Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Dec 2, 2010 4:03:04 GMT -5
Post by somethingblue on Dec 2, 2010 4:03:04 GMT -5
I've just come back from seeing Voyage of the Dawn Treader. (It arrived in Aussie theatres today, U.K 9th of December. So SPOILER ALERT)
Okay. I’m a Narnian nut. I have been since the age of seven, (many, many years ago.) when I was gifted a gorgeous, (and rare,) The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe large coloured illustrated version.
I religiously carried a Narnia paperback novel with me throughout Primary school, and eventually read everything about it and its creator, C.S Lewis.
I grew up, like most in the Commonwealth, watching the BBC dramatization. (Sam West…golden Caspian!) And of these adaptations, like it was my favourite novel, Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the best. With its mixture of Simbad and The Odyssey, it was by far one of C.S Lewis best novels.
I eagerly awaited this movie version. I’d liked what they’d done with the movie series, so I’d been waiting since 2005 and LW&W for this movie.
Underwhelming is a good word for a first reaction.
Most of the cast is back, and tries its best (Ben Barnes is very good, [but underused.] Will Poulter is an excellent Eustace Scrubb, and my home town man, Gary Sweet, as Lord Drinian is also noteworthy.) But the script is very flat and miles from the original story.
The condensing of two island stories into one is depressing and blatantly obvious step in cutting costs. Ramandu’s daughter, (here given an unpronounceable name of Lilliandil,) is on screen for about ten minutes, then disappears. Caspian only asks if he will see her again, not asking if he must kiss her to break the enchantment as per the book. (He marries her darn it! No-one I ask in the cinema guessed that would happen; or knew it as I did because they’d never read the novel.) [Note: Ramandu himself doesn’t make an appearance, despite being quite important in the novel.]
There are a lot of flaws, I’m worried the same script writers will be working on The Silver Chair.
So here’s hoping they pick up their act for that adaption; because making something as dramatic as Rillian’s struggle in the silver chair is a little bit harder than explaining a mysterious mist…that isn’t fully explained.
I’m…very sad. I think I’ll go watch the BBC adaptation…
Okay. I’m a Narnian nut. I have been since the age of seven, (many, many years ago.) when I was gifted a gorgeous, (and rare,) The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe large coloured illustrated version.
I religiously carried a Narnia paperback novel with me throughout Primary school, and eventually read everything about it and its creator, C.S Lewis.
I grew up, like most in the Commonwealth, watching the BBC dramatization. (Sam West…golden Caspian!) And of these adaptations, like it was my favourite novel, Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the best. With its mixture of Simbad and The Odyssey, it was by far one of C.S Lewis best novels.
I eagerly awaited this movie version. I’d liked what they’d done with the movie series, so I’d been waiting since 2005 and LW&W for this movie.
Underwhelming is a good word for a first reaction.
Most of the cast is back, and tries its best (Ben Barnes is very good, [but underused.] Will Poulter is an excellent Eustace Scrubb, and my home town man, Gary Sweet, as Lord Drinian is also noteworthy.) But the script is very flat and miles from the original story.
The condensing of two island stories into one is depressing and blatantly obvious step in cutting costs. Ramandu’s daughter, (here given an unpronounceable name of Lilliandil,) is on screen for about ten minutes, then disappears. Caspian only asks if he will see her again, not asking if he must kiss her to break the enchantment as per the book. (He marries her darn it! No-one I ask in the cinema guessed that would happen; or knew it as I did because they’d never read the novel.) [Note: Ramandu himself doesn’t make an appearance, despite being quite important in the novel.]
There are a lot of flaws, I’m worried the same script writers will be working on The Silver Chair.
So here’s hoping they pick up their act for that adaption; because making something as dramatic as Rillian’s struggle in the silver chair is a little bit harder than explaining a mysterious mist…that isn’t fully explained.
I’m…very sad. I think I’ll go watch the BBC adaptation…