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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Director: Michael Apted
Stars: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet, Simon Pegg, Tilda Swinton and Liam Neeson
20^th Century Fox

TAKING into account the abundance of below-average films foisted onto the all-ages audience, it’s a shame that this trilogy (at this point) based on C.S. Lewis’ brilliant children’s books, hasn’t generated more success at the box office. The first of the seven novels to be adapted (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) was financially successful, allowing a sequel, Prince Caspian, which although well received critically, didn’t perform as well at the box office.

More is the pity, as these films (and the novels they’re based on) not only star everyday kids as the heroic characters, but also treats them as young adults, sans condescending over-explanations. Distributor and production company of the first two films, Walt Disney Pictures, lost the faith after Prince Caspian’s modest box office yield, leaving the franchise up for grabs. Fortunately, 20^th Century Fox swooped in to keep the series alive via this third installment.

With Fox at the helm, changes abounded between sequels two and three. The core cast remains the same, but the most dramatic changes have occurred behind the scenes. Most notable is the change of writer and director from the first two films, Andrew Adamson, to Michael Apted. Best known for his work on Bond film The World is Not Enough, Apted’s recent efforts have focused on TV documentaries–with the exception of directing episodes of HBO’s outstanding series, Rome. Composer extraordinaire Harry Gregson-Williams (Spy Game) was also replaced with Apted’s The World is Not Enough collaborator, David Arnold.  Shoot locations also moved from Europe to  Queensland; however, the franchise has not been effected negatively from any of those changes, maintaining its darker tone, impressive effects and solid performances.

This third Narnia tale sees the younger members of the royal foursome, Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keyes), separated from their now adult siblings, Peter and Sarah, and living with their insufferably obnoxious cousin, Eustace (Will Poulter). When a mysterious painting depicting a magnificent vessel on the high seas comes to life—hiding a portal—the three youngsters are drawn back to the magical realm of Narnia once again.

Reunited with the King (formerly the Prince) Caspian (Ben Barnes), all is seemingly well in the kingdom, with a long period of peace prevailing; however, something lurks within the shadows… hence our heroes’ return. Thus begins the trio’s new challenge to uncover the new and hidden evil to ensure that peace and justice can prevail—you know, that old chestnut.

This journey has a distinctly different feel from the two previous outings—primarily due to the majority of the action taking place on water—but the focus this time lies more with the human struggles, both internal and external, rather than the wondrous Narnia creatures: Lucy comes to terms with her underlying jealousy of her sister, Edmund learns to step outside of  the shadow of others, and annoying pip-squeak, Eustace, awakens to the meaning of sacrifice for the greater good. All surprisingly adult concepts for a supposed “children’s” film.

However, the real treats are revealed in the supporting roles of Aussie veteran, Gary Sweet, as the delightfully Irish-brogued, Lord Drinian—who almost outshines Ben Barnes when the two share the screen—and the almost unrecognisable Simon Pegg as Reepicheep. In Prince Caspian, Eddie Izzard brought the part of the honour-bound swashbuckling mouse to life with nuance and panache, while Pegg continues the theme wonderfully, revamping Reepicheep as “Simon Pegg’s homage to Eddie Izzard” as a chivalrous rodent.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is said to be shot using new 3D technology. Alas, I spotted perhaps three scenes where 3D was apparent, and that was with intense scrutiny. This 3D gimmick seems a fad-grab aimed at whacking an extra five dollars onto each ticket with only a smidge of 3D thrown in. A bit of a scam, really. The only true examples of 3D this reviewer has experienced with awe include Avatar and IMAX’s Hubble 3D, with the mainstream cinema films trailing sadly behind. It’s  time that Hollywood producers make firm decision as to when to  jettison or embrace this concept—because it doesn’t work half-arsed.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an entertaining all-ages adventure which fares significantly better than you might expect, with a colourful cast of characters, convincing special effects (bar the token 3D) that you (and your young ‘uns) may just learn a life lesson from on the way.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opens December 2

Review: Dave Kozicki

Megamind

Director: Tom McGrath
Stars: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Brad Pitt.

Paramount

Just when you thought super-powered shenanigans had lost their lustre, an animated adventure leaps bland reboots in a single bound, acting as a heroic breath of fresh air to revitalise the genre. In the vein of more adult friendly features like The Incredibles, director Tom McGrath takes an extremely predictable and clichéd plotline and injects twists and turns and a decent dollop of personality that will have you giggling with glee and rooting for the bad guy.

It should be of no surprise that Tom McGrath finds himself tweaking tried and tested formulas of animation and following a different path. After getting his start as a storyboard artist on Ren and Stimpy, he stepped up to write and direct both instalments of the Madagascar franchise, and while they weren’t groundbreaking in any way, shape or form, they did pave the way for this entertaining and action packed ride.

Taking the well-known Superman mythos, Megamind tells the tale of two alien babies, whose destinies are intertwined when a Black Hole destroys both their home planets. Likeminded parents placed both infants in escape pods with a solitary destination in mind, Earth. For one of the children, a life of wealth, opulence and heroism awaits. The other, landing inside the walls of a State Penitentiary, seems destined for a life of crime. So from this tender age the roles have been cast and the stage is now set.

The rivalry between the two has become the stuff of legend in Metro City (or as Megamind pronounces it “metrocity”, much like atrocity), as Megamind is repeatedly defeated by the far superior Metro Man, summarily incarcerated and consequently berated by the warden (brilliantly played by J.K. Simmons – Oz).

When one of Megamind’s schemes actually pays off, he takes over Metro City, but without a caped crusader to hold him in check, his life becomes tedious and pointless. To combat this lack of… combat, he decides to create his own adversary to relive the glory days of good versus evil duelling to the death, and while initially fulfilling, not everything goes as planned and Megamind finds himself at a crossroads. Will he be able to triumph over the evil within, or is he just born to be bad?

Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds) plays Metro City’s saviour Metro Man to a tee, and though his part is quite small, he does an adequate job along the way. His nemesis is the brilliant, unhinged and hilarious Megamind (Will Ferrell – Anchorman). Not so much evil, as misunderstood, his has been a lonely existence, bar the companionship of his faithful minion, Minion (David Cross – Arrested Development). Both Cross and Ferrell put in restrained performances, picking and choosing their moments to go big, and the chemistry between them is fantastic.

What would a battle of super beings, be without a reporter hostage thrown into the mix? Roxanne Ritchie is brought to life by Tina Fey (30 Rock) with great sensitivity, a nice change of pace from the usual fiercely independent ladies she usually plays. Jonah Hill (Get Him to the Greek) does a fine job as the round, damaged reporter come hero(?) Tighten, though the role is no stretch by any means.

Littered with pop culture references, actual 3D that works (and is far from gimmicky) and great performances across the board, Megamind is surprisingly more fun than you’d expect and visually astounding. Veteran composer Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight) is completely in his element here and his audio suits the animation perfectly. If you dug The Incredibles, you’re gonna love Megamind.

Megamind opens nationally December 9^th.

Review by Dave Kozicki

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