We’ve all seen “Lazy Sunday“, the Chronicles of Narnia SNL digital short. (If you haven’t, watch it now!) Andy Samberg raves about the Narnia film he’s going to see. I didn’t see it on a Sunday, but I still really enjoyed C.S. Lewis’s Christian themed fantasy novel turned film.

This film isn’t the best film you’ll ever see, but I’ll tell you that it is one of the most exciting family films I’ve seen in a while. There is sword fighting and a battle with a sea monster and more…all with a PG rating.

The exciting musical score is composed by newcomer David Arnold. He incorporated the previous Narnia theme written by Harry Gregson-Williams excellently and added brilliant new characterizations to this salty sea flick. (The Dawn Treader is the ship that the characters spend most of their time.)

This film is really quite eye-popping. I didn’t see it in 3D, because I’m sick of overpriced 3D films and the dimmer picture. I appreciate the beauty of the film and I don’t need gimmicks like 3D to make it entertaining for me. The battle sequences and fight scenes are really well done and visually believable. The story is well told, and the Christian themes definitely come out.

The only complaint I had were the characters/acting. The acting was fine, but I didn’t feel like the story was about the characters and what was going on with them. I felt like the story was being told, and the characters were just kind of there. The only character I really got in to was Eustace, played by newcomer Will Poulter. He will be the lead in the next couple Narnia films, if they get made. Even with some lackluster numbers domestically for the opening weekend, I’m praying that the worldwide totals bring in the profits necessary for another film.

Overall, this is an awesome film for everyone (even little kids). Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader runs 115 minutes and is rate PG. I give 8 ramheads out of 10.