Na-na-na-Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia film franchise has always been like a cross between Harry Potter and a cheap man's Lord Of The Rings - the effects aren't quite magical, the themes of loyalty are a tad too strong, the costumes too contrived and the action lack lustre. The latest instalment is much the same, save for a kick-ass Sea Serpent during the finale.

Lucy and Edmund Pevensie (Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes) return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) where they meet up with King Caspian (Ben Barnes) for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, a band of lost warriors, the usual assortment of talking animals wielding swords and so on. The difference with this Narnia film is the mission is unclear until halfway through. Whereas the others were about trying to restore a kingdom and so forth, this is about trying to find the seven swords of the lost Lords of Narnia to prevent a mist more annoying than the one in Lost from taking over the land. The kids and Caspian do this by travelling to various tropical islands, which all look the same, and sailing against a backdrop of constant sunsets.Leads Henley and Keynes give crisp performances as the righteous and indignant younger Pevensie's who comfortably chirp out phrases like "I knew we could do it'' and "when you grow up, you should be just like you.'' It is a shame to see Poulter's performance in this, as he has turned into another smug Disney child and lost all that natural charm he first displayed in Son Of Rambow. Barnes provides a willing distraction for female audiences, but does little more than prance around and be handsome. Of course fans of the franchise will find all of this very entertaining. The rest of us, however, will spend the duration of the movie trying to spot the Gold Coast landscapes and local faces (after all, it was filmed here last year).A redeeming moment comes toward the end when a genuinely scary Sea Serpent tries to take out our heroes. But the action is short lived and before you can say `thinly veiled Christianity' we are on the shores of Heaven preparing for a soppy farewell.

The themes of Christianity which underline all of C.S. Lewis' books come through more strongly in this film, with each of the tasks to acquire a sword about defeating one of the seen deadly sins. Oh, and lets not forgot the Great Lion Aslan's comment at the end about their adventures in Narnia being a way to get to know Aslan better in their world, where he is known by another name *cough* God *cough*.

The filmmakers have made a conscious effort to wrap the series, making sure audiences are aware the Pevensie's won't be coming back for another film. Their cousin Eustace on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader is out now. To read my previous Narnia stories click here, here, here and here.