I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia a couple times, and I absolutely love the first two films of the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. So when Lucy and Edmond Pevensie arrive in the middle of a Narnian ocean with their annoying cousin Eustace, I know how they feel. Narnia is home to them, its their favorite place. The way they breathe deeply and smile widely once they realize where they are mirrors my feelings about returning to Narnia in story.

Lucy and Edmond have been living and isolated and boring life in England with their cousin’s family. Lucy longs to be thought of as beautiful, like her sister Susan. Edmond is tired of being told what to do, and they both remember when they were king and queen in Narnia. Their cousin, Eustace, is an insufferable brat, angry at their invasion of his home and bothered by their fanciful talk of Narnia. One day they see a Narnian ship cresting over the waves of a painting in their room, and the next thing they know the room is flooding. The three of them find themselves in the ocean, being rescued by Prince Caspian and his ship, the Dawn Treader. Caspian has brought peace to Narnia and has sailed east to the Lone Islands in search of seven banished lords.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t provide the film with much of a driving story. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a gorgeous film, the Dawn Treader herself is stunning, but it doesn’t engage you in the story as successfully as the first films. It’s not boring, exactly, just not very interesting. The voyage starts strongly enough. The first island they come across is run by slave traders, and Caspian, Edmond, Lucy and Eustace get captured. After an exciting rescue, our heroes discover the slave traders were offering people as sacrifices to some sort of green smoke. The heroes vow to find the sacrificed people and stop the green smoke. For that they will need the seven magical swords that the lords possess.

From here the movie becomes a series of unconnected events and teaching moments for our heroes. Caspian has to learn to be his own man and not try to live up to his father. Lucy has to learn to value herself and what she can contribute. Edmond has to swallow his pride and fight the temptation of power. And Eustace gets turned into a dragon, in order to learn both bravery and humility. Aslan pops up occasionally as a guide/conscience and they encounter magicians, invisible creatures, a blue star and a sea monster. That all sounds exciting, but it’s not tied together well enough to let it build towards the climax.

That isn’t to say that the movie is not enjoyable. The Narnia they have created for the films is a wonderful place to spend a few hours of story. It is really a shame that the musical theme from the first films is used so rarely, because it is a wonderful theme that carries a lot of emotional weight. From things as big as mythical creatures and sea serpents to the small details, like seeing the Pevensies’ Christmas gifts again (Susan’s bow and horn, Lucy’s cordial and knife, Peter’s sword), Narnia is a living breathing land. Lucy and Edmond are still a joy to watch, even if they don’t have much to do. Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes both do a great job of owning their characters, just seeing them onscreen makes me smile, and they handle both the big and small moments with grace and class. (It is also great to see Lucy swordfight, continuing to cut down gender stereotypes.) Simon Pegg takes over for Eddie Izzard as the voice of Reepicheep, and he does a good job making the character fun. Ben Barns is unfortunately stiff as Caspian this time around, but he has a few nice moments.

Eustace is an interesting contradiction. Will Poulter plays the bratty character well, making him annoying to the other characters without being annoying to the audience. He represents the close minded skeptic, the sort of person who questions the purpose of fantastic stories of unbelievable things (and by extension, Christianity). It shows the sad sort of life that those without imagination (or without the desire to use it) are stuck with. But turning into a dragon forces him to listen and observe, and with Aslan’s help he comes out better in the end, humble and believing. Poulter handles the reawakening with quiet restraint, and it makes me eager to see him in two more films… if they happen.

This entry of the series has had an interesting voyage of its own, and future films are very much in doubt. Disney backed the first two films, but dropped out for the third. 20^th Century Fox stepped in for this one, a story much less exciting and much more overtly Christian. The smaller budget shows in places and the effects are sometimes filmed as if this were a Ray Harryhausen film. It doesn’t detract from the experience, but it is definitely noticeable. I hope that The Silver Chair and The Last Battle get made, but there are no guarantees.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader ends at the end of the world, with a meeting with Aslan in a sea of lilies. It’s a beautiful realization of one of the most striking passages in the books. The tears of the cast feel genuine and appropriate as they ask Aslan if they will see him again. He answers by saying he is always watching but is known by a different name in our world, and they will learn to know him by that name in time. It’s a sweet scene, whose meaning the filmmakers did not shy away from. If the series ends here, it is a fitting stopping point, but there is still so much to tell.