I'm out of sarcastic replies...

A guess:

That when it devoured the boats at the Lone Islands, it transported them to the center of the evil, which is Dark Island. The Dawn Treader sailed into the Dark Island by itself, without any help from the mist. You could say that the prey entered the lair of the enemy, so the enemy wanted it nowhere else but right there at Dark Island.

Because...that would make just TOO much sense!

Also, rewatching the film on DVD and with subtitles, I finally caught something: when Caspian and Edmund are fetching Lord Restemar's sword out of the goldwater pool, Lucy asks "why don't the swords turn into gold?"

Edmund replies "they're magic."

That pretty much sums up the attitude of the scriptwriters when faced with plotholes. Use the all-purpose glue of "magic."

Well, if the Dawn Treader was to be overcome by the mist...I suppose the film would end there and we'd call the film The Devouring of the Dawn Treader!

I agree with Lady Galadriel, on her theory of it. I also think that knowing that The Dawn Treader was coming to fight off the very mist and evil of Dark Island itself, the evil would not overtake them at once, instead haunt them until they came into its very grasp at Dark Island. I would say the mist was luring the Dawn Treader by playing and tempting everyone aboard with its seeming presence. Had the mist just come and swept them away, there would a) be no need for a further story b) the point of overcoming the Dark Island and helping to recover the lost lords, as well as the captives of the mist, would have no purpose as the Dawn Treader would be gone in a 'poof'!

The point is that evil does not just sweep over a person at once, it plays with you and slowly tries to weaken you to succombe into its powers. Besides, we are in Narnia, and although this plotline may not be true to the book, I believe Aslan would give enough power for the Dawn Treader to sail on, unless those aboard were overcome with evil, wherein it was then in their sole determination to reverse its curse. Granted those who were taken captive were innocent and unpossessed, but they were taken precisely to test the strength of good against evil!

That's my humble opinion as far as it goes! I simply don't see a reason for the mist to 'devour' the Treader without first fighting against it and all that it stands for!

The problem with the mist is that it's so multi-purpose. It simply does whatever it is the scriptwriters didn't want to explain. Some people call that a McGuffin. I say...it's lazy. And not even as good as a McMuffin.

Clive Staples Sibelius, you nailed it in both your posts.

We can talk about the green mist, trying to wrap our heads around it, until all our faces turn blue. It just doesn't make sense. Talk about conflicting continuity. This is where I completely agree with Clive Staples Sibelius, it's lazy, an idea to tip-toe around.

As an answer for you glumPuddle, as has been stated, I guess the Dawn Treader is magic? Or could Aslan have been protecting them? The green mist is fearful of the lion emblem on the sail on of the DT, so it only comes out at night on the DT....? Any speculation is probably as hokey-pokey as the mist itself.

You could say that the prey entered the lair of the enemy, so the enemy wanted it nowhere else but right there at Dark Island.

That doesn't explain why the mist didn't devour the DT long before that. About halfway through the voyage, the mist even enters the ship to "play with the minds" of the characters, but for some reason does not devour the ship.

Had the mist just come and swept them away, there would a) be no need for a further story b) the point of overcoming the Dark Island and helping to recover the lost lords, as well as the captives of the mist, would have no purpose as the Dawn Treader would be gone in a 'poof'!

So basically, you're saying the reason the mist doesn't do the logical thing is that it knows that would make the movie end too soon?

Sounds a lot like the cheesy Batman villains in the 60s TV show, who would capture Batman and design really elaborate ways to kill him....instead of just killing him right there. The difference is that the motives of those cheesy Batman villains were pretty clear. The motives of the mist are a total mystery. (I still find it hard to talk about the mist as if it has a mind of its own and keep a straight face)

As an answer for you glumPuddle, as has been stated, I guess the Dawn Treader is magic? Or could Aslan have been protecting them? The green mist is fearful of the lion emblem on the sail on of the DT, so it only comes out at night on the DT....? Any speculation is probably as hokey-pokey as the mist itself.

