Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/22146
They Keep. Getting. Worse. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Rated PG) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS The Lion, the Witch, and the Chic. Stylish. Sophisticated. Sky Lounge at 217 Pierro’s A world away from ordinary We invite you to explore our extensive martini menu that will satisfy the traditional and contemporary taste. vite you to explore One of the area’s largest wine collections with over 400 bottles in stock. Wide selection for the discriminating palate, available by the glass. 2011 NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH entrees and dessert with 2 cocktails. All for $59.95 0 Per Person $10 P Wardrobe wasn’t bad. Prince Caspian was lackluster and incorporated a forced romantic subplot. The Dawn Treader (115 minutes) was simply awful. As a fan of the book, I felt per- sonally offended at all the needless changes made to a perfectly wonderful fantasy narrative. Most of the really cool stuff was gone, random extra characters were added, and the special effects were half-hearted. Although there is some attempt to include the fantastic diary commentary of Eustace, it is so watered down that it comes off as an afterthought. Edmund (Skander Keyes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are staying with their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter, Son of Rambow). Much like the beginning of the book, the three are pulled into Narnia through a magic painting one year (Narnian Time) after they left. They are pulled aboard the Dawn Treader by King Caspian (Ben Barnes, 6’1”, age 29 in case anyone was wondering). Once aboard they are reunited with Reepicheep (Simon Pegg, although he was voiced by Eddie Izzard in Prince Caspian) and a bunch of random crew members. Major Problem: although the writers had no problem changing every other scene for the movie, they left the crew all male. To add insult to injury, in an apparent effort to give Lucy someone to hang out with, a “cousin Oliver” is eventually introduced (confused? Look up “Cousin Oliver”). But instead of Queen Lucy showing her how to defend herself, Lucy gets to play nursemaid. Since the girl’s own father is apparently busy elsewhere on the ship. Plus, everyone knows that taking care of children is women’s work. Sigh. They travel through the Eastern Ocean and discover an evil green mist (What in the WHAT?) near the Lone Islands. From there, they visit another island where Lucy is abducted. She is forced to help make the invisible Dufflepuds vis- ible again by traveling through a magician’s castle and reciting a spell. Lucy is sidetracked by a spell that promises to make her as beautiful as her sister, and not even the lion Aslan (Liam Neeson) is able to prevent her from giv- ing in to temptation. Subplot mission accomplished, the Magician Coriakin (Bille Brown) tells them that to defeat the evil green mist (Seriously, is that the stupidest addition to the plot, or am I crazy?) they must travel to Ramandu’s island and lay the seven magic swords on Aslan’s Table (You know what? That is a much stupider plot ad- dition). They head towards the island, are caught in a storm, and then stop on a volcanic island to resupply. The writers decide to enrage me further by messing with my favorite scene in the book. They combine the water-of-gold island with turning Eustace into a rub- ber dragon. There is a pretty neat scene where Eustace identifies himself, but it does not make up for the shoddy special effects employed elsewhere. Eventually, they reach the island, where the Star’s Daughter Lilliandil (Laura Brent) tells them they must travel to Dark Island to save the final Lord, Rhoop. Once there, King Edmund summons a giant marshmallow man ala Ray from 678-8885 20 UCW DEC. 29, 2010 - JAN. 4, 2011 822-3590 Ghostbusters) by thinking of the one thing he was not supposed to think about. You know what, I am two for two. THAT was the stupidest edition to the plot. Blah, Blah, Blah, Eustace gets cured, Edmund and Lucy go home. To wrap up the worst addition to a once promising franchise, Eustace receives a visitor … Jill Pole. Who, in the book, didn’t become his friend until he had gone back to school as a redeemed charac- ter. Un. Freaking. Believable. HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM