The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2010

Tom Long, Detroit News: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is still very much a "Narnia" movie. In other words, it's filled with fantastical creatures, bloodless battles, quasi-mystical undercurrents and an unfortunate helping of hooey. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: This picture... mostly plays like a perfunctory cross between watered-down iterations of The Wind in the Willows and any Pirates of the Caribbean movie... Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Apted gives it little sense of scope or purpose; everything feels perfunctory as in a bad video game. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Except for a few familiar faces, the uninspired, desperate-looking The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn't bear much resemblance to its predecessors. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: The story bounces from island to island and event to event with a sense of humor, but no sense of flow or drama except during the fight sequences. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: The best thing about the film is neither the top-notch CGI nor the shallow moral lessons but the performance of Will Poulter as Lucy and Edmund's insufferable cousin Eustace Scrubb. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: The beguiling creature design -- from minotaur to dragon, sea serpent to one-footed dwarf -- and 3D effects heighten the illusion of a storybook coming alive. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: The visual splendor is still there, in moderate amounts. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The 3-D effects are standard, the children and the prince are a bit bland, and Michael Apted's direction veers into listlessness, but there is, at times, a pleasing elegance to the production, too. It doesn't assault you. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Despite some rejiggering of the book's plot, it's a film that should please Narnia fans and, if it does well, may lead to the return of Eustace in the next installment, The Silver Chair. Here's hoping. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: 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. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: There's a businesslike, barrel-ahead determination to the proceedings, as if the players (and, in the bigger picture, the producers) were ticking off items on an agenda: three volumes down, four to go if Walden Media commits to the whole shebang. Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: Where the others aimed for greatness and missed, this one aims for middle-of-the-road and basically hits it. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: This tedious third entry doesn't bode well for the continuation of the franchise. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Oh, there are sword fights aplenty (as bloodless as ever), but instead of a real story, we are left clinging to individual moments. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Only two characters are worth much notice; neither is a prince, and one is a really big mouse, which tells you something sad about Narnia's royal family. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: A decent family adventure, perfectly suited to a cold Saturday morning -- and likely to be forgotten by Sunday. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Apted brings back a sense of the old-fashioned fun of the low-tech 1960s myths-and-monsters matinees, when no roiling sea ever failed to harbor a giant serpent -- and men stood in the bows of ships facing peril with chins of iron. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Unfortunately, between its ripsnorting beginning and moving finale, Apted's film sails into the doldrums. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The "quest" element, a common fantasy staple, is uninspired and perfunctory, and there's a growing sense throughout the movie that there's no real point to any of what is occurring. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: This is a rip-snorting adventure fantasy for families, especially the younger members who are not insistent on continuity. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: This retelling of "Dawn Treader" is relentlessly goal-oriented -- our heroes must collect seven swords, and free a bunch of people imprisoned in mysterious green mist -- in a way Lewis' book simply isn't. Read more

John Swansburg, Slate: Its attempts to overcome the story's episodic nature are clumsy, its effects only intermittently special, and its dufflepuds not nearly funny enough. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: What kid hasn't dreamed of being a queen or king in another world? Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: An utter shipwreck, a would-be adventure with meager rations of magic and a listless crew. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Could be an optical illusion, but it seems that a flat, dull movie shot in 3-D just looks flatter and duller. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: Discerning young people aren't likely to find Dawn Treader very challenging or engaging and the accompanying adults are certain to find it pretty bland fare... Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Dawn Treader, the name of the ship in the story, should here be rechristened Yawn Treader. Read more

Wally Hammond, Time Out: Provides rousing enough young family entertainment - though there's less to engage maturer Lewis fans and possible disappointment for older teenagers. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: It's serviceable, but certainly not much fun. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: This f/x-heavy third adaptation of the Christian-themed fantasy series feels routine and risk-averse in every respect, as if investment anxiety had fatally hobbled its sense of wonder. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: It's good to see the spirit of English craftsmanship alive, even if applied to ephemeral effects. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: It's great to be back in Narnia. Read more