'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is all about faith

"THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader" — ★★★ — Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson (voice of Aslan); PG (frightening images, fantasy action); in general release

While not a completely faithful adaptation of the classic it's based on, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is, in the end, all about faith.

This third installment of the film series likely won't disappoint Narnia enthusiasts of either the film and literary variety. It's colorful, visually sharp and contains steady amounts of action, some of which may be a little too scary for the little ones.

But for those who value the rich Christian themes in Lewis' work, the most redeeming quality of the film may be that it doesn't compromise the spiritual message of "Dawn Treader."

With older siblings Peter and Susan across the ocean in America, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley), regarded as royalty in Narnia, are stuck at their relatives' home in England, sharing space with their surly cousin Eustace (Will Poulter). But they are swept back into the magical world by swells of water from a painting that features a "very Narnian-looking" ship. A frantic Eustace is along for the ride.

The three children are brought aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader, where King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and his crew are seeking seven Narnian Lords who disappeared on a voyage east. On board is the brave mouse Reepicheep, one of C.S. Lewis' favorite characters, according to Lewis expert and Utah resident S. Michael Wilcox.

As the ship stops at various islands, danger unfolds and temptation swirls around them — literally. A green mist is emanating from Dark Island, threatening to corrupt and overtake the magical world. In order to defeat the darkness, the characters must gather the swords from all seven Narnian lords and lay them on Aslan's table.

Lucy, Edmund and Caspian are warned that they must also defeat the darkness inside themselves. The two Pevensie children long for that which their older siblings seem to have in abundance — Edmund for respect and authority, and Lucy for beauty.

The green mist and seven swords are significant departures from the text of Lewis' book. They are effective, however, at creating visual symbolism, defining a clear conflict and giving the characters an urgent quest.

Perhaps the most profound moment of the book, Eustace's transformation into a dragon, takes place off screen — which was probably a wise decision.