spiderwick Chronicles • Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Will Poulter: Son of Rambow | Ben Barnes: Stardust | Tilda Swinton: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Alice in Wonderland (2010) • Muppet Treasure Island • Treasure Island • The Princess Bride
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader's Featured Music: New Symphony Orchestra - "Langham Place (Elegie)
[London Again (Suite)]", Glenn Miller & His Orchestra - "In the Mood", Carrie Underwood - "There's a Place for Us"
Buy The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Tie-Ins from Amazon.com:
The Novel by C.S. Lewis / Complete Series Book Set / Original Motion Picture Score / Score MP3s
Download from iTunes: Carrie Underwood's "There's a Place for Us"