Exactly. Why the mist does (or doesn't do) certain things is NOT information that should be left to the viewer to speculate about. It's really important.

Viewers don't have to speculate about why the White Witch wants to capture/kill the Pevensies. She knows about the prophecy and wants to keep her throne.

This mist is the backbone of the film's plot, and it makes no sense. An accurate one-sentence synopsis of VDT would say that it's about a crew trying to defeat a green mist. That's the story.

Aslan protected them. that's how I see it. he protected tham so that they could get to their destination!

just my two cents

I always assumed that the mist and Dark Island were related. And since the Dark Island made 'all your worst dreams come true' then the sacrificial people were actually helping the mist by feeding off of their fears, and hence, eating them. The Narnian crew had no such fears entering the Dark Island.

I always assumed that the mist and Dark Island were related.

I always thought the mist was "Dark Island." I assumed that was the "source of the mist" the lords were looking for. What do you think?

And since the Dark Island made 'all your worst dreams come true' then the sacrificial people were actually helping the mist by feeding off of their fears, and hence, eating them.

I don't follow your logic. What makes you think the mist feeds on fears (like the dementors in HP)? Is this established anywhere in the film? Forgive me, I haven't seen the film since theaters.

The Narnian crew had no such fears entering the Dark Island.

If you're saying the crew didn't have any fear about entering "Dark Island," I completely disagree. There is a really cheesy scene where a minotaur asks what's in the mist, and different people answer "our worst nightmares...our darkest wishes...pure evil." Caspian and Edmund also have a little scene together we're they're basically saying their last words to each other in case they die. Obviously Eustace was afraid. And if the crew didn't have any fear, then Caspian's dramatic speech was rather pointless.

I feel the film doesn't have much suspense due to the mist making no sense. If the crew didn't even show any fear, there would be zero suspense. The film would be even more boring.

If you're saying the crew didn't have any fear about entering "Dark Island," I completely disagree. There is a really cheesy scene where a minotaur asks what's in the mist, and different people answer "our worst nightmares...our darkest wishes...pure evil." Caspian and Edmund also have a little scene together we're they're basically saying their last words to each other in case they die. Obviously Eustace was afraid. And if the crew didn't have any fear, then Caspian's dramatic speech was rather pointless.

Well it wasn't scary enough for them to leave Gael behind, because she was there for the whole thing, sea serpent and all . And apparantly all she had to do to hide from the mist was stay in Lucy's cabin.

PS: Bin Laden is dead!

I always assumed that the mist and Dark Island were related. And since the Dark Island made 'all your worst dreams come true' then the sacrificial people were actually helping the mist by feeding off of their fears, and hence, eating them. The Narnian crew had no such fears entering the Dark Island.

But they had the fears when they did enter Dark Island, so the mist really should have eaten the Dawn Treader then. Also when Edmund hacked off a piece of the serpent it dissolved, so you could possibly argue that if everyone stopped being fearful the serpent would have disappeared (maybe) and they wouldn't have needed to bring all seven swords to the table at all.

I think trying to explain any of the plot holes in the film is a waste of time. There's simply no way you can torture a logical plot out of the film. It's sloppy writing meant to entertain small children. Unlike Lewis, who believed children's book that could only be enjoyed by children were bad books, the filmmakers are totally okay with making a movie that makes sense only to children.

I think my explanation is being taken out of context. The Dark Island has been established that it can make worst dreams come true. But of course the crew on the Dawn Treader, while fearing what Dark Island may contain, was never in fear of being devoured itself.. hence why they weren't devoured.

By the way, trying to explain away a plot hole is about as much of a waste of time as trying to find one also... and about as much of a waste of time as posting on here in the first place. Nothing wrong with having differing opinions. I guess in way Bookwyrm does have a point (about trying to explain fantasy elements of a fantasy movie) - after all, this is fantasy. There has to be some suspension of disbelief.