This scene has two basic problems: 1. It's too short. 2. There was very little build up.

Eustace should have hated himself. And I mean totally and utterly hated himself. In the book he often tears at his scales, trying to get the arm ring off. He also cannot stand being around the others and moves away from the fire where everyone else is. He hates eating raw goat even though that's how he likes it now. He hates seeing his own reflection. In the movie he spends his first night crying before Reepicheep comes to him. After that he's just sort of there. And then he fights the sea serpent (which I didn't find at all scary by the way, gruesome yes, scary no) and Rhoop throws his sword into him and then he flies away. Aslan walks up. Eustace scratches his chest. Aslan scratches the sand. Eustace rises up and explodes in a burst of light. Aslan roars. Eustace lands unconscious on Ramandu's Island. The end.

Afterward, he says he was a better dragon than he was a boy. Wrong. Eustace hated himself as a dragon. He knew he was a nuisance as a boy, but he was an even worse nuisance as a dragon. That's why he was going to hide so that the others would be forced to leave without him. He knew he couldn't come with them. The movie does not capture his hopelessness at all.

I thought it was a good touch, but yes they did not let Eustace struggle long enough. Does mention pain at end, though that preferably would be shown...but then again, maybe not, it happened so fast.

daughter of the King said,
Afterward, he says he was a better dragon than he was a boy. Wrong. Eustace hated himself as a dragon. He knew he was a nuisance as a boy, but he was an even worse nuisance as a dragon.

No, you don't get it. What he mean't was that he was a better acting person overall as a dragon then he had ever been as a boy, which was totally true in the book and the movie.

And then he fights the sea serpent (which I didn't find at all scary by the way, gruesome yes, scary no) and Rhoop throws his sword into him and then he flies away. Aslan walks up. Eustace scratches his chest. Aslan scratches the sand. Eustace rises up and explodes in a burst of light. Aslan roars. Eustace lands unconscious on Ramandu's Island. The end.

This time when I saw the movie it was in 2D. I found I enjoyed the movie a lot more, paid more attention to the movie, itself, and less to the special effects and noticed more how the movie was put together. Perhaps the trailers at the beginning of the film helped as well. One was about a talent scout interviewing a dog star for a part in a movie called Red Dog. Animal body language, facial expressions etc is something everyone can note without going to Narnia to yarn to talking animals and is sometimes taken somewhat for granted.

A lot more of what Eustace says I can remember better. For example, he whinges about the stupid mission of green mist and lost lords. Later he disses the non-existent blue star they have to follow, to go to Ramandudu's Island to return lost swords. That is on the way to the dragon's hoard, where later on his burnt clothing is shown. And after he starts helping himself to the goodies left right and centre, the green gas/mist/pollution starts seeping through the treasure, as if it had been summoned to take its prey.

Once it is known about the dragoning, Eustace dragon is played to perfection. The expressions and body language of the dragon are a real treat, as Caspian and the crew discuss what they are going to do with him, asking if Eustace can keep up, where they are going to put him etc. Everyone tells him they can't undragon him, and Caspian also tells him that most Narnians know about the dangers of messing with enchanted dragon treasure. Poor crying Eustace is consoled by Reepicheep who up until the episode with the sea serpent stays with him all the time, rarely leaving him on his own, and becomes a sort of rodent dragon-rider, nurturing and encouraging Eustace every bit of the way, including attacking the sea serpent.

I noticed when the undragoning takes place, Eustace has been fighting the sea serpent when Lord Rhoop sends the sword like a dagger to Eustace's arm/leg, roughly where the arm ring had been. Then Lord Rhoop tries to take charge of the ship's helm. Eustace flies away, returning to Ramandu's Island, where he collapses on the beach. Aslan then comes to this injured dragon with sword is sticking out of his shoulder. Eustace scratches at himself, then Aslan, pawing the ground, reduces him to a shadow of himself, then Eustace goes up into the light and falls back into some grass.

