The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

As a child, C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia enthralled me. I remember my mom reading them to me before I could even read, and re-reading the series several times after I could. In particular, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader was always my favorite. I had it on a dramatized audiobook that I would listen to over and over again. There was action, suspense, dragons--it was anything and everything a child could want from a book.

Whenever I go to a movie made about a book, I try to keep an open mind. Sure, Lord of the Rings might have missed a few plot elements, and no, you really shouldn't get me started on Eragon, but I find that while movies are different from the books, they are seldom really terrible adaptations. In this sense, I really have no complaints about The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. It had all the elements the books did, even if they weren't necessarily in order or context, but they really didn't do a bad job. My biggest problem was how much was added to the story. In fact, the entire basis of the story was changed. Rather than a personal quest to find Caspian's father's councilors, it became a quest to collect swords to destroy some kind of mist demanding of human sacrifice. Sure, none of this was in the book, but who's going to notice?

That's not my problem. This is my problem: Where is the spirit?? When I walked into the theater, I was hoping, praying, to catch even a glimpse of the emotions I felt as a child. The horror of the unexpected and the terror of the unseen; the satisfaction when life is ok and the unease when life's not--this movie fails to give the moral or emotional impact that I adored from the books. Alas, the world is not as it was.

But really, I can't complain about this movie. The special effects were satisfying, if just barely, the acting had it's ups and downs, but nothing bad enough to spoil it, and the story was highly skewed and de-humanized, but not detrimental. When you pay for admission, you expect 2 hours of nice family entertainment. Maybe some surprising scenes that will thrill, but not scare your kids? Maybe a few chuckle-worthy scenes to keep you interested? That's what you get. Nothing more.

With a solid $24 million opening, it looks like we're getting a sequel with even less of the characters that make these movies beloved by its fans. yay.

A nice story to enliven your mind; a nice cookie-cutter message to warm your heart; a nice visual journey to keep your eyes open: all in all, a nice movie. 7/10. Disappointing, but worthwhile.

TRON: Legacy

Daring. Vivid. Brutally real. Visionary. Joseph Kosinski's dystopian debut pushes boundaries and defies convention, but once grasping our attention and fastening our eyes to the sleek fiction unfolding on the screen, we realize that this movie is more of a dated facade designed to rake in profits than it is the perspective-changing vision were were lured into watching.

Even the best of movies can be corrupted by even a few bad lines, or perhaps a few good lines that are poorly delivered. Needless to say, this was neither a dialogue-driven, nor a performance-driven film, to say the least. Garrett Hudland was less than perfect (almost unlikable, even) and even a respected actor like Jeff Bridges failed to deliver. "Crazy Heart" Jeff Bridges was infinitely more satisfying than "Tron: Legacy" Jeff Bridges. And while I'm sure Tron is a boost to Olivia Wilde's up-and-coming career, it certainly didn't boost her credibility as an actor. And don't get me started on Michael Sheen. He should just be ashamed of himself.

On the bright side, Daft Punk's music left nothing to be lacking. Bravo.

Not to discredit the whole movie, it did have a few redeeming aspects. The graphics were gorgeous, and the pure imagination of the movie was nearly astounding. It is quite unfortunate that once the "box" was thought outside of, the producers couldn't think of any better message than the stereotypical "bittersweet happy ending." No revelation of truth, no affirmation of the importance of family, no worthwhile message of any greater good. What a shameful waste.

Sadly, there's really nothing more to be said in this movie's defense.

On the whole, this is a "nice" movie. Beautiful, different, but unfortunately shallow. I give it a generous 7/10 on merit of the visual mastery, soundtrack, and imagination behind it.