Agreed Valiant. Either way it's not good dialogue but some of the other we've seen was much better. Still not sold on the 'sterile interloper' line though.

I saw the movie last night at an advanced screening. It is very good. They made changes to the book. But, overall, they did a very good job. Drop your expectations at the door of the theater. If you do, you will enjoy the movie.

I saw the movie last night at an advanced screening. It is very good. They made changes to the book. But, overall, they did a very good job. Drop your expectations at the door of the theater. If you do, you will enjoy the movie.

Where can you get information about advanced screenings ? I`ve been looking but I haven`t had any luck.

Maiden, it is a pastors only screening they are doing around the country through Grace Hill Media.

My dad is a pastor and he just told me that tommorrow he and I can go see the movie in D.C. I really hope I can get someone to cover for me at work cause I have to see this movie!

Oh Josh! That would be fantastic! If you go, be sure to give us a very detailed-relatively non-spoilery review!

Good work, Josh! Hope you're able to make it to the screening. How are you getting in? Obviously your dad is a pastor, but are you going to pretend to be a pastor?

Hey, as long as your are pastoring somebody you are a pastor. It's a spiritual gift. Even if you are not a leader of a church, you could still be a pastor. Maybe Josh's spiritual gift is pastoring. That would be good enough of a reason right?

Well, hopefully it works out for you! I wish there was one of those special screenings near me!

No, that normally would be referred to as a mentor or something else. My understanding is that only fully-fledged pastors could go and see the advanced screening. Guess I was wrong.

Yeah, that's probably what they meant. I was just saying that biblically there are other ways to interpret the word "pastor". Maybe the are letting the Pastors take one person with them to see the movie? I guess we'll just have to wait for Josh to tell us.

My dad said that they are allowed to take one guest. Oh well, I hope they don't kick me out if he's wrong.

My dad who runs a ministry was once invited to one of those prescreenings for some movie and he could take one guest.

Below is my general thoughts on the film that I typed up rather quickly today, so it's not all that polished.

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I laughed, I cried…it moved me, Bob!

That would accurately sum up my reaction after seeing the Voyage of the Dawn Treader last night at a preview screening. Going into the film, I honestly did not know how I would react to the film. The production process had been so confusing and full of conflicting information. Either this film was going to be the best thing that has ever happened to the Narnia franchise, or the final nail in the coffin of fiction done a disservice by Hollywood.

I’m very happy to say that for me, I found the film very satisfactory.
Note that I didn’t say that it met expectations. That’s a broad term that could be interpreted in a million different ways. If you went into this movie expecting it to be bad, then yes, I think you could find enough to justify your expectations. If you went into this movie expecting it to be amazing, I also think you could have your expectations met.
Listen. This film is not perfect. I’m not going to lie; some of it really shocked me. I can’t say that I’m one hundred percent pleased with the film, because I’m not…there’s some changes that I don’t like, and I never will like them.

But the parts that they got right…they really, really got right. It’s hard to explain this further without giving too much away, but the heart of Lewis’s book is there. And there are scenes where it’s like the words of C.S. Lewis’s book is just leaping off the page and becoming alive. And that alone nearly atones for any other sins that the filmmakers committed.

Wardrobe was iconic. Prince Caspian was epic. Dawn Treader is intimate. It takes you on a journey within the characters that no Narnia film has been able to grasp before. Despite being set on the vast uncharted waters of the Eastern Seas and having as epic and dramatic a plot line as any Hollywood studio could ask for, it’s the characters, not the drama, that drives this story. Perhaps even despite itself, because it seemed very clear that the filmmakers wanted to make this film as epic and dramatic as they come. But the heart of the story won out, and it will be the amazing characters and their relationships with each other, not any green mist, that will be what makes this film great.

