The visual feel of the movie is really the best part, very distinct and unique. You can watch any clip from the series and know immediately that it's Narnia, as opposed to Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. The acting is as solid as ever, with the kids holding up their own. The other thing I really like is the seamless incorporation of animatronics, digital effects and puppetry: Toravon looked so real, so life-like, that I still can't decide if he was computer-generated or some sort of Hensonesque magic; Aslan, too, is just so Lion-like - when Lucy hugs him, you can see her fingers threading through his fur. As Jadek says, the interaction between the "animals" and the humans is some of the best I've seen on screen.
The action is dramatic and the scenery is very well done. The 3D doesn't overwhelm or take over the movie as it tends to do in other post-production renderings. Nor does it go by unnoticed. Well-paced and well-choreographed, the sequences are pretty riveting (and because I haven't read the books in close to twenty years, nail-biting!).
So what is it about the movies that don't really have an impact on people (or the box office)? I'm not sure. Perhaps it's the very British dialogue that's lost on North American audiences (Harry Potter had to change its Philosopher's Stone to a ridiculous Sorceror's Stone because of this). Or the distinctly religious overtones (though, during the Holidays, one would think this would be a bonus). Maybe it's just too removed from contemporary audiences, with its WWII frame and its lack of modern techno wizardry. Whatever it is, I doubt we'll talk about this series the way we talk about LOTR, even seven years later.
Despite its lack of box office gold, I still think The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is worth a trip to the local multiplex. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
2 comments:
Just for the record, I didn't say it was the best interaction between humans and CGI I have ever seen. I was just saying, in general, that special effects have done a pretty good job in recent years of doing that. This movie does a good job in that department but I didn't want it to seem that this was exceptional.
Apologies - perhaps I had thought it exceptional and was simply projecting on to you (which is funny, because you were across the table from me when I write this..>)
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