"There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb..."

[owlmoose]

The trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been out for several days at least, but somehow I missed it until now.

This is one of my favorite books in the series, and the one I've been most looking forward to seeing as a movie. And there are some things that look promising. But I have some questions. Who is the glowing white girl? Is she supposed to be the star's daughter? If she is, why is she making dramatic pronouncements and then shooting up into the sky? She was barely a presence in the books. Also, what's up with all these references to war? One of the things I always liked about Dawn Treader was the episodic nature of it, and that it was less about Narnia in peril and more about exploring the world and discovering its wonders. Last, but most definitely not least, I am really concerned about the appearance of Susan and Peter, because making that work would require so much contortion to the original story as to render it unrecognizable.

So, I will approach this one with caution. I expect I'll see it, unless it reviews really terribly, but I will keep my expectations low. (Which worked last time, so it seems a reasonable course of action.) But it's still disappointing; I pretty much loved The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I'd hoped that the rest of the series would live up to that standard. On the other hand, I had serious reservations about the trailer for LWW, too. So we shall see.

Comments

[imadra_blue]

I am such a Narnia fangirl. Some people love the Lord of the Rings like burning, but those books never made feel wonder and power like the Narnia Chronicles does. So I'm happy to see the trailer.

That said, I can understand your reservations. I am still rather ambivalanet to the changes they made in Prince Caspian, much like you. But I wound up liking it, even though I was still rather "Er, where did this come from? O.o" over many scenes.

I think the glowing white girl is supposed to the star's daughter, but I don't mind her having a larger presence, just as I didn't mind Arwen having a larger presence. My impression was from the trailer that in place of war, they're discovering. But I do agree that seeing Peter and Susan again is concerning. And I wish the trailer had shown more Eustace. I do so love Eustace Scrubb. XD

In many ways, seeing these books made film is going to lead to disappointment, but they're still better adaptations than many others, so I'm just happy to see them brought to life.

[owlmoose]

It might just be because I was so much younger when I read the Narnia books for the first time (I didn't read Tolkien until college), but I, too, am far more attached to Narnia than I have ever been to Middle Earth.

The first movie pleased me so much, with both the look of the world and the feel of the characters, that I'm willing to cut the other movies in the series a little slack, at least for now. (Although bringing Peter and Susan back would squander most of that credit, I'm afraid.) I'm also bothered by the lack of Eustace in this trailer, partly because I love him and his arc, but also because his character is the only one that carries forward into "The Silver Chair". So if the series is going to continue in any logical way, he has to be an important character that the audience will come to care about.

I can be on board with making Ramandau's daughter a stronger and more important character, for sure (with a name, even), as long as it works within the universe and the story. Arwen is a good example of that, and I also think some of the tweaks to Susan in the first two movies. Much as I love some good classic fantasy, the treatment of women was not always the best, and anything that updates that is to the good.

[imadra_blue]

I'm the same way! I read the Narnia books as a wee thing, and when I got to Tolkien as a teenager, I found his books underwhelming.

Yeah, the first movie really was quite good at developing the world and giving the characters new life. And yeah, they're banking too much on Edmund and Lucy, and I hope this is just marketing. Because Eustace is awesome. I want to see him. I'm holding that kid to high standards, I'm afraid. XD

Ah, Ramandau! I'd forgotten his name. I'm all for his daughter being given more life for the same reason. Classic fantasy is, er, rather classic, as you said, with women. Having them do more stuff? Giving them names? Letting them not just be glorified baby incubators and plot devices through death? ALL FOR THAT. But I don't want them to ruin the story. I hope everything they showed fits in naturally, else I'm going to be quite irritated.

My very favorite is The Horse and His Boy, but I fear I may never see that made into a film. ;_____;

[owlmoose]

My very favorite is The Horse and His Boy

ME TOO. And I think it could make an awesome movie, although they'd have to be really careful because there are some very problematic race issues in the original text. But I also fear it will never happen, mostly because the series has already bounced around to one new studio (Disney dropped it because "Prince Caspian" didn't do as well as they would have liked, and Fox picked it up), and if Dawn Treater doesn't do amazingly well, the movie franchise might not survive. :\

Maybe my expectations for LotR were too high. I did like "Fellowship of the Ring" quite a bit, but the others did less for me. In truth, I like the movies better. /heretic

[imadra_blue]

Yay! Another fan of THHB! :D :D :D

And I think it could make an awesome movie, although they'd have to be really careful because there are some very problematic race issues in the original text.

Oh, yes. I never saw it as a wee thing, but now that I'm older, rereading that book does make me wince and feel a bit embarrassed. But if they update it and freshen it, and tweak a few things, it might be all right. I am depressed about the prospects of seeing the rest of the franchise onscreen, too, which is sad. The later works were just as good as the early ones. Prince Caspian was always my least favorite of the series, so I'm hoping it's just a bump in the road. But likely... this will be it.

Ah, I'm the same way as you about LotR! That's so rare! I like the movies much better myself. And my favorite book and movie is the first one. Most people turn their noses up at me, but I thought the films breathed life into Tolkien's universe in ways he couldn't.

[owlmoose]

The story was a lot tighter in the LotR movies, too, even given how long they all were.

I liked "Caspian" as a book, but I think it's easily the least cinematic of the books, because so much of it is politicking and backstory. So I can forgive them, a little, for making a mediocre movie out of it. "Dawn Treader", however, is *highly* cinematic, so they have no excuse for screwing it up. ;)

[imadra_blue]

Oh, yes. They condensed the sotry better, though I still think the 23 different endings of RotK, even on film, were excessive and indulgent. XD

I liked Prince Caspian pretty well, too--it was just my least favorite overall. I agree that it s hard to turn it into good cinema. Dawn Treader might serve them better, and hopefully they'll keep that adventurous, episodic feel to it!