The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The faux-Odyssean trials the characters face are also paradoxically so strained that they often look more arbitrary than thoughtful.

Not quite a must-see, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is nonetheless a sturdy outing with many of the charms that have become franchise trademarks.

You can't help wishing the film well, though doubting whether it will get anywhere near Harry Potter's lot at the box office.

It is a fun film that runs under two hours and more or less gets the job done, and while it is far from perfect as family entertainments go this one is of a much finer pedigree than I anticipated beforehand.

Could be an optical illusion, but it seems that a flat, dull movie shot in 3-D just looks flatter and duller.

The limitless possibilities of fantasy have rarely felt so unimaginative

Apted's ultimate downfall is the over-utilization of special effects in a film that simply doesn't require them to such excess.

What works on the page does not necessarily work on screen, and the woolly plot structure robs Dawn Treader of much of the previous films' energy.

A good vessel to board for kids of all ages.