What happens after that is that Eustace wakes up, runs his hand down his shirt briefly, the new clothes mentioned in the book VDT, sees the sword lying beside him, and runs with it to Aslan's table to place it with the other swords, though the green mist tries to stop him. Sort of like going to the communion table in penitence.

The film then returns to the sea serpent battle, which is going badly. We hear Lucy's unspoken thoughts as she prays to Aslan for help. An albatross flys by, calling out, but only she would know what it says. The battle takes a turn for the better and Dark Island is destroyed. The missing Lone Island Narnians emerge, Reepicheep, Gael and Rhince jump into the water to get to them, and then Eustace appears swimming through the sweet water to the Dawn Treader, announcing to them joyfully 'I'm a boy again'. Reepicheep then tells everyone that the water is sweet, repeating his little rhyme.

There is a beach involved (Aslan's beach?), there is a garden on top of a mountain which happens to be where Aslan's table is. Eustace shows his penitence. And yes, baptismal water is involved in his return to the Dawn Treader. I agree with aragorn2's post preceding mine. Perhaps the 3D effects are a bit distracting from the film?

I'm a bit baffled by how Eustace is getting from place to place in these scenes. Perhaps he borrowed the Metallicar from the Winchesters?

Nah! He travelled by side-along lion apparition as per your siggie! With both JKR and C.S.Lewis' permission.

Did you know that JKR read VDT to her 5 year old daughter? I based at least one Leaky Lounge essay on the strength of it.

I was unimpressed by the undragoning--it was just too rushed over. Too fast; too quick.
Bookwyrm

I'm a bit baffled by how Eustace is getting from place to place in these scenes. Perhaps he borrowed the Metallicar from the Winchesters?

For once something to laugh about!!! I suppose he still had very very small wings from being a dragon that Aslan left just long enough to help him fly from place to place (of course, they are covered by his shirt so we don't see them), and while he was flying to the Dawn Treader, they shriveled up and disappeared, so he ended up in the water!

Well it didn't seem like they sailed as far in the film as the book. The islands seemed closer to each other. There was a slight complaint about food before Eustace became a dragon, but that doesn't mean that after they traveled as far.

I liked the way they showed Aslan pawing at the ground, and then the scratches appearing on Eustace, that was a really neat way to show Aslan "ripping his dragon skin off" without actually really ripping it at all.

As per Eustace's traveling from place to place... I assumed that after Aslan "undragoned" Eustace, he brought him to Ramandu's Island so that Eustace could unite the last of the seven swords with the rest. This only seemed logical to me, as Aslan wants to help the kids complete the journey. And as Dark Island is not too far away from Ramandu's Island in the film, I assumed that Eustace just swam from Ramandu's Island to Dark Island. It wouldn't have been a very far swim, and he had no other way of getting towards the Dawn Treader otherwise...

I don't think Eustace swam to Dark Island, after he placed the last sword at Aslan's Table I think Aslan basically teleported him to the water near the Dawn Treader. Part of me thought maybe he blew him into the water, but that's more a transport method for Silver Chair.

There is no way Eustace could have swam from Ramandu's Island to the Dawn Treader.

The only thing I could possibly think of is that when the swords were united, they either teleported him to the water or the blue shockwave from the magic pushed Eustace far out into the water.

Just had another thought....the shirt he is wearing after he comes to on Ramandu's Island after the undragoning really still looks like his original shirt because it's torn so I don't think he actually got his new clothes until after he returned to the DT.

I didn't like the time of the scene. It wasn't according to the book. The undragonning was great, because too of the effects, but the timing wasn't good for me.

^ All most none of the timing according to the book.

I think what is missing most is the struggle Eustace has that he cannot do it himself. We get one wimpy attempt from Eustace in the movie, but the problem is the audience that hasn't read the book won't grasp the significance of it because they will assume he cannot do it becuase he is wounded, not becuase he is inadequate. It's not the wound that keeps Eustace from being able to undragon himself, but it looks like it on screen because it is so rushed.