Dawn Treader is perhaps the most relatable of all the Narnia films thus far. Unlike Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader does not require vast knowledge of the books or the previous films. Therefore, a casual moviegoer could go see this film, and still enjoy it on its own merit. That is something that the Narnia franchise has been lacking, and it could be the magic potion that gives this film series a second chance at life.

Overall, I think fans of the books, fans of the movies, and casual moviegoers will all enjoy this film. It contains aspects that reach out to each individual group, and draws them in into one.

The movie starts well, gets a little lost in the middle, but finds its way in the end. And I think perhaps Aslan’s lines at the end of the film sums up why we love Narnia so much…because by knowing him a little there, we might know Him better here.

- Gymfan15
Spareoom.net

Allow me to throw another review on the pile...

Thanks to Walden, Fox and Tirian, I was able to view Dawn Treader on November 17th in Houston at a pre-screening event. I walked into the movie theater about as neutral as I could possibly be. I wanted to enjoy the movie for what I hoped it would be… a good movie. Oh wow. Oh wow! It definitely was that! I promise the following will be spoiler free.

For Prince Caspian, it took until the fifth viewing for me to be pulled into the storyline. For LWW, I looked at my watch and was floored to see that 20 minutes had passed by. This time I forgot to look at my watch when I started watching, but I was pulled into the story very quickly.

The soundtrack was absolutely fantastic! It gives the movie a distinct feel and was a fabulous accompaniment to the film.

The visuals were stunning. Colors were brilliant and the panoramics were gorgeous. The cinematography is definitely a big plus for this film.

One thing that seemed to be missing from PC was the element that made it feel Narnian all the way through. It was there in parts, but it was missing in some areas. That’s not the case here. The whole movie has a very Narnian feel to it.

I would go into more depth, but like Tirian, I’ve been asked not to go into details. The ending of the movie was emotional and perfect. The scene at the end of the world is as stunning as the trailer scene makes it appear.

The movie was introduced by Michael Flaherty and I was privileged to spend a few minutes talking with him and other movie goers after the film. He was gathering opinions on what people thought as well as asking what movie people thought should come next.

I look forward to seeing this movie again when it is released in the U.S. I really enjoyed it and had a great time laughing along, gasping at times, and feeling the emotions of the moment. I would not recommend it for younger children under the age of 10 (depending of course on the child) due to the intensity of some spots, but I do think that this is a good movie for the whole family and a much better adaptation than PC.

Starkat

Allow me to offer some additional thoughts. I'm not skilled at writing reviews, and some of these comments will echo those above....

I was privileged to attend a pre-screening of Dawn Treader last night here in the Twin Cities. During the drive to the theater we discussed our hopes and concerns for this movie, and ultimately we were pleased with what we saw.

Yes, there are some plot changes; thanks to discussion on the forum the biggest of these weren't a surprise. But other parts were spot-on, beautifully visualized as if they leapt from the book’s pages. The beautiful Dawn Treader itself shows great attention to detail, as did certain other sets, like Coriakin’s house. And there were scenes where small additions or changes enhanced the overall effect – though not spelled out explicitly in the book, they were certainly consistent with its spirit.

The wide-open sea journey offers nice panoramic views and beautiful scenery (including a great shot of the night sky). The cinematography was excellent.

The audience was clearly into the movie. We laughed in some spots; other scenes brought tears to our eyes. Some shots – such as the view of the mountains of Aslan’s Country over the waves at the world’s end – drew gasps of awe. It was that good.

The movie has something for just about everyone: action, drama, character interaction, even those humorous and tearful scenes – and some of the spirit that makes us appreciate Narnia so much, captured best, perhaps, by Aslan’s famous words at the end of the book – and of this movie. The result? This movie felt quite Narnian. Less epic than its predecessor, it seemed more centered on the characters and their journey toward Aslan’s Country.

We had a great time discussing details after the movie – one observation was that, despite the plot changes, overall it has the feel of a more-faithful adaptation than Prince Caspian. We look forward to seeing it again when it opens in December.